# 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.

## United States
### 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 Marine Division (21,746 officers and enlisted)
       Major General Thomas E. Watson
       Asst. Div. Cmdr.: Brig. Gen. Merritt A. Edson
       Red beaches
          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
          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
          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 (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 (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

    4th Marine Division (21,618 officers and enlisted)
       Major General Harry Schmidt
       Asst. Div. Cmdr.: Brig. Gen. Samuel C. Cumming
       Blue beaches
          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
          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
          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 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)
          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 (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