Battle of Tinian
The Battle of Tinian was a significant conflict during World War II, occurring in July 1944 as part of the American campaign to secure the Mariana Islands from Japanese control. Following the capture of Saipan, American forces, led by Major General Harry Schmidt, launched a surprise landing on Tinian on July 24. The Japanese garrison, commanded by Colonel Kiyochi Ogata, was taken off guard as the Americans utilized smaller northern beaches for their landings, preventing the effective deployment of Japanese defenses that were oriented toward the larger southern beaches. The battle concluded with American forces declaring the island secure on August 1, although some Japanese troops continued to resist in caves for several months. The casualties reflected a stark disparity, with the Americans suffering 389 dead and 1,816 wounded, while Japanese losses exceeded 5,000. Tinian's strategic importance was underscored by the construction of the world's longest runways, which later served as launch sites for B-29 bombing missions, including those that dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The outcome of the battle played a crucial role in the broader context of the Pacific War and the eventual conclusion of hostilities.
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Battle of Tinian
Type of action: Amphibious assault in World War II
Date: July 24-August 1, 1944
Location: Mariana Islands, 1,250 miles southeast of Tokyo
Combatants: 40,000 Americans vs. 9,000 Japanese
Principal commanders:American, Major General Harry Schmidt; Japanese, Colonel Kiyochi Ogata
Result: Americans swiftly take Tinian from the Japanese
After the fall of the Marshall Islands in January, 1944, the next phase of the American Central Pacific Campaign focused on the taking of the Marianas from Japanese forces, led by Colonel Kiyochi Ogata. Saipan fell in early July; American designs then turned to Tinian, only three miles south of Saipan.
American landings on July 24, led by Major General Harry Schmidt, surprised the Japanese because they used the small beaches to the north of the island rather than the large beaches to the south. Taken by surprise, unable to make effective use of gun emplacements directed toward the southern beaches, greatly outnumbered, and hampered by poor communication between military units, the Japanese were quickly overcome. The island was declared secure on August 1, though small pockets of Japanese troops held out in caves for nearly three more months.
The Americans suffered 389 dead and 1,816 wounded compared with more than 5,000 Japanese dead and 252 prisoners. The unaccounted-for Japanese most likely perished in their cavernous hiding places.
Significance
The world’s longest runways were built on Tinian and became the launching sites of numerous B-29 bombing raids against the Japanese main islands, including the planes that dropped the atomic bombs against Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Bibliography
Denfield, D. Colt. Hold the Marianas: The Japanese Defense of the Mariana Islands. Shippenburg, Pa.: White Main, 1997.
Harwood, Richard. A Close Encounter: The Marine Landing on Tinian. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1994.
Hoffman, Carl, W. The Seizure of Tinian. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1951.