Saipan 1944 - Piercing Japan's Pacific Defences 

I went on an all-day deep sea fishing trip from South Padre Island into the Gulf Of Mexico back in 1999. My brother and I shared the boat with a group of seven elderly men. It turned out they were Marines from World War II having their annual reunion. Those guys were still hard core, not one getting sick despite downing at least a dozen beers each. Saipan was one of the stories they shared.

My grandfather fought in Saipan with the 4th Marine division, he was later wounded at Tinian and was given a medical discharge, he was traumatized for years after the war ended. He never took my family to the beach, my mother believes that they reminded him of combat during the war. Anyhow, thank you for covering this battle.

My maternal grandfather was in the Army on Saipan. He was always very reserved about what he'd mention about the war, aside from being there and having very little respect for the prisoners that they took. Sadly, he passed in 2006 and took his personal experiences with him. The men who survived uninjured didn't leave undamaged.

It's absolutely insane that this man can put out content of this quality almost every day

You're dropped off on an island and you fight an enemy to the death. This is not just hell but a horrifying hell. A living nightmare.

My great uncle was on Saipan! He had joined up with the 2nd Marines and I believe this was his first engagement, I happen to have his division’s patch and his pacific victory medal somewhere. He died last year on Paris’ liberation day. Miss you Uncle Tom!

One of our older club members was on Saipan, he's since passed years ago. He would just say it was hell on earth, the smell and bodies were overwhelming.

I know someone who was at this battle, he was a LST driver, he talked about how they had to sleep in foxholes on the first night, cause his LST ran aground, he also talked about all the flares that were shot up during the night.

My uncle Charlie was a Seabee in Saipan,Could not sleep in his cot, Japanese soldiers would sneak into your tent with a bayonet and stab at the cot,You would be sleeping underneath your cot with a weapon and shoot through the cot you would’ve been sleeping in, The war had a negative effect on my uncle Charlie he died a Recluse...Buried at Calverton national cemetery Long Island New York, Rest in peace uncle Charlie.

Member of the USAF born and raised on Saipan here. Its great to see that my island isn't completely forgotten, it's a bit of a shame that 99.99% of Americans have no clue that Saipan exists. Thank you for some knowledge on the island's history!

Best history channel on RU-vid!

Interesting fact the Actor Lee Marvin fought in the battle of Saipan He won the purple Heart and learned to act whilst in the Marines ( He stated in an interview he learned to act unafraid when the enemy attacked)

My father fought in Saipan with the 4th Marine Division. He would later end up on Iwo Jima and on Mt. Suribachi the day the flags went up.

Mark Felton piercing through the WWII archives once again!!

My family visited Saipan in 1969. What was amazing was the evidence of ammunition expenditure. Above the high tide lines, the invasion beaches were solid sheets of expended brass shell casings, still there 25 years after the invasion.

I travelled to Saipan via Guam from Cairns a few years ago. I got the rare chance to swim out to the Sherman tank that still sits out on the reef. A bit of a surreal moment to reflect on what actually happened there over 70 years ago

Fantastic video! My grandfather was in the Army at Saipan. He rarely talked about it. Once he blurted out, if you turn your gun sideways, you can saw men in half. He told us he fell asleep under a tree on Saipan and woke up in hospital in Honolulu. His records were lost in the Archives fire.

My father was a Navy Hospital Corpsman (medic) attached to the Marines in that battle. He hit the beach with the second wave. He didn't talk much about it except he hit the beach carrying only a .45 cal pistol but picking up a BAR and keeping it for the rest of battle. He also was with the Marines on Okinawa.

My father was a SeaBee and helped build the runways on Tinian for the B29s. He visited Tinian with a reunion group some time in the 90s and reported the the runways were still in good shape.

I love when I come home from work and the Doctor has posted a new video for us to enjoy You sir are a Rock Star

I lived on Saipan for several years. I am familiar with the locations mentioned in this video. There are sobering reminders of the war all over the island: old bunkers and tunnels, rusty tanks and artillery pieces, artifacts dug up during construction projects. Thanks to the brave men who sacrificed their lives there.

My favorite related story is Mark's episode on the Japanese vs. the crocodiles on the Solomon Islands.

My father was in the 2nd Marine Division and was wounded on D+1. I've seen plenty of still photos, but this was the first live film I've seen of the battle. Thanks for your research.

One other terrible thing about Saipan was the mass suicide by thousands of Japanese civilians after the battle was lost. They had been thoroughly brainwashed to believe a brutal fate awaited them if they surrendered to the Americans. Suicide Cliff and Banzai Cliff on the northern part of the Island were where most of them met their fate.

This channel puts mainstream documentary channels to shame with its excellent content

In grade school I heard a whole lot about this because my history teacher was from Saipan

My late father served as a Navy Pharmacist Mate with the 2MarDiv. After hostilities subsided, he told of how the POW's knew Japan was doomed when they first saw of our B-29's. Narragansett Bay

I spent 3 weeks working on a radar on Saipan in the mid 1980's. I crawled thru some of their bunkers on the shore and caves in the mountains. I can't imagine how some of those positions were taken unless the Japanese just ran out of ammo.

I imagine the semi auto battle rifles we had (30 carbine& Garand) were a god sent during a banzai attack. These two advesarys were warriors, God rest the souls of the ones who never made it home

No mention of Sgt.Thomas A. Baker's Medal of Honor action during the banzai charge? Baker stood his ground amid heavy rifle fire and took serious wounds but kept on fighting, grabbing fallen weapons when he couldn't reload in time, some of his kills being at point-blank range. Once he was out of ammo fully, he fought with his bare hands till he was mortally wounded and the perimeter broke and forced the Americans to regroup. Knowing he was dying and slowing them down, he ordered them to prop him against a tree, give him a .45 and go. When US Army forces retook the area, they found Baker still there, clutching his empty pistol, all 8 rounds well spent in the 8 Japanese soldiers scattered out in front of his resting place. RIP Sgt.Thomas A. Baker

The history channel before it stopped covering history! Actually even better!

Opening music. Content and delivery that is what sets Dr Mark Felton apart from other history channels. I learn so much each and every time. I thank you.

The Battle of the Philippine Sea was the True Carrier War, where a total of 24 carriers (15 US vs 9 Japanese) and over 1000 planes combined from both sides were involved.

The amazing thing is that this landing was conducted a week after D-Day and with operations going on all around the world. The Japanese really woke up the sleeping giant at Pearl Harbor.

Another high quality Felton video. This channel is an essential for any student of 20th century history. Always impressive, never disappointing and frequently surprising, Felton's videos often cover aspects and incidents that I was previously unaware of, and I like to think that I'm reasonably well read where twentieth century conflicts are concerned. Mr Felton seems to have a knack for finding newsreel footage and what is, presumably, declassified War Ministry film that is a refreshing departure from the often-seen stock that accompanies productions with the resources of a TV company to call on. Even when the video is one which covers a subject I was already aware of, it is still a treat well worth watching. Excellent stuff, as always.

Thank you for your high quality and fascinating videos. My father was Marine Officer who fought on Saipan. He talked about the bonsai and tank battles. I just forward this video to my children so they can see and learn so they can tell their children when time comes. God Bless you. Your work matters. Best regards and respect always.

A little trivia: at 7:36 the Marine throwing the grenade is Guy Gabaldon. Look him up, one hell of a Marine. The camera catches the moment he loses his watch.

I'm a huge fan of your videos Mark! Keep up the great work!

Desperate times. An oncle told of a story of two navy planes chasing a Kamakazi plane over the fleet. The pilots knew that they would be flying into friendly fire but they did anyway. All three planes were shot down.

Film Actor Lee Marvin was a young Marine Private First Class on Saipan. He was wounded and recieved a Purple Heart. Semper Fi.

I lived on siapan for 2 yrs "97-99" stood in front of the bomb pits for fat man and little boy on tinian. There are Japanese zero's, tanks and landing craft in the lagoon you can snorkel. You can find bullets EVERYWHERE!

You have to admire anyone who took part in these battles knowing what the Japanese were like. And each battle started with a landing.I think they all deserved bravery medals. And when you ask them their reply was usually 'I was just doing my job'

Thank you for letting the recorded audio that accompanies those videos of the landing and ensuing battle play out unmolested by voice overs or music. It helps us have some understanding of how gutwrenching it must have been for these young brave men to go into the jaws of a determined enemy ready to fight to them to the death. An opposed beach landing. Brutal.

I swear he sounds like the voice actor for World War two in colour

This guy's narration voice sounds like it's from that period, too.

This channel is getting better and better

Mark you should do a WW2 battle for mindanao, particularly in the Davao area where large garrisons of japanese stayed. The battle in Calinan district is one of the bloodiest, it was called "abaka hell" where numerous abaka trees littered the forest. My grandpa fought together with the americans during those days.

Thank you, my Dad was with the Second Marines on Siapan and Tinian. I had never seen most of this footage before.

Yet another gripping story. One thing I like about these videos they are not over-extended for additional revenue, they are as long as needed to tell the story.

Mark, whatever you're doing keep doing it. I've yet to watch one of your video's that I didn't find interesting in some way. Your video format is fantastic and narration even more fantastica. Good work!

Thank you for keeping this history alive.

Not only you make great videos, but also upload them daily! Mad lad

Amazing presentation, analysis, production, the selection of the footage, most importantly the summarized analysis of the strategic importance of these actions, of the tactical situations; impressive. Thank you, Mark Felton!

Such detail. So impressive. Thank you

Mark’s narration is so clear and concise that the Google auto subtitles are completely error free

Mark Felton aka The David Attenborough of WW2

The first time i hear about Saipan was in a movie called ''Windtalkers'' with Nicolas Cage, amazing job like always Mark!!

Marvellous stuff Mark, Can not see why anyone would give it a thumbs down 👍👍👍

Truly a masterful presentation in every aspect thank you Dr Felton.

Dad got a Purple Heart on Saipan, with 4th Marine Division. He still had Japanese shrapnel in him when we buried him

My grandfather fought in Siapan as a US Marine.

I love your channel very informative and knowledgeable

Every video you do must be an absolute tonne of hard work. Searching for historical info, searching for relevant footage and stills... It's really amazing.

I've been to Saipan. I visited Banzai Cliff and Suicide Cliff (Marpi Point.) Too bad this video didn't show clips of the thousands of locals and soldiers who killed themselves by jumping off these cliffs to avoid capture by the Americans. Now Saipan is basically a Japanese honeymoon/tourist destination. McDONALDS, WALMART everywhere.

Another great episode, Mark. Thank you.

People who think dropping the two a bombs was a mistake should watch this.

When I see Mark Felton I drop everything and get a new first class history lesson everyday and I used to teach this in professional military PME.

Hi there, it would be really great if you did a piece on the nurses on Bataan. There is surely works on the events the endures through, but I would really like to hear your perspective on it! Thank you for the great historical videos.

keep up the great work Mark! Your channel is the clearly the best history channel on youtube!

could you do a video on the ANZAC clean up operations on the islands that were "hopped" by the main (mostly US) forces? I don't know all that much about this effort, but it sounds horrific.

Those mass Banzai charges simply made no military sense at all. Absolute madness.

when an enemy just won't give up you just have to do what you have to.

The Japanese had used small scale banzai charges as far back as the Russo-Japanese war in 1905 and during the Sino-Japanese war in 1930's, but most of those were against troops armed with slow firing bolt action rifles and only a few machine guns. The first massed banzai charge against well armed modern forces was on Attu in the Aleutians in 1943. After all night repetitive charges by Japanese soldiers mostly using bayonets and swords, 2,600 of them were wiped out by massed machine gun and artillery fire, with only 29 soldiers too badly wounded to commit suicide captured. The US lost 549 killed and wounded, but the ratio demonstrated the futility of such tactics. Still, this last stand was in line with the Japanese bushido code of warfare, and the defense of Attu was romanticized in Japan as each soldier assuming the role of a samurai, something previously limited to officers and nobility. This set the stage for the tremendous waste of soldiers on Saipan. As the war grew ever closer to the home islands, banzai charges were discouraged, since it was possible to evacuate some surviving troops from doomed islands to others to fight again. There were still some smaller scale banzai charges, particularly on Okinawa, but the Japanese high command came to recognize that Americans weren't going to break and run under massed banzai charges. The bushido code really didn't work in modern warfare.

Amazing history, and footage, as usual, Mark. Your time is well spent as a military historian.

Actor Lee Marvin fought on Saipan.

I look forward every day to your uploads!! Amazing content

165,000 shells. Now I know why my grandfather who was at D day couldn't hear well

Wow, ths channel has it all. I hope that he keeps going for many years to come.

The Japanese general staff and the admiral took the cowards way out, they should have had the balls to lead the men they were commanding and who sent to their deaths in that Banzai charge. Nope, they just sat back in their cave popped a round into their temples.

Another awesome video. Thank you!

Only after viewing these films do we realize the sacrifice and see/hear the trauma of battle and it is still filtered. We will and cannot forget the sacrifice the USA and allies gave for us and our future generations.

Ah late lunch with Prof. Mark. Best meal Ever!

Could you do a video on the mass suicide of German civilians after the loss of the Germans. love your videos they are definitely the best of their genre and probably the entirety of RU-vid

watched many of your videos they're always quality and informative. thanks!!

Wow! Thanks so much Mark..I made this suggestion a few weeks ago. Brilliant as usual! Thank you Sir.

Keep up the good work man wonderful video

Great content as usual

Well done Mark !!! Another fantastic video, I can't wait to see the next one.

Absolutely insane, on so many levels.

I visited Saipan in 2003 as a port visit. There are several damaged AMTRACs and gun emplacements left. This is also the first battle where Japanese civilians committed suicide by jumping off cliffs. I visited one and there were mini grave markers along the ledge in Japanese and Hongul.

It would be nice to see a video on the landings at Inchon.

Mark, who is your dealer ? (I mean the video material)

You deserve way more subscribers. Love you vid keep up the good work

they should clone mark feltons brain to upload to an AI so it can talk about history all day

Amazing documentary in such short time. Well done!

Would be cool to see you do a video on Canada's attempts to build aircraft carriers out of ice!

The Japanese commander and his entourage did not die in battle but in a cave. If they were so interested in honor they would have fallen along side their men .

1 hour after posting, 1.5k views already. The numbers speak.

Banzai!!! Its Mark Felton time!!!

What I've heard from my family my great grandfather helped land troops on saipan