Battle of Saipan
This photo shows an American soldier reaching into a cave to assist a woman with a baby on her back, after the Battle of Saipan, June 1944. Saipan is located in the Mariana Islands. It’s been colonized by everybody! It started as a Spanish colony, then was taken over by the Germans, then the Japanese. As the largest island in N. Mariana, it’s an important part of the current United States commonwealth, similar to Guam. US citizens don’t need a passport to visit.
In 1944, Allied Forces had been capturing more and more islands. The Japanese were left holding the Philippines, the Caroline Islands, Palau Islands and the Mariana Islands. If the Allies could capture Saipan (and therefore the Mariana Islands) then they could cut off Japanese lines of communication.
