Research Guides: Archives Branch: Campaign Collections: Saipan, Tinian, and Guam (Mariana Islands)

Saipan, Tinian, and Guam (Mariana Islands)

Official Documents from Saipan, Tinian, and Guam

Collection consists of 13 boxes (6.5 linear feet) of official records. Documents include operation plans, operation orders, field orders, intelligence reports, action reports, periodic reports, administrative orders, official correspondence, studies, comments and recommendations, and memoranda concerning Operation Forager in the Mariana Islands, specifically the battle of Saipan (15 June - 9 July 1944); the battle of Tinian (24 July - 1 August 1944); and Liberation of Guam from Japanese control (21 July - 10 August 1944).

The bulk of the documents were produced by the Task force 56 (TF 56), III Amphibious Corps (III AC), V Amphibious Corps ( V AC), Northern Troops and Landing Force (NT & LF), 2d Marine Division, 3d Marine Division, and 4th Marine Division.

If you have any questions about these collections, please contact the Archives at (703) 784-4685 or history.division@usmcu.edu.

Saipan, Tinian, and Guam box list
This box list for the Mariana Islands Collection (COLL/3666) comprises official record copies of operation plans, after action reports, and other documents concerning the Saipan, Tinian, and Guam campaigns.

Saipan, Tinian, and Guam Photographs

The Archives Branch maintains a Flickr page dedicated to showcasing photographs found in our collections relevant to the study of the campaigns in the Mariana Islands, including Saipan, Tinian, and Guam, during World War II.

Please note that some of the photographs found on our Flickr pages are considered public domain and have been cleared for release. While some imagery is public domain, any use of such imagery from this site must be attributed to the Marine Corps or the photographer. Photographs may not be used to deface the reputation of the Marine Corps, its personnel, or policies. Additionally, some imagery on this site may fall under copyright protection, such as imagery from personal photo collections. Please contact us for more information regarding copyright restrictions for these images.

Saipan-Tinian Photographs on the Archives Branch Flickr
Selections of digitized Saipan-Tinian photographs from the collections of the Archives Branch.
Official photographs from the Saipan campaign
Official photographs from the Marine Corps History Division.
Official photographs from the Tinian campaign
Official photographs from the Marine Corps History Division.
Photo Pack Images of Guam
During World War II, official photographs from the Pacific Theater were commercially available for purchase. This is the set from the recapture of Guam.
Official photographs from the Guam campaign
Official photographs from the Marine Corps History Division.

Publications and Monographs produced by the Marine Corps History Division

Available as full-text, searchable PDFs from the Government Printing Office.

"Breaching the Marianas: The Battle for Saipan"
"Saipan: The Beginning of the End"
by Major Carl W. Hoffman, USMC
The invasion of Saipan was one of the key operations in the Pacific Theater because it unlocked vast potentialities to the United States in projecting its might against Japan. Saipan was, among Pacific operations up to that time, the most decisive triumph of combined arms of the United States over the Japanese.
"A Close Encounter: The Marine Landing on Tinian"
"The Seizure of Tinian"
"Liberation: Marines in the Recapture of Guam"
by Cyril J. O'Brien
With the hard fighting on Saipan turning gradually but inevitably in favor of the American Marines and soldiers battling the Japanese, the U.S. Navy was ready to direct its attention to Guam, which was now slated to receive the most thorough pre-landing bombardment yet seen in the Pacific War.