 The National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated stations present the Pacific Story. In the mounting fury of world conflicts, events in the Pacific are taking on ever greater importance. Here is the story of the Pacific and the millions of people who live around this greatest sea. The drama of the people's whose destiny is at stake in the Pacific War. Here is the tale of the war in the Pacific and its meaning to us and to the generations to come. Tonight's Pacific Story, Saipan, Springboard to Nippon comes to you from Hollywood and Washington, D.C. as another public service with drama of the past and present and commentary by Brigadier General Loris Nordstadt, Chief of Staff of the 20th Air Force. Saipan, Springboard to Nippon. I'm writing this from where the bloodiest battle of the Pacific was fought. This island cost us five times as many casualties as Tarower. We had to kill 25,000 Japanese to take it. Today the soft wind is sowing through the coconut palms and rustling through the cane fields. The flowers are in blossom. The oleander, the scarlet hibiscus. The acrid smoke of battle is gone. The dead are buried. It is quiet in a way. In place of gunfire, there are other sounds. Construction sounds. B-29s. This is Saipan. And that today means something very special. The night before we landed last June 15th, two other correspondents and I were aboard a transport looking over the detailed chart of Saipan. Doesn't look like much of an island. Well, it's about 15 miles long and about four miles wide, isn't it, Benoit? Yeah. You can see these reefs out here and remember what happened on those reefs at Tarower. Well, they must be expecting something. We're hitting it with three times the force we used on Tarower. Yes, and we've been shelling and bombing it for two days now. It's going to be tough. Plenty tough. Those Japanese haven't been keeping everybody away from that island for 30 years for nothing. They probably got the place for the fight to the guilt. I looked down at the chart. I measured off the distance from Saipan to Tokyo. 1,470 miles. I noticed that it's about the same distance from Formosa. That meant that we were going to attack right in Japan's front yard. 1,000 miles closer to Japan than Pearl Harbor is to the United States. We were going in at dawn. Battle wagons are opening up. Sounds like 16 inches to me. Then all the guns and the task force opened up. A couple of hours later, Hardy and Wilson and I were in a boat heading for shore. We were in the fourth wave. I don't understand it. Why aren't the Japs pouring it onto us? Well, maybe our bombardment knocked their shore batteries out. They hardly touched the first three waves ahead of us. Certainly they opened up on us. They tried to blow us out of the water. They kept it up all the way in. They withered us with a wall of steel and fire as we hit the beach. It went on like that for three weeks. A Japanese fought like maniacs. The 4th Marine Division stormed through the bloody ravine southeast of Mount Tapachal. The 2nd Marine Division took Garapan. The 27th Infantry Division of the Army drove northward through the center of the island. On the 20th day, the Japanese made that famous Banzai charge. Fire! Yes, sir. All right. Look at that, sir. We're knocking those Japs down with a hundred. Fire! Hold your fire. Yes, sir. There's another wave of them charging us. Fire! There's piles being poured deep out there. That's the kind of a fight it was. It took three and a half weeks to take the island. We paid a big price for those 72 square miles. But as our general said, we've got something in Saipan. It not only gives us a strong base with an easy B-29 range of Tokyo and the industrial centers of Japan, but equally important, it gives us a base that can be supplied by tankers that bring in two million gallons of gasoline at a time and ships that bring in all the explosives that our B-29s can carry. The sugarcane is billowing in the wind once again and the fruit trees that were not shattered in those three and a half weeks of hell are bearing papayas and mangoes and guavas and bananas just as if nothing happened. But Saipan is a changed place. Today Saipan is seeing more activity than it ever saw in all the thirty years of its Japanese occupation. You see, you know what? These houses tell a good part of the story of what happened here on Saipan. I stood on a street in Garrapan with Stuart Worth. You can't tell much in all this debris, but from what's left of that house over there, you can see that it was built by the Japanese. They did a pretty good job of building. And down there, you see, that's an old Spanish mission. You see, the Spaniards were here in the Marianas for hundreds of years. That patched house over there, that's a typical Kanaka house. The Japanese brought in the Kanakas to work for them. Many of them? Well, I'd say a thousand or so on Saipan here. That stone house over there, that was built by the Germans. You were here when the Germans were here, weren't you, Mr. Worth? Yes, just before World War I. The Germans were here from the time of the Spanish war until World War I. Oh, yes. Then the Japanese, who were then on the Allied side to the islands. And remember when they came in, they made it clear to all of us foreigners that we were no longer welcome. The Germans, of course, were in turn, and we Americans left when it looked as if the United States would get into the European war. Now I'm back. It doesn't look much like it looked then. During the next years, thousands of Japanese poured into the Marianas. Thousands came to Saipan. A good many of these were labors before they came and they worked just as hard or harder on Saipan. I saw a lot of them at Camp Sosupi, where 15,000 or so refugees were rounded up after we took the island. That's in Okinawa right there. The officer in charge pointed out a ragged, full-on Japanese, somewhat taller than the average Japanese. He came here to Saipan about 30 years ago. Why do you call him an Okinawa? They came from the Okinawa Islands, sometimes called the Ryukio Islands. Oh, yes, just south of Japan proper. That's right. The Okinawa is really a mixture of Japanese and Chinese. And you see that group right over there? That man and woman and those children? Yes, they are Chamorros. Oh, yes, I've heard about them. They were here when the Spaniards came a couple of hundred years ago, weren't they? Yes. They're not as pure strain as they were then. They've intermarried with Filipinos and Spaniards and some of them with the other people that have come here. Their language is something like Spanish and they have a lot of the Spanish customs. They're good-looking. And they're friendly. Most of them are Christians and because of that they've had a tough time all these years under the Japanese. That's another reason they're glad to see us. Some of the Chamorros were well educated. One of these was a Dr. Sanchez. One day the Japanese started to dredge Santa Park Harbor here. We came down here to watch them. Why are they doing this, Dr. Sanchez? It is so they can bring their ships right into the docks here instead of taking our cargoes of sugar out to these ships beyond the reefs. Are they going to break down the reefs out there? The Japanese say they are going to cut a path through the reefs and then dredge out the legumes. Are they doing this so they can bring in their warships? The Japanese say no. What do the Japanese say about what they are doing on the other side of the island that Majushi and Bay? What do they say? Dr. Sanchez crossed the island to Majushi and Bay. He walked along the shore of the two peninsulas jutting out into the sea and watched the construction work of the bay between them. We are wrapping up obstructions on the floor of the bay. Oh, how big ships will the bay accommodate when this work is done, Mr. Yakuza? Oh, that is exceedingly difficult to say. The new docks will be over on this side? Yes. They apparently will be very large ones. Tell me, Mr. Yakuza, why has the public been barred from those hills overlooking the bay? Are secret military installations being put up in there? Oh, no. A contrary to what the League of Nations seem to think, the money we are spending for the development of this harbor is only for improving it as a sugar port. It has nothing whatever to do with military development. We are only interested in the future... But the Chamaros knew what they were doing. The Japanese took steps to see that no information leaked out of the islands, but it leaked out anyway. We must think of sea operations, yes, but more important, we must think of air operations. We can build air bases on all of these islands from Japan down here to Saifan. That we will do. That will give us a chain of air bases down here through the Mariana to Saifan. With these, we will be in position to strike southward when the time comes. They put in a seaplane base. They put in three airfields. One at the north end of the island near the point where the Japanese committed mass suicide during our campaign to take the island. One inland and one at the southern end. This is the Aslido airfield. We were down in the south near the Aslido field when the bombing and shedding started. We found shelter in the caves, and we saw the American planes come over and drop their bombs. And the American ships bombarding our shores. Why do they not bomb the Aslido airfield, Dr. Sanchi? Yes, and why do they not shell it? I do not know. They have blown up nearly all the other strong places on the island? Yes, and the Aslido field is a long runway, and they have hangers and shops on the radio station. They could hardly miss it if they tried to hit it. Perhaps they are not trying. Oh, so they can use it themselves? Whatever they destroy, they will have to repair. When the Americans come in and take the island, they will have them have a big airfield already to use. By the time the civilian refugees were being rounded up and the last fanatic remnants of Japanese soldiers were being hunted down and blasted out of their holes, American bulldozers and other heavy equipment were whipping the lesser airfields into shape. And we were on Aslido airfields scanning the skies for the arrival of the first B-29s. American supplies poured in. The Japanese had built highways and railways and canals, and we put them for good use. Crews went to work immediately to get them back into service. Tanapak Harbor and Magician Bay went into service. The 72 square miles of side pan suddenly became alive with activity. Look at the size of those planes, Mr. Benoit. Those are the deadliest bombers in the world. How can a plane so large fly? Watching those first B-29s coming in, we got some idea of the importance of the operations that were being planned for side pan. This was the vanguard of the powerful 21st Bomber Command of the 20th Air Force. We had paid them blood and suffering for this island, and now we were going to use it in a way and on a scale unheard of ever before. The 20th Air Force will be in the nature of an aerial battle fleet, able to participate in combined operations or to be assigned to strike wherever the need is great. That's how the war took off and summed up the job of the 20th. The first B-29 taxied up. It looked like an aerial battle wagon. Soon Dr. Sanchez and I were talking to the crew. I have never seen such a big plane. How long is the wing? Well, it's got a wing span of 141 feet. That's about as high as a 14-story building. Four motors. How much power do they have? They're 2,200 horsepower each. My, 8,800 horsepower. How fast can it fly? And how high? I'm afraid those are military secrets. They are military secrets. But we found out sense that they make more than 300 miles an hour and have a ceiling well over 30,000 feet. Can you tell me what weight of explosives they carry? No, but there's no harm in telling you that the ship weighs about 60 tons. 60 tons? One by one, the powerful B-29s came in. They slid down to wheezing landings. But for all their gracious beauty, they were made for a grim business. Heavy machine guns and 20-millimeter cannon bristled out of their sleepers. These babies are not only bigger and more powerful than other bombing planes, but they got quite a few other advantages to side. For example, in the flying fortress, the bombardier has a separate compartment. He keeps in contact with the pilot by telephone. Well, in these B-29s, the bombardier is right here with the pilot. That's a big advantage. I'm a bombardier and I can talk directly with the pilot, and that means a lot in precision bombing, and that's our job. I'm the engineer. Every piece of equipment in the B-29 is operated by an electric motor. That's why there are 137 electric motors in them. The B-29 has built a fly-long distance at high altitudes. That means long hours in the air. That's taken care of with our pressurized cabin. We don't have to use oxygen masks. That cuts down flying fatigue and to make it even better. Right behind my waste gun, there's a bunk where two guys can sleep at a time. This was the weapon that was to do the job. This big, sleek super-fort. And these were the crews. These specially trained, specially qualified, specially trained men. I'm from Wisconsin. I'm from New York. I'm from Arizona. I'm from Mississippi. This 20th Air Force was different from anything else in the world. Home base? Our base is Washington, D.C. Commander of the 20th? That's General H.H. Arnold. In charge here on Sir Pan? Well, that's Brigadier General Hayward S. Hansel. He was the bombardment wing commander of the 8th Air Force in England. Our job? To pinpoint the places that needed most. The world was to be at battle ground. But Japan had a priority. Japan was first on the list. More and more B-29s came in. Since June 1940, these giants have been in construction. Since the fall of France, they have been in development. Since 1942, they've been production. Now, they were coming down out of the sky on this little Pacific Island on Japan's doorstep. And as they came in, the air base facilities were being expanded. And by ship were coming the enormous supplies of gasoline and oil they would need to take them to 1500 miles to Tokyo and the endless tons of explosives they would to drop to wet the strategic centers of Japan off the map. In the darks, there were more ships than had ever visited Sir Pan at one time. War ships and cargo ships, ships in anchor, ships at the dock, ships coming in, ships leaving. And all were part of the great role Sir Pan was to play in the war on the Pacific. Out of the deep laden ships came the supplies to carry out Sir Pan's role in the destruction of Japan. Sanchez and I stood there watching the unloading. I can hardly believe it. This is the harbour the Japanese said they were developing for the sugar trade. Lucky for us they did develop it. It seems they have already unloaded enough explosives to destroy Tokyo. It'll take a lot more than that. This was the officer in charge of the unloading. We've only just started. Only the first ships will come in. From now on there'll be a steady stream of them. Because those B-29s are going to use up an awful pile of this stuff. Take a pile of stuff in order to carry on a war. While explosives came out of this ship gasoline was coming out of tankers and food and other supplies were coming out of other ships. You see Sir Pan's going to be valuable. Not only as an air base, but as a base of supply for the United States Navy vessels. Well until we've got Sightman here our Navy ships have to go all the way back to Pearl Harbour. From now on a lot of them are going to be supplied right here. As the supplies came out of the ships they were tundered away to the air base. And out on the field the big B-29s were tuned up and ready to be gassed up and loaded with bombs. Standing off and watching the servicing the men looked like midgets waking around those super ports. Target's been selected. The Army Command knew them by heart. The crews knew them. Here's our target right here on this chart. Our target in the heart of Japan. A thousand miles of open sea and then the busy. We didn't know where they were going but they did. This was the first of the B-29 raids from Sightman. So now on there would be more and more. More super ports would be coming in and more gasoline and explosives and all the other necessary supplies. And more experts in planning and flying and bombing. We watched those big super ports until they were out of sight. They're going to be over the target at high noon. There she is up ahead there. It's all yours. Line up on it. Bombs away! Super ports from Sightman struck Tokyo a smashing blow at noon today. Important military targets were hit and great fires were left burning. Tokyo was taken by complete surprise and the Japanese were stunned by the suddenness of the... So much on other lands have been brought home to them. The thunder and shriek of war which only recently had echoed over this island was now theirs. And Sightman, this mighty dot in the Pacific, was quiet. But our B-29s were to go back again and again. The Mushashino aircraft factory was hit today. The Nakajima aircraft works was hit today. The Ibraraki Prefecture north of Tokyo was hit today. The industrial center of Nagoya was hit today. These established air bases on Sightman and all through the chain of islands from Japan down through the Mariana so they could strike southward when the time came. Well, their time came. It has passed. Now it's our turn to use these same islands in reverse. And that is what the B-29 super-force about 20th Air Force are doing out at Sightman. Today the 21st bomber command of the 20th Air Force on Sightman is stronger than ever before. The facilities on Sightman are geared up for powerful sustained B-29 operations. Today the 21st bomber command of the 20th is a new commanding general, major general, courtesy LeMay. And today the purpose of these operations out of strategic Sightman is clear. We will bomb Japan until we have destroyed its power to resist. From here on Sightman we will do our part of the big job of blasting Japan until we can go in and take it or until it surrenders or collapses. What has happened on Sightman and now to tell the significance of the operations on Sightman and their importance to the war in the Pacific a national broadcasting company presents Brigadier General Loris Norstad, chief of staff of the 20th Air Force. The next voice you hear will be that of General Loris Norstad. We take you now to Washington, D.C. Ladies and gentlemen, I have just returned from a trip to Sightman. You have been hearing, gives you, I believe, a good picture of that little island. It must be the most concentrated war base in the Pacific today. The conquest and development of Sightman was a major action in the war against Japan. It was, too, an almost perfect example of cooperation between our armed services. For us in the 20th Air Force, the Marianas are part of our long-term plan. Just as for years we had been working on the great B-29 bombers themselves, so for a long time we had been considering important time and space factors. Sightman was a perfect base. The enemy knew full well the strategic value. He was determined to keep it as an important stronghold for his plan of aggression. That he was unable to withstand the drive of our fighting team is a matter of history. From an Air Force viewpoint, there was a two-fold need for the Marianas. The first and most immediate was acquisition of these islands for the employment of B-29s against Japan. On the planning side of the ledger, the Marianas have great potentialities as strategic air bases from which to help ensure the peace. Within a month after the landings, all the services were operating at full blast. This record of rapid development was made possible by the splendid effort of the NADES Combat CBs and the Army's fighting engineers. They began work even before organized resistance was overcome. Frequently they were compelled to drop their construction tools in favor of firearms. Although the facts have been released a long ago, I'm sure a number of people are still unaware of the way in which the 20th Air Force operates. You know that some B-29s fly from China, some from Saipan. Soon they will be flying from other bases. Usually an Air Force, such as our 9th in France or 10th in India, is limited in its operations to the theater in which it is based. But the 20th flies over a number of theaters and commands. It is therefore controlled completely from Washington. Actually it belongs operationally to the Joint Chiefs of Staff with General of the Army Arnold as its commander. Thus it is among the Air Forces of the world, unique. You have heard the term Global Air Force. The 20th is, for the first time, a global Air Force in action. The targets are selected and decided upon in Washington. It is the instrument which the Joint Chiefs of Staff are using to soften up the pan for what is to follow. Pacific strategy is a necessity, far different from that in Europe. Even those Americans, we take distance as a matter of course. I believe few of us comprehend the really vast stretches of the Pacific. Let me give you an example. Flying fortresses take off from England, fly to Berlin, drop their bombs and return to base. They are flown approximately 1200 miles. But a B-29 en route from Saipan to Tokyo is after having flown that distance, 1200 miles, still 300 or 400 miles from its target. This means that around trip from Saipan to Tokyo, all over water, averages 3200 miles a non-stop, somewhat more than the distance from New York to California. This is not an easy operation. It involves hard and hazardous work. For this reason, super fortress airmen are carefully chosen and highly trained. Most of them are seasoned to combat flyers with many hours of aerial battle to their credit. They are confident of their abilities and their equipment, for both are the finest in the world. American engineering and industrial genius have combined to give them an unsurpassed weapon. These officers and men are ever mindful of the important role of the war worker in this battle for the preservation of our freedom. They have tested this equipment under combat condition and have found it superb. They give due credit to the production forces. The B-29 began their attack on Japan last June with formations of the 20th bomber command in China and India. Coming as it did direct from the aircraft plant to the theater of operation, the super fortress has undergone a period of development. We have learned many lessons from its operation since that time. Lessons which we are employing in our continuing attacks on Japanese military and industrial targets. Nor are we yet satisfied. As time goes on, we will become more and more proficient in the use of the B-29, all to the detriment of our enemy's ability to make war. Thus the B-29s are doing their job. The 20th Air Force is faithfully following the pattern established by General Arnold when he said, the B-29 makes possible the softening up attack on Japan very much earlier than would be possible with aircraft hitherto known to combat. This mighty weapon advances the bomb line a long way. The super fortress is not going to win the war by itself, nor has anyone thought it will do so. It will, however, like its predecessors, the B-17 and the B-24, strike at the source of enemy strength and prepare the way for the ultimate decision by our well-established team of land, sea, and air forces. That objective is being accomplished. From side pan and other bases, our power will mount. I can assure you that the 20th Air Force will take a growing and vital role in the Pacific story. Thank you, General Loris Norstad. You have been listening to the Pacific story presented by the National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated independent stations as a public service to clarify events in the Pacific and to make understandable across currents of life in the Pacific Basin. For every print of this Pacific story program, send 10 cents in stamps according to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. The Pacific story is written and directed by Arnold Marquess. The original musical score was composed and conducted by Thomas Palusto. The principal voice was that of Edward Maher. This program came to you from Hollywood. This is the National Broadcasting Company.