Military Snapshot - Foiling a Japanese Attack in the Marianas

In June 1944, American Naval forces initiated Operation Forager, with the objective of capturing Saipan, Guam, and Tinian islands in the Southern Marianas, all in the hopes of establishing a location to base the B-29 Superfortress bomber. In the photo above, a Japanese plane is shot down while attacking the USS Kitkun Bay in defense of the Marianas Islands in June 1944. Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy, from Tales from a Tin Can: The USS Dale from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay by Michael Keith Olson