![]() ![]() After being called into federal service in October 1940, soldiers from all over the US joined the division, but there was still a large contingent of New York State natives in the 27th. O’Brien was from Troy, New York, and had served in the 27th Infantry Division back when it was a National Guard unit from upstate New York during World War I. ![]() O’Brien tried to shore up the hole in the line by positioning his anti-tank weapons to cover the gap. O’Brien was aware of a gap in the line between first and second battalion and requested reinforcements, but none were available. Colonel William O’Brien’s first battalion was dug in about 250 yards from the beach, and Major Edward McCarthy’s second battalion held the line from the first battalion’s left flank to the beach. Saito ordered all able-bodied troops and civilians to participate in a final Banzai attack before daybreak the next morning.įirst and second battalions of the 105th Infantry Regiment, 27th Infantry Division, were the westernmost units on the line by the evening of July 6. Their backs were against the sea, and surrender was an unthinkable option. General Yoshitsugu Saito, the overall commander of Japanese forces on Saipan, and the remaining 4,000-plus Japanese troops in the northern corner of the island, there was no place left to retreat. The narrowing island had pinched the 2nd Marine Division out of the line the day before, and it was placed in reserve.įor Lt. By July 6,1944, the US Army’s 27th Infantry Division held the line from the west coast, and tied in with the 4th Marine Division on its right flank. ![]() The 2nd Marine Division, the US Army 27th Infantry Division, and the 4th Marine Division had advanced northward from landing beaches in the southwest and driven the Japanese into the northern corner of the island. Richard Goldenberg.Īfter three weeks of fighting on Saipan, two-thirds of the island was in US hands. Top Image: 27th Infantry Division soldiers advancing during the Saipan Campaign. ![]()
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