Search Results
8/11/2025, 1:53:02 AM
Saipan
>approximately 20,000 defenders (combat effective) and a regiment of tanks
>Landed marines: around 70,000 total (nearly 4 to 1 numerical advantage)
>massive naval and aerial bombardment (with less results than other islands, due to size and terrain nature of Saipan)
>Japanese employed poor tactics, including lots of Banzai charges (especially towards the end)
>Marine casualties total: 10,000 including more than 3,000 killed, approximately 0.7 casualty for every Japanese casualty
Tarawa
>roughly 2,600 defenders with a small detachment of tanks (subtract 40% of these from the naval bombardment, leaves you with less than 1,500 trained defenders for the ground battle)
>landed marines: more than 11,000. 11.5 to 1 numerical advantage
>very tiny island, less than 3 kilometers across at its widest span, no chance for defense in-depth
>taken in 2 days
>Marine casualties: 3,000, including 1,000 killed in the span of just 2 days, several tanks destroyed, representing a 3 marine casualties for every Japanese dead
Peleliu
>6,500 defenders (4,500 IJA, 1,500 IJN Marines, rest of the garrison was ground maintenance staff and Korean laborers)
>Landed Marines: 47,000, large number of tanks, 8.5 to one numerical advantage
>very tiny island, 3.5 kilometers at its widest span, but rocky terrain and plenty of caves, heavy pre-landing bombardment, but didn't have a massive effect like it did on Tarawa or other tiny islets like Kwajalein
>Japanese employed defense in depth, drawn out battle, counterattacks inland and avoided concentrating on the beaches
>taken in two months and a half in what was estimated to be a 2-3 days affair, very drawn out and protracted fighting on the north part of the island
>Marine casualties: 9,800 including 2,100-2,300 killed, nearly the number of casualties in the campaign at Saipan, against a substantially larger Japanese force
>nearby Angaur cost the 81st infantry nearly 1,500 casualties fighting around 1,350 IJA defenders for a very small island
>approximately 20,000 defenders (combat effective) and a regiment of tanks
>Landed marines: around 70,000 total (nearly 4 to 1 numerical advantage)
>massive naval and aerial bombardment (with less results than other islands, due to size and terrain nature of Saipan)
>Japanese employed poor tactics, including lots of Banzai charges (especially towards the end)
>Marine casualties total: 10,000 including more than 3,000 killed, approximately 0.7 casualty for every Japanese casualty
Tarawa
>roughly 2,600 defenders with a small detachment of tanks (subtract 40% of these from the naval bombardment, leaves you with less than 1,500 trained defenders for the ground battle)
>landed marines: more than 11,000. 11.5 to 1 numerical advantage
>very tiny island, less than 3 kilometers across at its widest span, no chance for defense in-depth
>taken in 2 days
>Marine casualties: 3,000, including 1,000 killed in the span of just 2 days, several tanks destroyed, representing a 3 marine casualties for every Japanese dead
Peleliu
>6,500 defenders (4,500 IJA, 1,500 IJN Marines, rest of the garrison was ground maintenance staff and Korean laborers)
>Landed Marines: 47,000, large number of tanks, 8.5 to one numerical advantage
>very tiny island, 3.5 kilometers at its widest span, but rocky terrain and plenty of caves, heavy pre-landing bombardment, but didn't have a massive effect like it did on Tarawa or other tiny islets like Kwajalein
>Japanese employed defense in depth, drawn out battle, counterattacks inland and avoided concentrating on the beaches
>taken in two months and a half in what was estimated to be a 2-3 days affair, very drawn out and protracted fighting on the north part of the island
>Marine casualties: 9,800 including 2,100-2,300 killed, nearly the number of casualties in the campaign at Saipan, against a substantially larger Japanese force
>nearby Angaur cost the 81st infantry nearly 1,500 casualties fighting around 1,350 IJA defenders for a very small island
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