The end of July marked the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Tinian, completing the campaign to capture the Marianas Islands during Operation FORAGER. Seizure of the Marianas Islands enabled a ...
On the afternoon of June 24, 1944, a messenger entered Maj. Gen. Ralph C. Smith's command post on Saipan and handed him a brief message. Smith read it, pocketed it, and continued to direct the battle ...