Battle Narrative Saipan: D+25. July 10, 1944.

BATTLE NARRATIVE

Let Them Die With Dignity. Saipan: 10 July 1944

The battle for Saipan was formally over – at least in the minds of the American high command. No organized Japanese units remained to offer resistance. American personnel could move with relative safety (though not, by any means, with impunity) from Garapan to Kagman, Marpi to Nafutan. Aslito Airfield was supporting and servicing American planes; Marpi Field would soon follow, and long-range artillery was lobbing shells across three miles of water to strike targets on Tinian. With Phase I of Operation Forager in the books, planners and senior staff could turn their attention to Phase II (invading Guam on 21 July) and Phase II (Tinian, 24 July). Saipan was “secure,” and all that remained was to round up any enemy stragglers who didn’t get the message. To that end, the 4^th Marine Division instructed all units to:

Destroy enemy elements encountered in assigned zones. Mopping up operations to be conducted consistent with least loss of life own troops. Lives of non-combatants to be preserved consistent with accomplishment of this mission.^[1]

“For the Japanese, hundreds of whom still lurked in the many caves and recesses, ‘secured’ had no meaning,” noted historian and Saipan veteran Carl Hoffman. “Mopping up of these die-hards continued for months thereafter. More than a year later, even after the final surrender of Japan, there were still Japanese soldiers at large on Saipan.”^[2] Front line fighters also found the term “meaningless, save that it foretells of extensive probing for surviving Japs, and probing of the sort that produces a high death rate.”^[3] First Lieutenant Frederic A. Stott attempted to explain the disconnect:

The lower echelons could not comprehend some of the tactical decisions of top commanders, for the small unit picture is necessarily incomplete and narrow in scope. And likewise a lack of detailed, on-the-spot knowledge often causes commanding officers to fail to appreciate local situations.^[4]

1Lt. Frederic A. Stott C/1/24th Marines

Still, orders were orders and at 0730 units of RCT-24 set about mopping up their areas. “The mission was a very difficult one,” noted the regiment’s report, “being complicated by an intermingling of civilians with fanatical Japanese soldiers who were using them for shields. The civilians and soldiers were hiding in cliffs which dropped sheer to the sea. The caves were almost inaccessible.” Interpreters with PA systems busily shuttled about, imploring the cave dwellers to come out peacefully, but “their stubbornness made the process slow and arduous.”^[5] Numerous casualties resulted as Marines attempted to coax civilians out of hiding and were ambushed by armed Japanese – and after each instance, the likelihood of a peaceful resolution to a standoff diminished.^[6]

“We were still running into firepower,” commented PFC Edward Curylo. “We had to blow up a few caves. This is when the island is ‘secure’ – that’s what the big shots are telling us.”^[7] The morning operation caused six casualties in BLT 1-24 – four in Baker Company alone – and while none of the wounds proved fatal, the loss of veterans like Platoon Sergeant John L. “Pappy” Meeks was hard to take.

At 1100 hours, BLT 1-24 was relieved from mop-up detail and moved to an assembly area where they spent the rest of the day resting, cleaning weapons, and discussing the latest rumors. Speculation swirled about a possible invasion of Tinian, involving the tired and bloodied Marine divisions currently on Saipan.

PFC Alva R. Perry decided that if he had to fight on, he was going to fight in clean clothes. “We had not changed our clothes or had a bath for about thirty days,” he said. “Our clothes were filthy. We couldn’t stand ourselves.” Knowing that Captain Irving Schechter would never allow a trip to the beach – “there were possible armed Japanese stragglers down there” – Perry and his buddy PFC Paul Scanlon made up a story about searching for melons on nearby farms. With permission secured, the two Marines set out for Marpi Point – and made a beeline for the ocean once they were safely out of sight. Getting to the water meant climbing down a steep cliff, and Perry started scouting for a safe route down. He had no idea that he was being watched.

Suddenly a small girl with a suitcase came out from behind a boulder. Right on her heels was a young boy about 6 years old, an old man and lady both about 60 years old. She stopped about five feet in front of me and opened the suitcase. Paul became very agitated and yelled that I should be careful – she might have a booby trap. I edged a little closer to see what she was trying to tell me. She took out a large black and white picture and held it up for me to see. In the picture were the same people who were with her, plus a Japanese soldier. It was possible that she was the wife or sister of the soldier, and the little boy was her brother. The older two people were possibly her mother and dad. She was talking to me in Japanese, and I couldn’t understand a word she was saying.

PFC Alva R. Perry, Jr. A/1/24th Marines

The girl bravely tapped Perry’s canteen and mimed sipping from a cup. Perry looked into her bloodshot eyes and noticed foamy spittle on her lips – she had been drinking seawater. He handed over the canteen, which quickly emptied as the family quenched their thirst. The girl rummaged in her suitcase again, and presented Perry with a clock as a token of thanks. Perry didn’t feel right about accepting a gift, and graciously returned the item. He was so engrossed in the micro drama that he didn’t notice a crowd was gathering. “At first I thought we were in trouble as some of them were dressed like Japanese soldiers,” he said. “[They] were forming a line behind the small girl and her family. It was obvious that all of them had been drinking salt water, and all they wanted was a drink of fresh water.” Perry and Scanlon had three canteens between them, and began rationing water into an empty C-ration tin. With every sip doled out, the line seemed to grow longer and longer – a mixture of civilians and military personnel. “Some of the soldiers in the line were pushing the women and children out of the line and taking a position in front of them,” continued Perry. “Little Paul Scanlon, who was barely big enough to be in the Marine Corps, was walking up and down the line pushing and shoving the soldiers to the rear of the line.” Perry realized that the water wasn’t going to last, and convinced Scanlon to go back to the company and ask Captain Schechter for more. “Paul was reluctant to go and leave me with people whom we had been fighting for the last 30 days,” Perry recalled, but “I persuaded him to go – I was well armed, and not to worry.”

Perry emptied his last canteen before Scanlon returned, and the disappointed crowd dispersed. Some began walking towards the cliff, where Perry noticed “hundreds of round objects seemingly floating on the surface of the water.”

I decided to walk down to the edge of the cliff and take a closer look. As I walked toward the edge of the cliff through the few trees and bushes, I saw people everywhere – men in uniform, women, babies, all sick from drinking sea water. As I reached the edge of the cliff and looked over the side, I saw some broken bodies. Most of the Japanese were swimming out as far as they could. I counted at least fifty heads bobbing in the very distant water. No way could they make it back in. It was obvious they were going to drown. There was a large group milling around me. They ignored me as if I was not there. They obviously believed the propaganda that they had been fed during our invasion, that the Marines would torture them, rape the women, and kill them. I knew that we needed to get someone up here that could talk his or her language and stop this madness.

PFC Alva R. Perry, Jr. A/1/24th Marines

Scanlon returned with a captured Japanese truck and two five-gallon cans of water – “about half the water our company had left.” Quickly, the two Marines started doling out the precious liquid, one two-ounce helping at a time. This time, they attracted the attention of a Marine Corps major who bellowed, “what the hell do you guys think you’re doing?” His attitude softened when he realized Perry’s mission, then turned grave when he heard about the suicidal swimmers. “I ask him to try to talk to them,” Perry said. “He immediately started talking to the Japanese in their native language. I didn’t understand a word he was saying, but I assumed he was trying to talk them into giving up, they had nothing to fear. The Japanese were not moved by anything he said. They didn’t react at all. They just kept getting in the water line and swimming.”

Another detachment of Marines arrived on the scene. Perry immediately noticed that these men wore fresh dungarees, neatly cropped hair, and clean shaves – clearly not combat veterans. “They looked like they had come ashore right out of boot camp,” he said. The newcomers glanced at Perry’s operation and wandered over to the cliff where the major was still calling to the Japanese. Suddenly, the interpreter’s pleas were interrupted by a smattering of rifle fire. Perry was infuriated to see the new Marines taking potshots at the swimmers.

I told them that these people were trying to take their own lives, and they should let them die with some dignity. They ignored me and kept shooting. One of the Marines said something about getting a Japanese before he had to go home.

PFC Alva R. Perry, Jr. A/1/24th Marines

Soon, the five-gallon cans were empty. The remaining Japanese mutely left the line and walked towards the cliffs. Perry and Scanlon got back in their truck to drive back to the company. “We couldn’t help anymore.” Rifle fire and excited yells echoed from the cliffs as they departed.^[8]

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Footnotes

All your footnotes go in here.

Battalion Daily Report

Casualties, Evacuations, Joinings & Transfers

KIA/DOW

WIA & EVAC*

SICK

JOINED

TRANSFERRED

STRENGTH

Out of an original landing strength of 888 officers and men.
* Does not include minor wounds not requiring evacuation from the line.

Name	Company	Rank	Role	Change	Cause	Disposition
Bruile, Frank Charles	Baker	PFC	Ammo Carrier	Wounded In Action	Fracture, right humerus	Evacuated, destination unknown
Klohs, Edwin Earnest	Headquarters	Corporal	Operations Clerk	Returned To Duty	From hospital	To HQ Company
Luckage, Michael Richard	Headquarters	Private	Rifleman	Returned To Duty	From hospital	To HQ Company
Magill, James Douglas	Baker	PFC	Fire Team Leader	Returned To Duty	From hospital	To Baker Company
Mauritz, Herbert Joseph	Able	PFC	Rifleman	Wounded In Action	Multiple gunshot wounds	Evacuated to USS Relief
Meeks, John Lamar	Baker	Sergeant	2 Platoon NCO	Wounded In Action	Gunshot, neck	Evacuated, destination unknown
Naurot, James Bernard	Baker	PFC	Ammo Carrier	Sick	Unknown	Evacuated, destination unknown
Priest, Jerald James	Headquarters	Corporal	Switchboard Operator	Returned To Duty	From hospital	To HQ Company
Puglia, Ray Carmine	Headquarters	Field Cook	Cook	Wounded In Action	Gunshot, right wrist	Not evacuated
Verschaeve, Jerome Morris	Baker	PFC	Fire Team Leader	Wounded In Action	Unknown (slight)	Evacuated, destination unknown
Watts, George Barnard	Baker	PFC	Mortarman	Wounded In Action	Gunshot, left hip	Evacuated to USS Relief