D + 17

July 2, 1944, saw major advances on both coasts of Saipan. To the west, First and Third Battalions of the 2nd Marines, reinforced by 3/8 and Company C of the 2nd Tank Battalion, began a long awaited advance through the ruins of Garapan.

3/2 advanced to the center of the town with comparative ease; historian Carl Hoffman notes that "men of the battalion took grateful advantage of the protection afforded by the torn hunks of concrete littering the area." 1/2, on the inland flank, experienced more trouble but managed to clear the prominent map features of Flametree Hill and Sugarloaf Hill, linking up with the 6th Marines on their right by 1700. The 6th and 8th Marines met stiffer resistance inland, but following their impetus of the day before, managed to advance nearly a mile in some places.

The Army's 105th and 106th Infantry, reduced to a total of three battalions between the two regiments, also gained considerable ground; the doggies had put their experiences in Death Valley behind them and moved forward as rapidly as possible. However, the Japanese did not intend to sell Saipan cheaply, and the infantry were faced with the unenviable task of cleaning out individual caves and strong points. New gaps in the line developed as battalions ran into difficulty, but the major hole in the line - that between the 27th Infantry Division and the 4th Marine Division - had been closed by a skillful maneuver that bypassed a troublesome position that had been holding up the advance. Advances on July 2 isolated the point, and as the American line was straightened, companies left in reserve wiped it out.

The 4th Marine Division, whose activities had been reduced to local patrols and fire support while waiting for the Army to catch up, was again freed to advance. Patrols from the 23rd Marines, operating along the east coast, had been able to advance nearly 1500 yards without encountering a single Japanese soldier. The 25th Marines, less 3/25, was kept in reserve, and the 24th Marines regained 1/24 from duty observing the coast off Kagman Peninsula.

Starting at daybreak on "D plus 17" we moved north and west some 3000 yards to arrive at a new jump-off point, just off the highest land. It was the "just off" location which made the day so exhausting, for from the top flattened ridge dropped a number of supporting shoulders, with deep ravines separating each shoulder. And our limiting boundaries compelled us to follow an endless up-and-down course across these ravines until thirst and fatigue forced a halt. No roads led into such land, and supply presented a real problem. For once we resorted to back-packing,and the jeeps were compelled to use a "detour" that carried them out ahead of our forward elements.

- Captain Frederic Stott, 1/24, "Saipan Under Fire."

A general advance began at 1345, and to their surprise and elation, the Marines advanced to their next objective line virtually unopposed. 1/24, the assault battalion, lost one man wounded. The advance was so successful that the 4th Marine Division was ordered to halt and dig in, lest another large gap develop between the Marines and the Army on their left (indeed, they had advanced so far that 3/24 went into line facing almost due west, forming a right angle to the remainder of the Marine line, to maintain the connection with the 105th Infantry.

...in the late afternoon an apparently overrun hilltop suddenly erupted with shooting Japs. This pocket forced a readjustment of the lines, and we tied in with the Army with all three companies abreast on a rocky mountainside. Foxholes for the night were sitting rather than full length, as loosened boulders and clods of soil were pulled out to provide niches of safety. No disturbances occurred thanks to exceptionally able artillery forward observers who maintained a steady stream of shells skimming overhead to burst on the enemy positions.

- Captain Frederic Stott, 1/24, "Saipan Under Fire."

Patrols were immediately dispatched towards the next day's objective, and returned with welcome news - no significant Japanese fortifications were to be found in the vicinity. The Marines could rest reasonably assured that there would be no major counterattack that night, but a "calm" night on Saipan was, like so many other things, comparative.

Japanese patrols continuously sneaked along the 2d Marines' front. Of three Japanese endeavoring to rove through the 6th Marines' lines, one was killed and the other two routed. Achieving the distinction of doing the unusual and unexpected during the evening, a Japanese soldier strode into the 6th Marines command post and signified his desire to surrender. This he was allowed to do.

The 106th Infantry reported that the enemy was firing flares intermittently from 2100 to 2400. This served to alert personnel to the possibility of a coordinated attack, but none developed. A number of violent exchanges between the soldiers of the 27th Division and lurking Japanese occurred throughout the night, but there was no indication that this enemy activity was intended as a major thrust. In the morning when a count was possible, the 105th Infantry found 27 Japanese bodies, while the 106th and 165th Infantry Regiments counted 10 and 18, respectively.

To this total for the night the 23d Marines added 25 more Japanese, caught as they moved south along the coast on the extreme eastern flank.

- Maj. Carl W. Hoffman, Saipan: The Beginning Of The End.

And even under the worst of circumstances, there was always something to laugh about.

Just before darkness one of the funniest moments of the engagement happened. Lt. Loughrey, speaking to Gy. Sgt. Perry of "C" Company, instructed him, "Gunny, bring your C.P. up here for the night." The Gunny, a 5'4" Marine Corps Napoleon with a waxed handlebar moustache (he saved the wax from the outside of "K" ration boxes), protested, "but Lieutenant, there's snipers up here and they're shootin!" "Aw, bring that goddam C.P. up anyhow," growled Loughrey. Whereupon a spent bullet whacked into Perry's helmet, knocking him down and stunning him slightly. Flat on his back he turned to Loughrey with a dazed expression and said--"See what I mean bud, see what I mean; them snipers can shoot!"

- Captain Frederic Stott, 1/24, "Saipan Under Fire."

[John Loughrey was a "Mustang," a Marine who had been promoted to company officer from the ranks. He had served as a 2nd Lieutenant in Able Company before his transfer to Charlie Company].

Over with the Headquarters Company, First Lieutenant Endecott Osgood - former rifle platoon leader in Able Company - was wounded and evacuated. His war was over; he eventually returned to Wisconsin, where he died in 2007.

ABLE COMPANY CASUALTIES, JULY 2, 1944
None.