Path cleared through blasted Garapan for U.S. advance.

Path cleared through blasted Garapan for U.S. advance. An American bulldozer clears a path through a debris choked street of Garapan, capital of Saipan Island, so that U.S. armored units may advance in pursuit of the Japanese. Garapan, administrative center of the Marianas Island, was razed by American land, sea and air bombardment prior to its capture on July 4, 1944, four days before U.S. troops gained complete control of Saipan. From Garapan, American forces drove the enemy into a trap on the northern end of the Central Pacific island, which was once a key link in the enemy's inner defense perimeter and is less than 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from Japan.