East Field ( Saipan ) East Field ( also known as Kagman Airfield ) is a former World War II airfield on Saipan in the Mariana Islands . History . Saipan had been occupied by the Japanese since World War I , and by mid - 1944 , the Americans had advanced inside the Japanese ring of defense in the Pacific Theater . By establishing air bases in the Mariana Islands , the United States Army Air Forces could establish bases to conduct long - range strategic offensive air operations over the Japanese Home Islands with the new B - 29 Superfortress , which , during early 1944 , was operating ineffectively from bases in China . Bringing the superfortresses into the Central Pacific and stationing them in the Marianas would bring Japan within the range of the B - 29 , as well as provide the Twentieth Air Force with reliable means of support from the western ports of the United States . The landings on Saipan began at 07 : 00 on June 15 , 1944 , and more than 300 LVTs landed 8 , 000 United States Marines on the west coast of the island . However the liberation of the island was a sad chapter of the tenacious fighting that lie ahead for the Allied forces , with the Japanese mounting a fanatical military defense and the fighting causing numerous civilian deaths . The island was the first objective of the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions of the 5th Amphibious Corps . In addition to the Marine infantry units , the United States Army 27th Infantry Division was in reserve and went ashore on the south of the island , under heavy Japanese fire . For the next three weeks , Japanese counterattacks and Banzai charges bloodied the US forces as they fought their way to the north . Many of the Japanese civilian population of the island committed mass suicide by jumping off cliffs at Marpi Point or committing suicide with hand grenades in caves . An estimated 22 , 000 civilians died in the battle . In addition , the Japanese commanders , Lt . General Saito and Navy Admiral Nagumo committed suicide in a cave . It took until July 9 , 1944 until sustained combat ended and the island was declared officially secured by the US forces . Once the island was secure , the construction of American large airfields could proceed . By the end of 1944 East Field ( also known as Kagman Point Airfield ) was built on the Kagman Peninsula on the eastern end of the island , located to the north of Magicienne Bay ( Laulau Bay ) . The airfield become the headquarters of the Seventh Air Force as well as its subordinate commands , VII Bomber and VII Fighter . This was the first time all of the major command units of the Seventh Air Force were consolidated into one location . The airfield ' s facilities included a single runway x running east to west ( as of December 1944 ) . An extensive taxiway and revetment area was located to the south of the airfield and north of the runway . Tower code was named ' Violet ' . Operational units assigned to the station were initially P - 47 Thunderbolt fighter squadrons of the 318th Fighter Group which moved in from Hawaii in early July to support ground combat units in the Marianas . Also , the 6th Night Fighter Squadron operated P - 61 Black Widow s to provide night fighter defense against Japanese night air attacks . Over the next few months , Seventh Air Force built up their forces on Saipan , assigning the following units to East Field : By mid - 1946 most USAAF units were reassigned , and the military use of Kagman Point Airfield ended . It was used as an airport until the mid - 1960s when it was closed . The land was then redeveloped with housing and a golf course built on the former World War II airfield .