By looking at this lovely, peaceful Invasion Beach today you could never imagine what must have taken place in 1944. This is where the American forces landed wave after wave of troops at the start of the Battle of Saipan. Two thousand of the American casualties during the battle happened here, most from a machine gun on Agingan Point. This point is off to the left as you look toward the ocean. Each time I take a stroll on this beach I remember the soldiers who had to fight a full day just to get off the beach. The south side of this beach was once an ancient Chamorro village. My daughter found a large piece of 2,000+ year-old pottery which we donated to the museum.
Agingan Point.
A large WWII trailer.
Picture taken from Agingan Point.
What a difference 65 years makes.
Look closely at the sand, it tells a lot of history. Below you can see a piece of 1920's or 1930's Japanese pottery, World War II shrapnel and melted metals, and pieces of broken bottles that have been polished smooth from 65 years of ocean waves. Click the picture for a closer look.
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