In the Battle of Saipan in June 1944, the bodies of several Japanese soldiers lay on the road leading to the torii gate of the Chalan Kanoa shrine on Saipan Island, and two American marines stood under the torii gate looking down on them.

     During the Battle of Saipan, in June 1944, the bodies of several Japanese soldiers lay on the road leading to the torii gate of the Chalan Kanoa shrine on Saipan Island. Two American marines stood under the shrine's torii gate and looked down on them. The Japanese soldiers who had died in battle lay in the machine gun emplacement in front of the shrine, and their bodies were scattered about.

     At 8:40 a.m. on June 15th 1944, the American army carried out the Saipan landing operation. The Amphibious Corps landed on the southwest beach of Saipan, and the 2nd Marine Division landed on the Red and Green beaches of Chalan Kanoa. The 4th Marine Division landed on the Blue and Yellow beaches to the south of the town. The beaches on Saipan Island had been fortified by the Japanese with trenches and a few pillboxes. The American forces came under heavy fire from the Japanese artillery, as well as from mortar and machine gun fire. By the end of June 15th, the American Marines had established a beachhead along the beach on Saipan Island. As night fell, the Japanese launched a series of nighttime attacks, but all were repelled by the American forces.

     The two Marine divisions that invaded Saipan's interior on the following day, June 16, spent most of the day consolidating their beachheads. The 2nd Marine Division filled the gap between the two divisions north of Chalan Kanoa. The 4th Marine Division swept around Aginán Point on the southwest side of Saipan. At night, the Japanese launched a nighttime attack on the beachhead just north of Chalan Kanoa. The Japanese attack was repelled by American artillery fire.

On June 15, 1944, during the Pacific War of World War II (1939-1945), the US Marines stormed the beaches of the strategically important Japanese island of Saipan. The aim was to gain an important air base from which the US military could launch direct air raids on the Japanese mainland using the new B-29 long-range bombers. Faced with fierce resistance from the Japanese army, the US military landed from landing craft to establish a beachhead, and then fought inland with the Japanese soldiers, gradually forcing them to retreat north. The fighting around Mount Tapochau, the highest peak on Saipan, was particularly prolonged and resulted in heavy casualties. The Marines gave the area the symbolic names “Death Valley” and “Purple Heart Ridge” depending on the state of the battle. The Americans finally drove the Japanese to the northern part of Saipan. Shortly after, a large-scale, futile banzai charge by Japanese soldiers broke out. On July 9th 1944, the American flag was raised in victory over Saipan.