Some 20,000 Japanese civilians perished during the battle, including over 1,000 who jumped from ' Suicide Cliff' and ' Banzai Cliff' rather than be taken prisoner. The weapons used, and the tactics of close quarter fighting, also resulted in high civilian casualties. Of the estimated 30,000 Japanese defenders, only 921 were taken prisoner. The battle cost the Americans 3,426 killed and 10,364 wounded. The United States Marine Corps and United States Army landed on the beaches of the south-western side of the island and, after more than three weeks in heavy fighting, captured the island from the Japanese. The Battle of Saipan, from 15 June to 9 July 1944, was one of the major campaigns of World War II. Japanese colonial period Ī Marine finds a woman and her four children hiding in a hillside cave.

The island was administered by Germany as part of German New Guinea, but during the German period, there was no attempt to develop or settle the island, which remained under the control of its Spanish and mestizo landowners. However, it was then sold by Spain to the German Empire in 1899. German colonial period Īfter the Spanish–American War of 1898, Saipan was occupied by the United States. The initial leader of this company was an individual named 'Chief Aghurubw'. Under Spanish rule, the island was developed into ranches for raising cattle and pigs, which were used to provision Spanish galleons on their way to Mexico.Īround 1815, many Carolinians from Satawal settled Saipan during a period when the Chamorros were imprisoned on Guam, which resulted in a significant loss of land and rights for the Chamorro natives. The survivors were forcibly relocated to Guam in 1720 for better control and assimilation. The native population shrank dramatically due to European-introduced diseases and conflicts over land. After 1670, it became a port of call for Spanish and occasional English, Dutch and French ships as a supply station for food and water. The Spanish formally occupied the island in 1668, with the missionary expedition of Diego Luis de San Vitores who named it San José. The first clear evidence of Europeans arriving to Saipan was by the Manila galleon Santa Margarita commanded by Juan Martínez de Guillistegui, that wrecked on the island in February 1600 and whose survivors stayed on it for two years, until 250 were rescued by the Santo Tomas and the Jesus María. Gonzalo de Vigo deserted in the Maugs from Gomez de Espinosa's Trinidad and during the next four years, living with the local indigenous Chamorro people, visited thirteen main islands in the Marianas and possibly Saipan among them. This is likely to have occurred after the sighting of the Maug Islands between the end of August and the end of September 1522. It is likely Saipan was sighted by Gonzalo Gómez de Espinosa in 1522 on board of Spanish ship Trinidad, which he commanded after the death of Ferdinand Magellan in an attempt to reach Panama. Saipan, together with Tinian, was possibly first sighted by Europeans by the Spanish expedition of Ferdinand Magellan, when it made a landing in the southern Marianas on 6 March 1521. Traces of human settlements on Saipan have been found by archaeologists ranging over 4,000 years, including petroglyphs, ancient Latte Stones, and other artifacts pointing to cultural affinities with Melanesia and with similar stone monuments in Micronesia and Palau. 8.2 Foreign contract labor abuse and exemptions from U.S.

Capital island apparel