The Wilmington morning star., 1945-06-14
Saiipan Anniversary
BY ROBIN Co>S

One year ago today Annor;f
troops assaulted the beaches ~ .5f
unsuitable aircraft carries y t u.s
by Japan for more than IN ra ns'l
and-with their blood and r ytaFs
began figuratively pointing if :,
Tokyo. - At
They captured it in "a DAYS q. ..
bloodiest fighting then know W. ne
the Pacific-bloodier than Tar.rIa
More frightful than Guadalrao,li'
Two Jima and now Okinawa b,a,
since surpassed it in carnage b,s
Saipan cost 300 American lir W.
with 1926 missing and l3. O9g wor rsS'
ed, while more than q, 500 law s'
nese died trying to hold it for tb.?,
homeland - whose capital is ris
miles away as the B-29's flv ''V
The fruits Of that victorv'
by shattering naval bombardn~oOaaa
and the logged valor Of the Secons
and Fourth Marine Divisions sns
the 9th Army infantry diyision u
are now recorded almost daly :,
newspaper accounts of Bog dey,s
tation OF japanese cities.
From Saipan and its sister M.,;
anase islands of Tlnian and Cu.m
assaulted and secured shortly at
terward, fly superfortress fIes,,
which week by week reduce tbs
Japanese capacity and will to fish,
Since the first BIG raid from III.
Marianas in late November, 1914
some five months after Saipan',
conquest-the attacks have besn
growing in intensity and strength
and will continue to grow.
In the one year of American NJ,
cupation Saipan's Y square mill,
the island is IA miles long and
five and one-half miles wide-bays
been transformed so completely
that the men VINO CONQUERED !,
would scarcely know it now. #,
girding green lagoonS remain IN.
same, and many of its rugged hills
and few of its cane fields. and
still in spring its poinciana tree,
flaunt their great bouquets of flsn.
ing bloom against the blue of end.
less sky.
But for the rest Saipan Is now
an outpost of America-and is 3s
American as ingenuity, planning
and work can make it. 1t is a fort
ress, of course, with its airfields
harbor and other military installa.
tons, and it is also city" with
movies and athletic fields, hospitals
and churches, paved roads and wa.
ter pipe lines-even a radio sta.
ton, an ice cream plant (2sN
gallons a week. and a soft drink
plant (more than 1000 cases
day.
The japanese in more than 70
years had managed only few
narrow, rutted roads. Saipan now
has some so miles of black.tOp
highways, as fine as you'll find
"stateside," plus 300-odd miles Of
hard, "coral-paved' roads. The is
land has its own asphalt plant. Cor.
ALL million cubic yards Of it tax.
en- from Saipan's hills-also has
gone into the great airfields.
Saipan offered military govern.
ment its first large test case witt
a civilian population largely hos.
tile. OF the $4,000 civilians, l3,4OO
are Japanese-the rest ChamorrOS
Kanakas and Koreans. Military
government, administered by the
Navy, houses them at Camp ST.
supe, where the makeshift dwell
ings of the early days Of occupa'
ton are giving way rapidly to new
housing units. Under the superb
sion, the civilians engage in farm
ing, fishing, nandicraftS, and paid
labor (35 to so cents an hour for
government and military organlzs'
tons. They have Navy hospital
schools for their 1000 children, and
a cooperative farm and TRADE
stores. Civilians, many Of whom
expected torture and death, are
helping to coax others down from
the hillside hiding places.
| Long after the island was secuf'
ed, stray bands Of japanese SOL
diers roamed the hills or hid IN
caves. Their number has SteadlF
diminished, until now only "teg'
are left, according to officials,
The story of Saipan'S develop
ment-by engineers, soldiers, SAIL
ors, marines, and seabees-can oe
rounded out statistically. Salpan
has 100 warehouses, more golns
up; seven fuel tank farms; 1t nllS
of fuel pipe line; ten fire stations
about 200 miles of water pipe line,
seven hospitals III, 500 BEDS l'-
movie theaters - 81 accommodae
stage shows, S. chapels three gaf,
bage disposal plants and than@
to periodic air spraying Of DID,
few of the flies and mosquitoes
which pestered the invaders anu
caused an epidemic of dengne lev
err shortly after the assault.
! -V-
mi n