D-Day in the Pacific: The Battle of Saipan

5. The 2nd Marine Division Lands

c h a p t e r f i v e the 2nd marine division lands The crews of the amphibious tanks had heard many rumors and warnings while on their way from Hawaii to Saipan. Of course, Tokyo Rose always tried to spread alarm and fear among the troops. “If the Marines in Pearl Harbor knew the reception that is prepared for them,” she said, “they would jump overboard rather than go.”1 While the men scoffed at such admonitions, other warnings were more ominous. Private First Class G. Milton Shirley, in Company D of the 2nd Armored Amphibian Battalion , overheard an officer telling his troops: “Now this operation is going to be spearheaded by the second armored amphibian battalion. God help them poor devils.” On 14 June, as Private Al Scarpo (also of Company D) recalled, a major in the 2nd Marine Division remarked, “Tomorrow morning we’re going to hit the beach. There will be boats (LVT’s) to take us in but there will be none to bring us back. Only two kinds of men will stay there . . . the dead and the ones who are going to die.”2 Marines were not supposed to overhear such discouraging comments; officially, marine officers tried to boost the morale of the attacking troops. One week before D-Day, Lieutenant Colonel John C. Miller Jr. of the 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, had written to his men: “We marines are known as the best of fighting men throughout the world. Who is there to doubt it? Perhaps the Japs will for awhile—for his Little Yellow Relatives on Guadalcanal , Tarawa, Makin, Kwajalein and Eniwetok never got back to Saipan with the word. We must prove it to him the hard way. . . . I will see you on 62 d-day in the pacific the beach. Keep a cool head, a true aim, God Bless you, and get in there and FIGHT. THE HELL WITH THE RISING SUN.”3 On 14 June, the eve of D-Day, Major General Thomas E. Watson, commanding general of the 2nd Division, had encouraged his troops: “The task now before us is another ‘must.’ We are proud to help do the job. Just as in previous operations we breached the wall of the Japanese outer ring of defenses, we shall now crash through the inner defense line by the destruction of the enemy forces on Saipan. . . . You will be fighting side-by-side with another battle-tried Marine Division; units of the United States Army are fighting with us; and, the finest and greatest naval force in history supports us.”4 The plan was straightforward. The western coast of Saipan was divided into landing beaches stretching for six thousand yards. Each beach was code-named: Red Beach 1, Red Beach 2, Red Beach 3, and so on for the remaining eight areas designated by Green, Blue, and Yellow. The 2nd Marine Division was to land on the northern beaches, Red and Green, while the 4th Marine Division hit the southern beaches, Blue and Yellow. A landing dock on the northern end of the town of Charan Kanoa served as the dividing line between the two divisions. Potential landing sites on Figure 5. K Company, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, on Saipan; courtesy of Private Ray “Chick” Hill (USMC). the 2nd marine division lands 63 the other sides of the island had been considered but ruled out due to a variety of problems or obstacles. Only the west coast would allow the two divisions to land side by side. The marines used their standard triangular assault formation; that is, each division landed with two regiments abreast and one in reserve. Similarly, each regiment landed with two battalions abreast and one in reserve. From north to south, the order of regiments in the assault was 6th Marines, 8th Marines, 23rd Marines, and 25th Marines. Breaking the landing down further, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 6th Marines would land on Red Beaches 2 and 3, and the 3rd and 2nd Battalions of the 8th Marines would hit Green Beaches 1 and 2. At the same time, the 3rd Battalion, 23rd Marines, would land on Blue Beach 1; the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines, would hit Blue Beach 2; the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines, would land on Yellow Beach 1; and the 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, would come in on Yellow Beach 2.5 The attack...