In July 1944, the 9,000-man Japanese garrison on the island of
Tinian listened warily as the thunder of the United States Navy and
Marine Corps, Army and Air Corps, descended on their neighbouring
island, Saipan, just three miles away. There were 20,000 Japanese
troops on Saipan, but the US obliterated the opposition after a
horrific all-arms campaign. The sudden silence only indicated it
was now Tinian's turn. When the battle for Tinian finally took
place the US acted with great skill. Nevertheless, the Japanese
resisted with their usual stubbornness, and the already decimated
US Marines suffered hundreds of casualties. During the battle
Japanese shore batteries were able to riddle the battleship
Colorado, killing scores, plus make multiple hits on a destroyer,
killing its captain. On the island itself the US used napalm for
the first time, paving the way for Marines painstakingly rooting
out strongpoints. One last Banzai attack signalled the end to enemy
resistance, as Marines fought toe-to-toe with their antagonists in
the dark. In the end some 8,000 Japanese were killed, with only 300
surrenders, plus some others who hid out for years after the war.
But those Japanese who resisted perhaps performed a greater service
than they knew. After Tinian was secured, the US proceeded to build
the biggest airport in the world on that island, home to hundreds
of B-29 Superfortresses. Among these, just over a year later, were
the Enola Gay and Boxcar, which with their atomic bombs would
quickly bring the Japanese homeland itself to its knees.
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