In July 1944, the V Amphibious Corps, now including an additional Marine division, was assigned to the invasion of the Mariana Islands. In this action (Operation "Forager"), Ralph Smith's division fought alongside the Marines in the hard struggle for the mountainous island of Saipan. During the fight for Mt. Tapotchau in the center of the island, a vast difference in training and tactics between the Marines and the Army led to the 106th Infantry Regiment failing to reduce the area known as "Hell's Pocket", thus falling far behind the advance line of Marines. The corps commander, already ill-disposed toward the 27th Infantry Division because of its perceived lack of aggressiveness on Makin, relieved Ralph Smith of command and ordered him off the island. He contended that Ralph Smith's men had "failed to attack on time," unnecessarily costing Marine lives in the conquest of the island. Five times in the Pacific Theater of Operations were Army generals relieved of command, but it was unprecedented for the order to be given by a Marine Corps general, and the incident caused a considerable rift between the two branches.