The Battle of Saipan brings Japan within B-29 range and topples Tojo
The largest Banzai charge of the war fails to stop the Marianas from falling
Quick facts
- Location
- Saipan, Mariana Islands
- Dates
- June 15 to July 9, 1944
- Japanese casualties
- Garrison of about 30,000 nearly wiped out
- Political result
- Prime Minister Hideki Tojo resigned July 18, 1944
- Strategic result
- Brought Tokyo within B-29 bomber range
What happened
On June 15, 1944, roughly 70,000 US Marine and Army troops landed on Saipan in the Mariana Islands, defended by about 31,000 Japanese troops and home to a similar number of civilians. The invasion triggered the Battle of the Philippine Sea nearby, which crippled Japanese carrier aviation, while ground fighting on Saipan ground on for three weeks. On July 7, with their position collapsing, Japanese troops launched the largest Banzai charge of the Pacific war; nearly 4,000 to 5,000 Japanese dead were left scattered among the American positions by morning. Saipan was declared secure on July 9, and in the battle's final days hundreds of Japanese civilians, told American forces would torture and kill them, jumped from cliffs at Marpi Point rather than surrender.
Why it matters
Japanese Prime Minister General Hideki Tojo had publicly promised the United States would never take Saipan; his government fell within days of the island's loss, on July 18, a direct political casualty of the defeat. Saipan also put Tokyo within unrefueled range of the new B-29 Superfortress, and the first B-29 raid flew from the island against Tokyo that November, opening the strategic bombing campaign against the Japanese home islands.
How we know
The resignation of Tojo one week after Saipan's fall is documented by the Pearl Harbor National Memorial's account of the battle's political aftermath, tying the island's loss directly to the change in Japanese leadership.
Sources
- The National WWII Museum. Banzai Attack: Saipan · Reputable sourcenationalww2museum.org · The domain "nationalww2museum.org" is on our Reputable source registry. · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
- Pearl Harbor National Memorial (pearlharbor.org). Closing In: The Battle of Saipan · Unclassified sourcepearlharbor.org · Cited as a "website" source (no stronger domain match). · Link is live and its text matches the event's key terms (Jul 2026)
See something wrong? . Corrections with a source get fixed fastest.
Part of a timelineWorld War II101 events · From a staged skirmish at a bridge outside Beijing to a charter signed in San Francisco, the deadliest conflict in history, every event sourced.View all →