Marpi Point Field or NAB Marpi Point is a former World War II airfield at the northern end of

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

in the Northern Mariana Islands. The airfield was vacated by the United States in 1962; it is currently unused and overgrown.

History

World War II

In March 1944 the

Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service The was the Naval aviation, air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War. The Japanese military acquired their first air ...

ordered the construction of an airfield near Marpi Point on the northern end of the island of Saipan as part of a general plan to improve defenses in the Marianas. The airfield was planned to handle 24 aircraft, but was still incomplete at the time of the U.S. invasion in June 1944. During the battle work on the runway continued to allow for the planned airlift of Japanese reinforcements to Saipan; however, this plan was abandoned when it became apparent that U.S. naval and airpower made this unfeasible. On 9 July 1944 the 24th Marines secured Marpi Point and the airfield, while the 25th Marines secured the northeast end of the island. Saipan was declared secure at 16:15 on 9 July. Aircraft from

VMO-2 Marine Observation Squadron 2 (VMO-2) was an observation squadron of the United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the Unite ...

were the first American airplanes to land at Marpi Point Field. The US Navy took possession of Marpi Point Field and the 51st Naval Construction Battalion and Construction Battalion Maintenance Unit (CBMU) 614 expanded the existing runway to and built a second runway, becoming part of

Naval Advance Base Saipan Naval Base Saipan or Naval Advance Base Saipan or Naval Air Base Saipan was a United States Navy Naval base built during World War II to support Pacific Ocean theater of war and the many warships and troops fighting the war. The base was on th ...

. The field was renamed as NAB Marpi Point.

VMF-512 Marine Fighting Squadron 512 (VMF-512) was a fighter squadron of the United States Marine Corps during World War II. The squadron was aircraft carrier based during the last year of the war and supported combat operations during the Battle of Oki ...

flying F4Us operated from NAB Marpi Point from October to December 1945. Carrier Aircraft Service Unit 47 (CASU-47) was based at the field during 1945. CBMU-616 was based at NAB Marpi Point from 17 August until 3 October 1945. On 23 September 1945 USAAF

Lockheed F-5G Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive tw ...

#44-26855 was written off while landing at NAB Marpi Point.

Mass suicides of Japanese soldiers and civilians

Towards the end of the Battle of Saipan in 1944, hundreds of Japanese civilians and Imperial Japanese soldiers jumped to their deaths at two locations flanking Marpi Point Field:

Banzai Cliff Banzai Cliff is a historical site at the northern tip of Saipan island in the Northern Mariana Islands, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Towards the end of the Battle of Saipan in 1944, hundreds of Japanese civilians and soldiers (of the Imperial Ja ...

and Laderan Banadero.

Japanese propaganda In Japan, like in most other countries, propaganda has been a significant phenomenon during the 20th century. Propaganda activities in Japan have been discussed as far back as the Russo-Japanese War of the first decade of the 20th century. Propaga ...

had emphasized American brutality, citing the mutilation of Japanese war dead and claiming that U.S. soldiers were thus bloodthirsty and without morals. Many Japanese feared the "American devils raping and devouring Japanese women and children." The precise number of suicides committed there is not known. One eyewitness said he saw “hundreds of bodies” below the cliff, while elsewhere, numbers in the thousands have been cited. A contemporary correspondent praised these civilians, describing them as "the pride of Japanese women" and their self-sacrifice as "the finest act of the Shōwa period."

Postwar

Postwar the entire northern region of Saipan was called NAS Tanapag and home to the U.S. Navy's Technical Training Unit (NTTU), a CIA cover. It purportedly was used for training of anti-communist spies and guerilla forces. The area was returned to civilian control in 1962.

Current status

The airfield has become overgrown with vegetation and few traces of its former use remain. The

memorial is located at the western end of the former airfield. The former airfield is part of the National Historic Landmark District Landing Beaches; Aslito/Isely Field; & Marpi Point, Saipan Island, designated in 1985.

References