Saturday, June 16, 2018

Tinian WW2.

This is coolbert:

Best amphibious operation of the entire Second World War!

Tinian, 1944. First it was Saipan. then it was Guam. Then Tinian. The Marianas Campaign, World War Two.

As extracted from: "1001 Things Everyone Should Know About WWII".

"This ten-mile-long [sixteen kilometers] islet shuddered under a forty-three-day air/sea bombardment before the 2nd and 4th Marine Division . . . went ashore on July 24, 1944. Opposed by more than 8,000 Japanese soldiers, the Marines overwhelmed organized resistance by August 1, with a little mopping up left to be done. U.S. losses came to 295 killed and 1,554 wounded while the Japanese lost 7,000 killed along with 316 prisoners."

"Marine lieutenant general Holland M. Smith, heading the Marianas Expeditionary Troops, thought Tinian the best amphibious operation of the Pacific campaign."


See this Marine Corps news reel type documentary movie the subject of which is the Tinian operation. They make it all sound so easy. And in comparison to other amphibious landings of  WW2 it probably was so. Tinian only three miles [five kilometers] from the southern most point of Saipan. Tinian is that very rare example of a military operation proceeding more or less according to plan, deviation in response to dynamics very limited?

Best a very subjective judgment in most cases but in the instance of Tinian we can all agree [??] the amphibious invasion of the island, reduction of the Japanese garrison and capture by U.S. forces was indeed the BEST of WW2.

coolbert.

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