アメリカ海兵隊さんのインスタグラム写真 - (アメリカ海兵隊Instagram)「#OTD in 1944, the Battle of Saipan commenced as American troops launched their invasion of Saipan in the Mariana Islands, located in the Western Pacific. U.S. forces stormed the beaches of Saipan with the primary objective of securing the island’s critical air base. #Marines with @2dmardiv and @4thmardiv fought alongside the @usarmy's 27th Infantry Division, facing relentless artillery and mortar fire, and attacks from small arms, automatic weapons, and hand-to-hand combat. Through gradual advances, the American forces forced the Imperial Japanese Army to continuously retreat toward Mount Tapochau. Among the Marines on Saipan was PFC Guy Galbadon who learned to speak Japanese growing up in East Los Angeles. Galbadon received the Silver Star for his efforts to convince more than 1,000 Japanese troops and civilians on the island to surrender peacefully. In the early morning of July 7, thousands of enemy troops attacked in a final, desperate banzai charge. Ultimately, the attack proved unsuccessful, and Japanese forces no longer had the capacity or strength to launch any further offensive operations. Finally, after 24 days of rigorous and intense fighting with the Imperial Japanese Army, U.S. forces claimed victory on July 9, 1944. With the Japanese mainland now within range of American B-29 bombers, the end of the war in the Pacific was in sight. #MarinesOfTheCorps #USMCHistory #BattleofSaipan」6月15日 23時34分