SAIPAN: ORAL HISTORIES OF THE PACIFIC WAR

Remembered as one of the bloodiest battles fought in the Pacific during World War II, the turning point on the road to the defeat of Japan and the end of the war, the island of Saipan was a blaze of fire and steel for over three weeks in the summer of 1944. Visible reminders of the devastation still exist - one can find human remains scattereo on the jungle floor or in caves throughout the island. Emotional reminders still exist as well and those who lived through the battle at Saipan and bear the vivid memories of it are decreasing in number. In this work, the survivors of Saipan have the opportunity to tell their stories in their own words. The editor introduces this collection of soldier's memoirs with a history of Saipan and arranges the oral histories by location: Saipan, Yap and Tinian, Rota, Palau Islands, and Guam.