The Battle of Saipan took place in June-July 1944. US forces engaged in a titanic three-week struggle with Japanese defenders to finally take the island, part of the Mariana Islands, during the Pacific War of WWII (1939-45). The battle for Saipan inflicted total casualties of over 45,000. Control of the island and others in the archipelago allowed the US to operate airfields with B-29 bombers that were now close enough to bomb any city in Japan.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original article at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/2975/battle-of-saipan/.
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