The Battle of Saipan and What It Means 80 Years Later

Quick answer: Why was the Battle of Saipan important?

Fought from June 15 to July 9, 1944, the battle put Japan's home islands within range of B-29 bombers from the Marianas and helped bring down Prime Minister Hideki Tojo's government. It included the largest banzai charge of the Pacific War on July 7.

By mid-1944, American forces had fought their way across the Pacific from Guadalcanal through the Gilberts and Marshalls. Saipan, in the Northern Marianas, was the next step, because from there B-29s could reach Tokyo. On June 15, 1944, the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions came ashore under Lieutenant General Holland "Howlin' Mad" Smith, followed by the Army's 27th Infantry Division. The fighting lasted 24 days. Marines climbed Mount Tapotchau, the island's highest point, clearing caves one at a time. On July 7, the Japanese commander, Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Saito, ordered a final attack, and thousands of Japanese troops launched the largest banzai charge of the war, breaking through two battalions of the 27th Division. Lieutenant Colonel William O'Brien of the 105th Infantry fought with a pistol in each hand, then climbed onto a jeep and fired its .50-caliber machine gun until he was overrun. He received the Medal of Honor. The island was declared secure on July 9. Combined with the Navy's victory in the Philippine Sea, the loss shook Tokyo, and Tojo resigned on July 18.

Why it matters for leaders: Leaders who stay with their people when a line breaks give everyone around them a reason to hold.

Q: Who was Lt. Col. William O'Brien?

A: Commander of the 1st Battalion, 105th Infantry, 27th Infantry Division. He was killed resisting the July 7 banzai attack and received the Medal of Honor posthumously.

Q: What happened to Tojo after Saipan?

A: Hideki Tojo's cabinet resigned on July 18, 1944, after the island fell.

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By John Fenzel, founder and CEO of Heroes' Path Foundation