By 1700, upper echelons were satisfied that Tinian Town posed no further threat and the assault troops moved out to secure a night position in fields to the south. All was quiet until 0200, when a company-strength counterattack supported by three tanks struck at the right flank held by BLT 1-24. This assault was broken up and driven off by concentrated mortar and artillery fire.[10] “It is now apparent that the enemy will attempt to make a final defensive stand on the high ground in the extreme southeastern portion of the island,” decided VAC intelligence officers. “The enemy may elect, however, to organize for a final counterattack in an effort to destroy as many of our troops as possible. This capability must be given serious consideration in light of his reactions near the end of previous engagements. The counterattack will probably be as strong as the availability of combat troops estimated to be from 2000 – 3000 remaining on the island, and the degree of control that the commander is able to maintain in executing this capability.”[11]

In one week, the Second and Fourth Marine Divisions had captured four-fifths of Tinian – meaning that all surviving Japanese military forces, plus an unknown number of civilians, were compressed into an ever-shrinking area. “The Marines wondered when and where the showdown fight would develop,” wrote Carl Hoffman. “Although there could be no serious question regarding the outcome of any enemy effort at this late date, everyone realized that the fighting in a given sector could be vicious and bloody…. No one took the enemy’s capabilities lightly.”[12] Only the greenest replacements imagined that the end of the island meant the end of hostilities. Those who witnessed the horrors of Marpi Point barely three weeks before knew the potential for chaos and tragedy was all too real.