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Defense Department (USMC) 85,819. These two leathernecks have just tossed a charge of high explosive into a Japanese dugout during mop-up operations on the northern tip of Saipan. The enemy, with their backs to the sea, dug in for a last desperate attempt to hold off the final Marine assault.

American Memorial Park - Saipan
The Marianas Campaign

Following the attack on the American Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Japanese forces advanced on many fronts in the Pacific. The Battle of the Coral Sea, although a loss for the US Navy in tactical terms, halted the southward advance of Japan.

The subsequent American victory at Midway Island is often called the turning point of the War. The Japanese Navy’s ability to support the forces occupying the islands of the Pacific was severely damaged. The American conquest of Guadalcanal was the beginning of a long counteroffensive.

For an informative historical overview, please visit the War in the Pacific In Depth section on Saipan.

To view National Park Service wayside exhibits on Saipan, please click here.