This date, July 9, in 1944, U.S. forces took Saipan, causing the downfall of the Tojo government.
This date, July 9, in 1944, U.S. forces took Saipan, causing the downfall of the Tojo government. Photo: LVTs heading for shore on June 15, 1944. USS Birmingham (CL-62), a Cleveland class light cruiser in the foreground; the cruiser firing in the distance is the USS Indianapolis (CL/CA-35), a Portland class heavy cruiser. The Battle of Saipan was fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from June 15 to July 9, 1944. The Allied invasion fleet embarking the expeditionary forces left Pearl Harbor on June 5, 1944, the day before Operation Overlord in Europe was launched. The U.S. 2nd Marine Division, 4th Marine Division, and the Army's 27th Infantry Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Holland Smith, defeated the 43rd Infantry Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, commanded by Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Saito. The loss of Saipan, with the death of at least 29,000 troops and heavy civilian casualties, precipitated the resignation of Japanese Prime Minister ...