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The American invasion of Tinian is generally seen as the most brillantly executed amphibious invasion of World War II, yet has received relatively limited attention. And this despite the fact that the airfields obtained played a central role in ending the Pacific War. The small island of Tinian is only 8 km southeast of Saipan across an ocean channel. The Japanese operated Tinian as a sugar plantation. There were also Japanese civilans on Tinian, but far less than on Saipan. While lightly populated, the Japanese heavily garrisoned Tinian. The Americans bombed Tinian for a month. Once the Marines had largely secured Saipan, they struck at the smaller Japanese garrison on Tinian (July 24). The operation conducted showed just how much the Marines had learned. Two Marine divisions assaulted Tinian under the command of Lt. Gen. Harry F. Schmidt. The Marines were assigned the infantry missions. Supporting Army units provided artillery and engineer support. The Marines feinted an invasion at San Jose Village beach located in the center of Tinian. The landing craft approached Tinian from the north, drawing the attention of the Japanese. The landing craft at the rear of the invasion force then peeled off and executed a surprise real landing at a beach located to the northwest. The Army 708th Amphibian Tank Battalion stood by offshore, ready to support the Maines if needed. As the Marines pushed inland, the Army 1341st Engineer Battalion took over the beachead sending landing personnel and supplies forward and transporting casualties to waiting hospital ships. The Marines at first encountered light Japanese resistance. By the end of the day, they had a beachhead 2 miles wide and 1 mile deep. The Japanese used the same tactics employed on Saipan. They launched massive night time attacks. The Americans could not employ their firepower or call in air support at night. The Japanese as was always the case, fought tenaciously. Even so, the Japanese were unable to dislodge the Marines, but lost more than 1,200 men in the process. The terrain on Tinian was not as rough as on Saipan giving the Japanese less cover. The rolling terrain allowed the Marines to employ armor and they advanced rapidly, seizing the the first airfield and Mount Lasso (July 26). A typpoon ended the rapid advance (July 29). Napalm waa used for the first time on Tinian. And as was so often the case, the battle ended with a final, desperate Japanese Banzai bayonet charge. 【Prefer】 The American casualties proved to be surprising low. One author writes, "The seizure of Tinian has been called by Adm. Raymond A. Spruance 'the most brilliantly conceived and executed amphibious operation in World War II.' Marine Lt. Gen Holland M. Smith has described it as 'the perfect amphibious operation of the Pacific War.' These accolades from the two most experienced amphibious commanders in United States military history should have brought considerable attention to the Tinian operation. Yet the opposite appears to be true. Because of the preceived ease of the operation, little attention has been paid to the seizure of Tinian." 【Prefer】 Apparenbtly the lack of casualties has been interpreted to mean that Tinian was a soft target. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Japanese were prepared to extract a heavy toll in American blood.
The small island of Tinian is only 8 km southeast of Saipan across an ocean channel. The island is of volcanic formation.
Tinian is only slightly smaller than nearby Saipan. The islans is divided into two sevtion. South of tinian Town the landscape is generally flat and suitable for setllement. Whie Tinian is less mountnous than Saipan, north of Tinian Town (Sunharon) the gentle landscape began rising. In the north there was a high plateau 5,000 yards long and 2,000 yards wide. Elevatiions reached 500 feet. The plateau was rocky and covered with thick brush. Caves abounded. The eastern coast was dominated by cliff walls whuch were very steep in many areas. There wasa single through the center of the plateau. It was herethat the Jaopanese would make their final stand. In World War II terms, Tinian had many of the features that made Saipan so important. It was about the same distance from the Japanese Home Islands and it was a large enough island to provide ideal sites for B-29 bases.
Before the arival of the Spanish there was a native Chamorro population of about 40,000 people.
The Marianas was primarily a Spanish colony, but Spain took only limited interest in it, especially Tinian. The major interest was the Manika Galleioon trade with China which had played out by the 19th century. The indigenous population was ravaged by European diseases. The island as depopulated exceopt for a few Spanish and mestzo rannchers raising cattle and pigs. The German Empire purchased the Marianas (1899), but took no interest in Tinian. As a result, there was only a few peoople on Tinian when the Japanese took control (1914). The Japanese essentially turned it unto a Japanese island with Japanese and Korean colonists. The island was mostly converted to sugar cane fields. Unlike other Pacific isklands, the Japanese made little effort to prepare Tinian for the coming Pacific War.
Due to Europeans diseases, most ofthe indigenous population perished. The survivors forcibly resettled to Guam (1720). Spanish landowners devloped ranches for cattle and pigs. Tinian thus became a supply point for the Spanish Manila galleons involved in the silver trade between Mexico/Peru and China. The Spanish did not have trade goods they could offer the Chinese, but mines in Mexico and Peru (Bolivia) produced silver that the Chinese accepted in payment for their silk, porcelin, and other luxury goods.
With the Spanish loss of the Philippines in the Spanish–American War (1898), Spain sold the northern Marianas to the expanding German Empire (1899). The Marianas were administered by Germany as part of German New Guinea--their largest possession in the South Pacific. The German largely ignored Tuinian. There was no effort to develop or settle the island. Spanish and mestizo landowners remained in control.
Tinian was one of the three najor islands of the northern marianas seized by the Jaoanese during World War I and assigned a trusteeship by the League of Natiins. The indigenous population at the time the Japanese acquired the island was neglgible as was the physical infrastructure. The Japanese settled Tinian with ethnic Japanese, Koreans and Okinawans who initially developed sugar plantations. The Japanese turned Tinian into a major sugarcane-growing and sugar-processing center, but gradually diversified with some coffeee and cotton growing. Until Japan gained control of the Narianas, they had to imoort sugar. The Japanese unlike the Spanish and Germans began building basic infrastructure, including the construction of port facilities, waterworks, power stations, paved roads and Japanese-language schools. Entertainment facilities and Shinto shrines also appeared. There were initial problems with settlement, but the Nan'yo Kohatsu Kabushiki Kaisha (South Seas Development Company--Nanko or NKKK).
Saipan was principal Japanese stronghold on the Marianas. The Jaoanese were not seriously thinking about defending the Marianas Even after Kido Butai was smashed at Midway (June 1942), the Japanese were not thinking about a defenive posture.
Thhis only began to change after the brusing battle for Guadalcanal (August 1942=Febryuary 1943). The ensuing battle for the Solomon and New Guinea firmly put Japan on the defesive. Japan was still hoping that its outer island. Admiral Nimitz a launched the Central Pacific Campaign (November 1943). This began a Tarawa. It was bloody fight, but it was soon clear that the outer island fefenses would not hold. It is that this time that Japan began to strenthen its defenses in the Marianas, especially Saipan. Tinian was not garrisoned by the Japanese military until this point. Saipan received priority because it was seen as a possible base for new long-range American Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers. The Japanese belatedly realised that Tinian coud also serve as an Amrican bomber bases.and the Japanese began preparing defenses. By gthis time the American submarine was becoming increasinky effective. This and Japanese losses in the South Pacific impededvwhat the Jaopanese woukld have liked to have done, both on Saipan and on Tinian.
The American invasion of Tinian is generally seen as the most brillantly executed amphibious invasion of World War II, yet has received relatively limited attention. And this despite the fact that the airfields obtained played a central role in ending the Pacific War. While lightly populated, the Japanese heavily garrisoned Tinian. The Americans bombed Tinian for a month. Once the Marines had largely secured Saipan, they struck at the smaller Japanese garrison on Tinian (July 24). The operation conducted showed just how much the Marines had learned. Two Marine divisions assaulted Tinian under the command of Lt. Gen. Harry F. Schmidt. Major General Clifton B. Cates commanded the 4th Marine Division which landed on Tinian. They were backed by naval bombardment and gun support from the XXIV Corps Artillery, on southern Saipan. Instead of landing in the southwest as expected by the Japanse, the Marines landed along the northwest coast, chosing two small beaches that did not have string defenses. Both beaches were flanked by relatively low coral cliffs which the Marines scaled with ramps mounted on their amphibious tractors (LVTs). The Marines were assigned the infantry missions. Supporting Army units provided artillery and engineer support. The Marines feinted an invasion at San Jose Village beach located in the center of Tinian. The landing craft approached Tinian from the north, drawing the attention of the Japanese. The landing craft at the rear of the invasion force then peeled off and executed a surprise real landing at a beach located to the northwest. The Army 708th Amphibian Tank Battalion stood by offshore, ready to support the Maines if needed.
As the Marines pushed inland, the Army 1341st Engineer Battalion took over the beachead sending landing personnel and supplies forward and transporting casualties to waiting hospital ships. The Marines at first encountered light Japanese resistance. By the end of the day, they had a beachhead 2 miles wide and 1 mile deep. The Japanese used the same tactics employed on Saipan. They launched massive night time attacks. The Americans could not employ their firepower or call in air support at night. The Japanese as was always the case, fought tenaciously. Even so, the Japanese were unable to dislodge the Marines, but lost more than 1,200 men in the process. The terrain on Tinian was not as rough as on Saipan giving the Japanese less cover. The rolling terrain allowed the Marines to employ armor and they advanced rapidly, seizing the the first airfield and Mount Lasso (July 26). A typoon ended the rapid advance (July 29). Napalm was used for the first time on Tinian. And as was so often the case, the battle ended with a final, desperate Japanese Banzai bayonet charge. 【Prefer】
The American casualties proved to be surprising low, only 326 killed--astonishing given the size and preparation of the well-armed Japanese garrison. It was not because the Japanese did not fight. As on Saipan and oher Pacific islands, the Japanese soldiers continued to fight to the death. Some 5,500 were killed, only 252 were captured. Many of those captured were so badly wounded they could not resist or kill themselves. Some 2,300 Japanese soldiers were missing, left in their destroyed fortifications, or bodies blown to pieces. Tinian at the time of the War, was essentially a Japanese island. The civilan population at the time of the invasion was 15,700 civilans, mistly ethnic Japanese, but including 2,700 ethnic Koreans, but only 22 Chamorros. Some 4,000 Japanese civilians were killed as a result of the pre-invasion bombing or fighting. Many committed suiside rather than allowing themselves to be taken by the Americans. The Japanese military incouraged civilian suiside propagating the propaganda line that they would be tortured by the Americans. Many of those who hesitated were actually murdered by the Japanese defenders 【Rottman and Howard, p. 87-89.】 Some 13,000 Japanese civilians who survived the invasion and Japanese Army murder operations were interned by the Americans and thus able to survive the War. The Marines returned brutality for brutality to the Japanese soldiers. The Japanese civilians were entirely a diffrent matter. The tendeness with which the grizzeled Marines treated the civilians, especially the childrenband eldely is touching--an enduring legacy of the United Stayes Marine Corps. They Japanese civilins received food and water and medical care. They were ultimately repatriated to Japan. Unlike Japanese internnmnt camps where internees were starved and brutalized, there were actually more people repatriated than interned--because of births after America seized tghe iskland. Under Amerucan care, civilans were healthy and actually gained weight.
One author writes, "The seizure of Tinian has been called by Adm. Raymond A. Spruance 'the most brilliantly conceived and executed amphibious operation in World war II.' Marine Lt. Gen Holland M. Smith has described it as 'the perfect amphibious operation of the Pacific War'. These accolades from the two most experienced amphibious commanders in United States military history should have brought considerable attention to the Tinian operation. Yet the opposite appears to be true. Because of the preceived ease of operation, little attention has been paid to the seizure of tinian." 【Prefer】 Apparenbtly the lack of casualties has been interpreted to mean that Tinian was a soft target. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Japanese were prepared to extractv a heavy toll in American blood.
The Marianas campaign was vital to the Pacific War because with the new B-20 Super Forts, the Japanese Home Islands became exposed to air attacks. And not the pin-prick carrier attacks like the one led by Jimmy Doolittle (March 1942), but a massive stratehic bombing campaign as was being waged aginst Germany. Some 15,000 Navy Seabees turned Tinian into the busiest airfield of the war. They built six 7,900-foot (2,400 m). North Field was built over Airfields No. 1 and 3 (February 1945). West Field was built over Airfield No. 2, and became operational (March 1945). The stratehic bombing campaign had intially been planned to be launched from China which posed massive logistical problems. All the ordinance and supplies after an extenced ocean transport had to be flown over the Himalayas. The Marianas were different. They were a relatively short and very direct line from American Pacific coast ports. Tinian was used for attacks on Japanese targets in the Philippines, the Ryukyu Islands, and ultimately the Home Islands. The devetating Operation Meetinghouse firebombing of Tokyo was launched from Tinian (March 9-10, 1945). And North Field on Tinian was where the 509th Composite Group specialized Silverplate nuclear weapons delivery B-29 bombers was based. Enola Gay and Bockscar which delivered the two atomic bombs to Japan, took off from Tinian.
Prefer, Nathan N. The Battle for Tinian: Vital Stepping Stone in America's War Against Japan (2012), 264p.
Rottman, Gordon L. and Howard Gerrard. Saipan & Tinian 1944: Piercing the Japanese Empire (Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2004).
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