On July 7, 1944, the Japanese forces defending Saipan were annihilated after a series of engagements with the U.S. forces over the Mariana Islands.
According to the League of Nations Covenant in 1920, the Mariana Islands, including Saipan, were the mandated territory of Japan. The Pacific War broke out in December 1941, and U.S. forces landed on Saipan on June 15, 1944, nearly three years after the start of the war. On June 19, the Japanese Navy and the U.S. Navy waged battle near the Mariana Islands (the Battle of the Philippine Sea). The Japanese Navy suffered damage and was forced to retreat. |
- Document 1 is the joint issue No. 330 and 331 of Shashin Shuho (Weekly Photographical Journal), which was published on July 26, 1944. It contains an article about the situation in the Mariana Islands. The article titled “Progress of battle on Saipan” (second image) shows photos of Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Saito, Rear Admiral Takehisa Tsujimura, and Vice Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, the commanders who lead the defense of Saipan. The article states that “after many fierce engagements, it has been confirmed that all of our forces in Saipan had been killed in action by July 16.”
- Document 2 is a report titled “On the B-29 in Mariana (amended),” which was prepared by the Commander-in-Chief of the Maritime Escort Fleet on July 15, 1945. This report mainly provides an update of the information about the aircraft of the U.S. forces that were deployed to the Mariana Islands and airfields.
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