Marian-Palau operation

Prior to World War II, the Mariana Islands were part of the South Pacific Mandate , transferred by the League of Nations to Japan . The only exception was the island of Guam , which was under the control of the United States since 1898. In December 1941, the Japanese captured Guam , with the result that the Mariana Islands completely came under Japanese control.

On February 25, 1944, the 31st Army was formed (commander - Lieutenant General Hijoshi Obata), which was responsible for the defense of the Mariana and Caroline Islands. The 43rd Infantry Division and the 47th Brigade under the general command of Admiral Yoshitsugu Saito were transferred to Saipan Island; Guam concentrated on the 29th division (commander - Lieutenant General Takeshi Takasina), the 48th brigade and the 54th guard detachment of the fleet; the 135th regiment of the 43rd infantry division, the 50th regiment and the 56th guard detachment of the fleet settled on Tinian . In addition, on March 4, 1944, the Central Pacific Fleet was formed (commander - Vice Admiral Tyuichi Nagumo) with headquarters on Saipan, which in reality had only a few small ships and a number of landing barges. Also on Saipan was the headquarters of the 1st Air Fleet (commander - Lieutenant General Kakuji Sumida); based on the Mariana Islands, part of the 1st air fleet totaled 672 aircraft (out of a total of 1,644 aircraft). The 54th naval guard detachment, transferred from Guam, was deployed on Rota Island.

By the summer of 1944, US forces decided to begin the return of the Mariana Islands. To conduct the Mariana Operation, a United Expeditionary Force was formed (commander - Vice Admiral Turner). The expeditionary forces (commander - Lieutenant General Holland Smith) included:

• Northern landing force:
  • 5th amphibious corps (commander - Lieutenant General Holland Smith)
    • 2nd Marine Division (commander - Major General Thomas Watson)
    • 4th Marine Division (commander - Major General Harry Schmidt)
    • 27th Infantry Division (commander - Major General Ralph Smith; from June 20, 1944 - Major General Gemini)
  • 77th Infantry Division (commander - Major General Andrew Bruce), reserve

• Southern landing force:
  • 3rd Amphibious Corps (commander - Major General Roy Gager)
    • 3rd Marine Division (commander - Major General Allen Tarnedzh)
    • 1st Marine Corps (commander - Brigadier General Lemuel Shephead)

The northern compound was to capture Saipan, the southern - Tinian. The United Expeditionary Force consisted of 7 battleships, 7 cruisers, 67 destroyers, 11 escort aircraft carriers and 282 other ships.

The combined expeditionary force was supported by the 5th Fleet, the main core of which was the 58th operational formation of 7 heavy and 8 light aircraft carriers.

Saipan

From June 12 to 14, the bombardment of Saipan continued. On June 15, 150 amphibious armored personnel carriers landed the first 8,000 American soldiers on Saipan. In the following days, all other parts intended to capture the island were landed. Fierce fighting, which lasted until July 9, culminated in the deaths of almost all Japanese soldiers (41,000 people died), including admirals Saito and Nagumo. In these battles, the Americans first applied napalm .

Naval battle

The Japanese 1st Mobile Fleet (commander - Vice Admiral Dzisaburo Ozawa) tried to attack the American 5th Fleet (commander - Vice Admiral Raymond Spruens), supporting the landing on the Mariana Islands; together with the Japanese fleet, the 1st air fleet (commander - Vice Admiral Kakuji Sumida) operated on the ground. As a result of the large air-sea battle that took place on June 19–20, the Japanese lost 3 (out of 9) aircraft carriers and 218 aircraft. The Americans lost 26 aircraft in battle, and 80 when they returned to base.

Guam

On July 21, the 3rd Marine Corps, the 1st Marine Corps and the 77th Infantry Division (37 thousand marines and 19 thousand ground troops) landed on the island of Guam. The Americans faced the fanatical resistance of the Japanese troops (18.5 thousand people), all the Japanese commanders died in the battles. With the death of August 11, Lieutenant General Obat organized resistance to American troops ceased, and Guam came under US control.

Tinian

On July 23, two marine divisions were delivered from Saipan to Tinian, but an attempt to land was thwarted by Japanese troops. The next day, the US Marine Corps still landed in the north of the island, and began to gradually move south, overcoming the stubborn resistance of the Japanese garrison (12 thousand people). On July 30, American troops captured the dominant Carolinas, after which the organized resistance of the Japanese ceased. On August 12, control of the island completely passed to American troops.

After the capture of the Marshall, Mariana Islands and Gilbert Islands, the Americans proceeded to capture the western Carolina Islands to ensure a further invasion of the Philippines. The operation was carried out by the Western Expeditionary Force (commander - Rear Admiral J. Fort) and its amphibious group, and the general command of the operation to capture the western Carolina Islands was assigned to the Joint Expeditionary Force under the command of Vice Admiral W. Wilkinson. The operation was supported by the 3rd fleet of Vice Admiral William Halsey.

On September 15, the 1st Marine Division (commander - Major General William Rupertus, numbering 28.4 thousand people) landed on the island of Peleliu from the Palau Archipelago, and on September 17 the 81st Infantry Division (commander - Major General P.J Muller, number - 19 thousand people) - on the neighboring island of Angaur . The Japanese garrison on Peleiu and neighboring islands (Angaur, Yap, Uliti) amounted to about 30 thousand people, of which 5235 people directly on Peleliu. Angur Island (garrison - about 1,500 people) passed into the hands of the Americans on September 22, on September 23 the neighboring island of Uliti was occupied without a fight, but the battles for Peleliu continued until November 1944.

The fall of the Mariana Islands received a great response in Japan and forced the resignation of the most unyielding militarist and the main initiator of the outbreak of war - General Tojo.

After the capture of the western Carolina Islands, the Americans canceled the planned landings on Yap, Ponape, Truk and other Caroline Islands, and they focused on preparing for landing in the Philippines and Okinawa. Japanese troops in Bougainville, New Guinea, New Britain, the eastern and central islands of the Caroline archipelago continued to hold and control their areas of deployment, and, if necessary, offered the most stiff resistance to the allied forces. However, these garrisons were completely isolated and could not interfere with the advancement of American forces, so they basically did not pay attention to them until the end of the war.

• V.V. Kloving, "Japan in the War" - Moscow: AST Publishing House, Transitbook, 2004. ISBN 5-17-020498-1