Battle of Saipan order of battle



On 15 June 1944, United States Marine forces landed on the southwest coast of the island of Saipan in the central Marianas chain; these were followed a day later by US Army forces. This invasion was part of Operation Forager, an effort to recapture the entire Marianas chain from the Empire of Japan.

The island had been a Japanese possession since it was captured by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War I. As military conflict with the United States became increasingly likely during the 1930s, Japan expended great effort in fortifying Saipan. In mid-1944, nearly 30,000 troops were based on the island, almost double the estimates of US intelligence.

US forces declared Saipan secure on 9 July 1944.

Naval forces
United States Pacific Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz HQ at Pearl Harbor


 * United States Fifth Fleet
 * Admiral Raymond A. Spruance in heavy cruiser Indianapolis


 * Joint Expeditionary Force (Task Force 51)
 * Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner in amphibious command ship Rocky Mount


 * Northern Attack Force (Task Force 52 – Saipan and Tinian)
 * Vice Admiral Turner


 * Southern Attack Force (Task Force 53 – Guam)
 * Vice Admiral Richard L. Conolly in amphibious command ship Appalachian

Ground forces
Expeditionary Troops (Task Force 56) Lieutenant General Holland M. "Howlin' Mad" Smith
 * Chief of Staff: Brig. Gen. Graves B. Erskine
 * Personnel Officer (G-1): Lt. Col. Albert F. Metze
 * Intelligence Officer (G-2): Col. St. Julien R. Marshall
 * Operations Officer (G-3): Col. John C. McQueen
 * Logistics Officer (G-4): Col. Raymond E. Knapp
 * Plans Officer (G-5): Col. Joseph T. Smith
 * Northern Troops and Landing Force (Task Group 56.1 – Tinian and Saipan)
 * Consisting of V Amphibious Corps
 * Southern Troops and Landing Force (Task Group 56.2 – Guam)
 * Consisting of III Amphibious Corps

V Amphibious Corps Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith
 * Chief of Staff: Brig. Gen. Graves B. Erskine
 * XXIV Corps Artillery (Brig. Gen. Arthur M. Harper)
 * 1st Provisional Gun Group
 * 225th Field Artillery Howitzer Group

Left beaches

 * 2nd_Mar_Div;divlogo1.png 2nd Marine Division (21,746 officers and enlisted)
 * Major General Thomas E. Watson
 * Asst. Div. Cmdr.: Brig. Gen. Merritt A. Edson
 * Red beaches
 * 6th_Marine_Official_Indian_Head.jpg 6th Marine Regiment
 * Commanding Officer: Col. James P. Riseley
 * Executive Officer: Lt. Col. Kenneth F. McLeod
 * 1st Battalion (Lt. Col. William K. Jones)
 * 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. Raymond L. Murray)
 * 3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. John W. Easley)
 * Green beaches
 * 8TH20MARINES.jpg 8th Marine Regiment
 * Commanding Officer: Col. Clarence R. Wallace
 * Executive Officer: Lt. Col. Jack P. Juhan
 * 1st Battalion (Lt. Col. Lawrence C. Hays Jr.)
 * 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. Henry P. Crowe)
 * 3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. John C. Miller Jr.)
 * Floating reserve
 * 2nd_Marine_Regiment_Logo.png 2nd Marine Regiment
 * Commanding Officer: Col. Walter J. Stuart
 * Executive Officer: Lt. Col. John H. Griebel
 * 1st Battalion (Lt. Col. Wood B. Kyle)
 * 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. Richard C. Nutting)
 * 3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Arnold F. Johnston)
 * Landed after D-Day
 * 10th_Marine_Regiment_Seal.jpg 10th Marine Regiment (Artillery)
 * Commanding Officer: Col. Raphael Griffin
 * Executive Officer: Lt. Col. Ralph E. Forsyth
 * 1st Battalion (Lt. Col. Presley M. Rixey)
 * 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. George R. E. Shell)
 * 3rd Battalion (Maj. William L. Crouch)
 * 4th Battalion (Lt. Col. Kenneth A. Jorgensen)
 * 18th_Marine_Regiment_Insignia.jpg 18th Marine Regiment (Engineer)
 * Commanding Officer: Lt. Col. Ewart S. Laue
 * 1st Battalion, 18th Marines (Lt. Col. August L. Vogt)
 * 2nd Battalion, 18th Marines (Lt. Col. Chester J. Salazar)
 * Attached units
 * 1st Battalion, 29th Marine Regiment (Lt. Col. Guy E. Tannyhill; Lt. Col. Rathvon M. Tompkins; Lt. Col. Jack P. Juhan)
 * 715th Amphibian Tractor Battalion (Army)

Right beaches

 * 4THMARDIV.svg 4th Marine Division (21,618 officers and enlisted)
 * Major General Harry Schmidt
 * Asst. Div. Cmdr.: Brig. Gen. Samuel C. Cumming
 * Blue beaches
 * USMC_-_23rd_Marine_Regiment.png 23rd Marine Regiment
 * Colonel Louis R. Jones
 * Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. John R. Lanigan
 * 1st Battalion (Lt. Col. Ralph Haas)
 * 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. Edward J. Dillon)
 * 3rd Battalion (Maj. John J. Cosgrove)
 * Yellow beaches
 * USMC_-_4th_Division_25th_Regiment.png 25th Marine Regiment
 * Colonel Merton J. Batchelder
 * Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Clarence J. O'Donnell
 * 1st Battalion (Lt. Col. Hollis U. Mustain)
 * 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. Lewis C. Hudson)
 * 3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Justice M. Chambers)
 * Floating reserve
 * 24thMarinesCrest.png 24th Marine Regiment
 * Colonel Franklin A. Hart
 * Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Austin R. Brunelli
 * 1st Battalion (Lt. Col. Robert N. Fricke)
 * 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. Richard Rothwell)
 * 3rd Battalion (Lt. Col. Otto Lessing)
 * Landed after D-Day
 * 14th_Marines_logo.png 14th Marine Regiment (Artillery)
 * Colonel Louis G. DeHaven
 * Exec. Ofc.: Lt. Col. Randall M. Victory
 * 1st Battalion (Lt. Col. Harry J. Zimmer)
 * 2nd Battalion (Lt. Col. George B. Wilson Jr.)
 * 3rd Battalion (Maj. Robert E. MacFarlane)
 * 4th Battalion (Lt. Col. Carl A. Youngdale)
 * Emblem_of_the_United_States_Marine_Corps.svg 20th Marine Regiment (Engineer)
 * Lt. Colonel Nelson K. Brown
 * Exec. Ofc.: Capt. William M. Anderson
 * 1st Battalion (Maj. Richard G. Ruby)
 * 2nd Battalion (Maj. John H. Partridge)
 * Attached units
 * 708th Amphibian Tank Battalion (Army)
 * 773rd Amphibian Tractor Battalion (Army)
 * 534th Amphibian Tractor Battalion (Army)

Expeditionary Troops reserve (Landed D+1)

 * 27th_Infantry_Division_SSI.svg 27th Infantry Division (Army) (16,404 officers and enlisted)
 * Major General Ralph C. Smith (thru 24 Jun)
 * Major General Sanderford Jarman (24 Jun thru 28 Jun)
 * Major General George W. Griner (after 28 Jun)
 * Blue beaches
 * Infantry
 * 105th Infantry Regiment
 * 106th Infantry Regiment
 * 165th Infantry Regiment
 * Artillery
 * 104th Field Artillery Battalion
 * 105th Field Artillery Battalion
 * 106th Field Artillery Battalion
 * 249th Field Artillery Battalion
 * Armor
 * 762nd Tank Battalion
 * 766th Tank Battalion
 * Engineer
 * 102nd Engineer Combat Battalion
 * 502nd Engineer Combat Battalion
 * Navy
 * UDT 5
 * UDT 6

Japan
Central Pacific Area Fleet HQ Vice Admiral Chūichi Nagumo (self-inflicted gunshot 6 July) Chief of staff: Rear Adm. Hideo Yano (seppuku 7 July)
 * Thirty-first Army
 * Lieutenant General Hideyoshi Obata (on inspection tour of Guam during battle; seppuku there 11 August)
 * 14th Air Fleet
 * Defenses of Saipan
 * Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Saito (seppuku 7 July)
 * Approx. 25,500 army and 6,200 navy personnel
 * 43rd Division
 * 118th Infantry Regiment
 * 135th Infantry Regiment
 * 136th Infantry Regiment
 * Divisional support
 * 47th Independent Mixed Brigade
 * 316th Independent Infantry Battalion
 * 317th Independent Infantry Battalion
 * 318th Independent Infantry Battalion
 * Other units
 * 3rd Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment
 * 9th Tank Regiment (of 1st Tank Division)
 * 3rd Battalion, 9th Independent Mixed Regiment
 * 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment
 * 25th Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment
 * 7th Independent Engineer Battalion
 * 14th Independent Mortar Battalion
 * 17th Independent Mortar Battalion
 * Miscellaneous straggler units