Saipan Beach H-Hour, in Color
Pacific Paratrooper has reached the H-Hour of the Saipan invasion and nothing tells the story better than this post and the short film included by John R. Bruning!
Being as some people have been unable to see the video, I have included another.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWrnS_A-e_I
In just two hours on June 15, 1944, three hundred amphibious tractors (LVT’s) carried over eight thousand heavily armed U.S. Marines onto Saipan Island in the Marianas Chain. It was a masterful display of amphibious warfare tactics and doctrine, but it also set the stage for a brutal, close range battle for control of Saipan’s sandy west coast. In places, the Marines found themselves pinned down by intense mortar, artillery and automatic weapons fire, and it took hours just to claw a foothold ashore. But by nightfall, the Marines had established themselves enough to repel the first of many Japanese counter-attacks.
This short film clip is raw footage shot by one of the Marine combat cameramen who went ashore with one of the first waves. It is silent, as was most of the footage shot, but that only adds to the poignancy of these scenes. The images are striking, not only…
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Posted on October 15, 2016, in Uncategorized, WWII and tagged History, Military, Military History, Pacific, Saipan, war film, WW2, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 27 Comments.
Pacific Paratrooper 
Amazing footage. Cue the Ride of the Valkyries.
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Very good, Jacqui!
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Excellent re blog gp, that short video clip is remarkable in clarity, the photographer did a great job in capturing a special event in time.
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People like to see the real footage, but the cameramen rarely get the credit they deserve – good going, Ian!!
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I don’t know what it is, but I always get the strangest feeling watching those old silent films of the past.
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It sometimes gives me a Twilight Zone feeling or would it be considered Sci-Fi to have a window into the past….?
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I was able watch both. The colour film has the disconcerting effect of looking like something staged. Do you know more about the women and children seen at the end of the first clip?
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I don’t know about these civilians specifically. Many of the residents of Saipan were frightened of the Americans, it took the trusting of a few to help bring the others around. This island was quite a bloody scene for 3 weeks, civilians and enemy soldiers alike committed suicide rather than surrender. Despite 8,000 Marines establishing a beachhead the first day, they suffered 2,000 casualties. I greatly appreciate your interest, Hilary, and again, Congrats on the success of “Surviving the Death Railroad.”
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Relentless fighting in awful conditions. Saipan must rank alongside some of the grittiest combat of the whole war.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Each island seems supply its own special trials and horror show. I don’t know how they could take it!
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Immagini di cruenta realtà in questo magnifico articolo
Un saluto da Roma, silvia
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Vi ringrazio per aver visitato. Saluti dalla Florida.
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The dust alone would have added to the misery of the invasion, GP. –Curt
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The noise alone would have done it for me!! Thanks for dropping by, Curt.
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The newest video gives no problems, but it is a pity it isn’t another version of the same one. However, that one can be viewed after a fashion by running the cursor across the loading strip.
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Thank you. I tried to find the original, but no such luck. Thank you for your help and return visit!!
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Very interesting. Didn’t get to see the film clip either, Same thing with it loading and then going black.
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Being as that video only works for some people, I have included another short video. It is not the same one, this film shows just after the landing. Thank you for letting me know.
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Will check it out soon. Thanks so much!
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Thank you.
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I a, sure you’ve covered this in an earlier post, but can you point me to any discussion on Japanese island defense strategy and how it evolved (or didn’t) over time? I am trying to remember if their strategy was to cover all beaches and destroy an invasion force on the beaches or maintain a central reserve that could be thrown at any beach in overwhelming force.
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The Japanese originally started by trying to defend their beaches, but the Allies made it ashore anyway. So, they altered their plans by allowing the Allies to come ashore, leaving only a minimum defense to slow them down and then attack in ambush from dug-in defense positions. The Japanese began digging-in so well that even shelling them by air and sea barely scratched their bunkers.
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Pity: I can’t get the film to play, but got the impression from snips of the track.
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That’s a shame. It must have something to do with different countries?
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No idea — I’ve never had the strip showing loading but the screen remaining black before.
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Sorry to hear that. I don’t know enough about computers to help either.
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It turns out you were not the only person having trouble with the video on my reblog this morning, so I’ve included another one. Thank you for letting me know about the problem.
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