◆ On Saipan, the Japanese started committing mass suicides, with their general leading a final assault against the American forces. The American air force shot down 600 aircraft while losing 123 of their own. ◆ The Battle of the Philippine Sea that lasted for two days was fought for control over the waters of the Marianas with 5 carriers of the Japanese against 7 carriers of the US fleet. ◆ The Marianas consisted of 3 islands, Guam, Tinian, and Saipan. With this, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands were captured and the US looked towards the Marianas. ◆ Meanwhile, at Truk, US planes sank 25 merchant men, 6 destroyers, 3 light cruisers, and 270 aircraft. The Japanese fought till their last breath, with only 105 of 8,000 surviving. ◆ At Kwajalein and Eniwetok islands, the Japanese forces were overrun by continuous aerial and naval bombardments. Only 17 Japanese soldiers were taken as prisoners of war (PoW). In this battle, the US lost 1001 soldiers and had 2,296 wounded. ◆ The US Marines landed on Novemand captured the island over the next 3 days.
0 kommentar(er)
