Japanese plant on Saipan after naval and aerial bombardment.

Japanese plant on Saipan after naval and aerial bombardment. A Japanese factory near Garapan on the Island of Saipan in the Central Pacific Marianas group stands in ruins after American naval and aerial bombardment of the island during the landings of U.S. Marines on June 14, 1944. U.S. troops drove ahead to the ridges above the enemy-hold city of Garapan liberating 60 per cent of the island by July 1, Saipan, a key base in Japan's inner defense system, is only 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from the enemy homeland, within range of the new U.S. B-29 Superfortress bombers. The operations of a U.S. Pacific Fleet task force, in the Saipan area and the American landings on the island prevent hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops to the south from receiving naval support and supplies.