With both divisions ashore and ready to move, a two-pronged advance towards the O-3 line was possible. The 2nd Division would drive east until they reached the coast, while the 4th Division would move south towards Mt. Lasso.
To say that the Japanese on Tinian had no hope of victory cannot be misconstrued as saying that the Marines would have it easy on the rest of the island. As on Saipan, a great deal of the flat land was covered in sugarcane fields. These were difficult obstacles; the canes themselves were thick and durable enough to trip anyone who didn't watch where he put his feet, and they provided excellent concealment for lone Japanese. Visibility was very limited until the cane could be trampled down, and often the first indication that you weren't alone was the high-pitched *crack* of a rifle. Add in high temperatures, extremely high humidity, and daily downpours (it was monsoon season on Tinian) and you have the elements of an exhausting, long campaign.
Fortunately, though, resistance was much lighter than on Saipan. Terrain and weather aside, the 2nd Division accomplished all of its objectives ahead of schedule, and recorded only 2 killed and 14 wounded for the entire day.
The 23rd and 25th Marines advanced south as quickly as the terrain would allow. The 23rd encountered few Japanese, took their O-3 line, reorganized, and went for O-4. The most unusual part of their day was the discovery of a collection of torpedo warheads, but these were disarmed without incident. The 25th had prepped themselves for a fight - Mt. Lasso was directly in front of their First Battalion and they would be responsible for subduing it. Happily (if somewhat inexplicably) the Japanese had abandoned their commanding position, and the Marines slogged to the top without a fight.
2/24 had been attached to the 25th; the other two battalions went into division reserve after being passed through by the 2nd Division, and spent the day mopping up the newly won terrain.
Tiny artillery spotter planes buzzed overhead, landing at Ushi Point Airfield, which had been in Japanese hands less than twenty four hours before. Japanese heavy guns were silent. A captured Imperial soldier griped that "You couldn't drop a stick without bringing down artillery."
2/2 had a wild night as bypassed Japanese soldiers attempted to rejoin their comrades on the other side of the lines, and dropped 137 of them while losing two killed and two wounded. All other battalions were silent. As Carl Hoffman commented: "Saipan had never been like this."
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