Saipan was the last barrier that prevented the Allied forces from launching their entire military might against the Japanese homeland.  

Victory at Saipan was the key that opened the door to the soft underbelly of the Japanese Empire. Yet because the Japanese were aware of this vulnerability, they were willing to throw everything they had against the ever-encroaching American forces and fight to the death to defend this island.  

Fifteen battleships began their bombardment of Japanese positions on June 13, 1944; they would fire more than 165,000 shells onto the island. Then, at 0700 on June 15, 8,000 Marines traveled in 300 LVTs to land on the West coast of Saipan to begin their assault. The Japanese high command realized that without resupply, the island would be impossible to hold, but they and their soldiers were to fight until the last man. To make things as difficult as possible for the US Marines, the Japanese used guerrilla tactics to disrupt the offensive and dug themselves in in the mountainous terrain of Central Saipan.   

Carl Hoffman's brilliant account of this ferocious battle takes the listener through the course of its duration, from the initial discussion of plans and preparations right through to the eventual victory. This audiobook is essential for anyone interested in the Pacific theater of war during World War Two and for the huge impact that the Marine Corps made in some of the bloodiest battles ever to have taken place.