Nazi Megastructures "Season - 6" (2/6) : America's War - Japan's Warrior Code
For educational purposes
How the Japanese army turned to ancient warrior traditions during the battle of Saipan - a conflict where defeat would place US aircraft dangerously close to their home country.
How the Japanese army turned to ancient warrior traditions during the battle of Saipan - a conflict where defeat would place US aircraft dangerously close to their home country.
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00:00It's a ferocious, uncompromising approach to combat that's brought the Japanese countless
00:09victories.
00:10They don't retreat, and it seems as though they're fearless.
00:14A warrior code that'll be critical on Saipan, an island they must not lose.
00:20The Japanese are determined not to give a single inch of ground.
00:28If they're defeated, Japan itself will come under threat.
00:32He never changes his tactics.
00:35It's still attack, attack, attack.
00:37The Japanese defend Saipan with relentless aggression, tougher than concrete or steel.
00:43The result is carnage.
00:45Impervious to bombs and bullets.
00:47It was one American for every meter of the valley.
00:52This is the story of how at Saipan, the empire tries to turn the tide of the war with its
00:58greatest weapon, the warrior code.
01:04The biggest construction projects of World War II, ordered by Hitler and his Japanese
01:10allies.
01:11Now, these ruins survive as dark reminders of their fanatical military ambition and America's
01:18fight to overcome it.
01:20These are the secrets of the Nazi megastructures.
01:33July 7th, 1944, the Pacific island of Saipan, 30-year-old Captain Sakai Oba is readying
01:40his men to charge the enemy lines under cover of night.
01:46Oba is one of 3,000 Japanese to storm the American lines.
01:52It's the biggest banzai charge of the Second World War.
02:00Remnants of the brutal struggle for control of Saipan still litter its shoreline.
02:06Conflict archaeologist Professor Tony Pollard has traveled to the Pacific to discover how
02:11ferociously the Japanese defended this island, pivotal to the outcome of the war.
02:17Oh my, that is impressive.
02:21The rusting hulk of this Sherman tank, still stranded on the reef a long way from the shore.
02:26A lonely monument to the risks involved in that assault.
02:31Facing the Americans were 30,000 Japanese soldiers armed with tanks, machine guns, artillery
02:38and mortars.
02:41But they also had one other weapon that they hoped would help throw the Americans back
02:45in the sea.
02:47Each and every one of them was imbued with the Japanese warrior spirit.
02:51The story of the Japanese army's warrior spirit begins before World War II.
02:57In 1931, Japan invades the Chinese province of Manchuria.
03:02And six years later, they march further into China.
03:08Their ultra-aggressive approach results in swift victories against a startled enemy and
03:13cements the Japanese faith in their distinctive approach to battle.
03:18The impaled Japanese warrior mindset is mixing ancient codes of honor with the new brand
03:26of ultra-nationalism.
03:29They would be prepared to fight to the death rather than give themselves up.
03:35In December 1941, Japan, now allied with Nazi Germany, strikes against America.
03:43The attack on Pearl Harbor cripples the U.S. Pacific fleet.
03:47In the months that follow, Japanese warriors sweep across the ocean.
03:57Their lightning-fast land grab extends the empire to the outer reaches of the Pacific.
04:03By mid-1942, it covers more than 2.8 million square miles.
04:12But the U.S. swiftly repairs the damage to its navy and fights back.
04:19In February 1943, they defeat Japan at the southern Pacific island of Guadalcanal.
04:24Suddenly, the Japanese are in retreat.
04:30Guadalcanal was absolutely brutal for both sides.
04:32And the truth of the matter is that the Americans could afford those losses and the Japanese
04:36absolutely couldn't.
04:39In September 1943, the Japanese chiefs of staff outline a change in tactics to Emperor
04:45Hirohito.
04:47Instead of engaging the advancing Americans at the earliest opportunity, they propose
04:51creating a line of reinforced territories across the Pacific and fighting them there.
04:58Very well.
05:01You have agreed you will change our strategy.
05:04We will defend this absolute defense perimeter to stop the enemy's advance.
05:10The absolute national defense zone will stretch from Java to the northern reaches of the Pacific,
05:16a fortified perimeter behind which the Japanese will not retreat.
05:22Central to the defensive line and right in the path of the advancing Americans is Saipan.
05:31A Japanese territory since 1920, the small island had become home to 25,000 settlers.
05:39And in its southern flatlands, the Japanese build an airfield.
05:46Military historian Martin Morgan is exploring what remains of it today.
05:51He's discovering vast structures that could unlock clues to Saipan's wartime significance.
05:58When you walk up on it, it's regular, it's symmetrical, it looks almost like the bastion
06:03of a 19th century fortification.
06:05I mean, just look at the length of this thing.
06:07That's one wall.
06:11But this is not a masonry fortification.
06:13This is concrete.
06:14It's poured concrete.
06:15You can see the street lines where they advanced the pour during construction.
06:19And it's thick.
06:19This thing is at least three feet thick.
06:23And that begs the question, what is it here protecting?
06:28And with any luck, the answer to that question will be on the inside of it.
06:35So when you come in, you can see the Japanese built this outer wall as an outer ring of
06:42protection for this.
06:47This strange, earth-covered structure measures only 25 by 14 yards.
06:53But it held something of great value.
06:58This is pretty striking, actually, these two massive blast doors.
07:03Look at them.
07:04They're enormous.
07:06Each one about six inches thick.
07:10So obviously something very important was held inside of this structure.
07:16But once you're inside, here overhead, you have this I-beam, and the I-beam runs throughout
07:21the interior of the structure, and the I-beam is there to pick up very heavy objects.
07:26And the very heavy objects were bombs.
07:30This is the island's primary bomb storage facility.
07:34And if you had looked at the interior of this structure at any point between 1941 and 1944,
07:40it would have been full to the rafters with explosive ordnance.
07:44The Japanese understood something critical.
07:47And that is, to control the Pacific Ocean, you have to control the skies above it.
07:55Japan's air force protects both its territories and its navy, allowing ships to carry supplies
08:01and personnel across the Pacific without fear of enemy attack.
08:07Their vast Pacific empire depends on a network of airfields.
08:11With planes' range in the air limited, each airfield needs to be within flying distance
08:15of another.
08:18Saipan's position between the home islands and Japan's outer territories makes its airfield
08:23crucial to this strategy.
08:26But now the Americans have their sights set on Saipan.
08:31They plan to use it as a base for a revolutionary new bomber, one that's capable of reaching
08:36Japan itself.
08:39April, 1944.
08:43The Japanese are in retreat.
08:46Their Pacific bases on Tarawa and Truk have already been overwhelmed.
08:51Next in line, the strategically crucial island of Saipan, a stronghold Japan can't afford
08:58to lose and one the U.S. is desperate to gain.
09:04In charge of Saipan's defense is Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Saito.
09:09A respected career soldier of over 30 years, his strategy is clear.
09:16Units will prepare defenses on the beaches and be ready to launch counterattacks from
09:21strategic points.
09:23We will demolish the enemy at the water's edge.
09:30Saito knows defeat on Saipan could be devastating for the empire.
09:35Japanese intelligence has reported that the U.S. has developed a revolutionary bomber,
09:40capable of flying vast distances.
09:43If the Japanese lose Saipan, its airfield will put the new plane within range of the
09:49home islands.
09:59Airpower historian Mike Pavelek has traveled to March Field in California to reveal the
10:04secrets of the groundbreaking new aircraft.
10:09This is absolutely beautiful.
10:12This is what I came to see.
10:14The B-29 Superfortress.
10:17The biggest plane of the Second World War.
10:20The most expensive project the Americans undertook.
10:24Three billion dollars in 1944.
10:28More expensive than the atomic bomb.
10:30Absolutely the apex of aviation technology in the Second World War.
10:38Just look at the size of the tires, of the bomb bay, of the engines and the propellers.
10:45This plane is just massive.
10:52This is the coolest thing I've seen in a long time.
10:58Way bigger than I expected.
10:59Oh, I'm going to start here.
11:04The flight engineer would sit in this location.
11:07He would control all of the workings of the engines during the flight for the mission.
11:13But this little tiny gauge right here is the significant part of the B-29.
11:18This gauge shows that the interior of the airplane is pressurized.
11:24Previously at altitude it's minus 50, minus 60 degrees.
11:29The crew would freeze.
11:30They would have to wear huge bulky uniforms, outfits to protect them from the cold.
11:35The B-29 is pressurized like a modern commercial airliner.
11:39You have air conditioning and heat through these tubes.
11:42Much more comfortable environment for your entire crew no matter what elevation they're
11:47flying at.
11:48Another technological innovation makes the B-29 even more of a threat to the Japanese.
11:55This heavy bomber is also a fearsome prospect in air-to-air combat, thanks to a cutting-edge
12:00computerized targeting system.
12:03All the gunners have to do is select their targets.
12:07The computers then aim the plane's five pairs of machine guns to fire with devastating accuracy.
12:18I finally get to sit in the pilot seat of a B-29.
12:28This is awesome.
12:30As far as World War II aircraft go, this is actually pretty big.
12:34I'm 6'6", I'm kind of a miniature giant, and this is a comfortable airplane.
12:42Crew comfort is critical.
12:44The B-29 is designed to carry massive payloads over game-changing distances.
12:49With five tons of bombs on board, it can stay airborne for 14 hours.
13:03The B-29 fundamentally redraws the map of the Pacific.
13:07This airplane has a range of about 3,000 miles, 1,500 miles out, 1,500 miles back, which means
13:14that Saipan, at 1,200 miles from Tokyo, becomes a crucial island base for both sides.
13:25Knowing the home islands will be at risk if Saipan is lost, the Japanese rush to bolster
13:30its garrison.
13:32They ship in boatloads of reinforcements.
13:36But the soldiers' voyage to Saipan is fraught with danger.
13:52U.S. submarines have stepped up their operations in the Pacific and are targeting Japanese
13:57troop ships.
14:01In January and early June 1944, nine ships are sunk, killing over 3,500 Japanese troops.
14:12Among those to survive the attacks is Captain Sake Oba, a veteran of Japan's war with China.
14:24The divisional troops that are sent to Saipan are really battle-hardened.
14:27They've been in China for an incredibly brutal campaign, and their discipline is absolutely
14:34second to none.
14:35I mean, these are absolutely the kind of troops that are simply not going to give up.
14:40Oba is lucky to be alive.
14:42The troop ship carrying his unit to Saipan was sunk in a torpedo attack.
14:47Now he's been placed in command of 225 other survivors of the sinking.
15:12The veteran soldier has a huge task ahead of him, preparing his men for impending battle.
15:20May 1944.
15:23The U.S. Navy is conducting reconnaissance missions off the island of Saipan.
15:29Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Saito, the island's Japanese commander, knows it's only a matter
15:35of time before they attack.
15:37The question is, where?
15:41Miles of gently sloping beaches line Saipan's south and west coasts.
15:46The Americans could land their troops anywhere along them.
15:55We must cover all possibilities.
15:58Our defenses will be divided into four sectors, with troops ready to attack.
16:05All available manpower on Saipan is now dedicated to building fortifications.
16:11Many survive to this day, though stripped of the weaponry they once housed.
16:18Tony Pollard is investigating one of Saito's defensive strong points.
16:29Nothing's accidental in the design of these structures.
16:32See the way the entrance is kinked here to provide extra protection from blast if something
16:37goes off outside.
16:38There's a side chamber here, possibly for ammunition storage.
16:43Not much to see now.
16:45And all we've got now is the bare concrete, but this may have been lined with timber,
16:50giving it a slightly warmer appearance inside.
16:53But here is the entire point of this structure.
16:57An iron mounting ring with heavy iron bolts.
17:01A gun would have been positioned on the top of that, and as we can see from the length
17:08of the slot in the front of this structure, it gives an incredibly wide field of fire.
17:17From its clifftop position, the mighty gun could target enemy vessels several miles away.
17:24But it would be one of the Americans' first targets.
17:31Look at the state of it.
17:34Look at this wall.
17:35Look at the steel reinforcing rods.
17:38They've been exposed by an incredibly violent explosion.
17:43And looking at the way the concrete has flaked from the inside, this is a projectile that's
17:49come from that direction, probably from the open sea.
17:53And for something to penetrate what is a metre and a half of solid reinforced concrete,
18:02that's got to be something big.
18:03I reckon a naval shell.
18:05And this would be enough to create all of this damage coming in, ripping off the skin
18:10of the roof, destroying the gun, basically knocking this entire gun position out in one.
18:19The drive to fortify Saipan requires massive amounts of raw materials.
18:25But American airstrikes are taking a heavy toll on supplies to the island.
18:31Among those struggling with the shortages is Captain Oba.
18:36Commander, we need more cement and more steel.
18:42There are no heavy tractors and we need explosives.
18:48That's how we're supposed to do.
18:50We can't carry on like this.
18:53But the Japanese warrior code doesn't accept defeat.
18:57In the absence of concrete, Saito's men go to extraordinary lengths to fortify the island.
19:06Look at this.
19:09Rock cut.
19:11It's a trench cut into this rock.
19:15Coming out, there's a gun pit.
19:18I can't believe it.
19:20There's a gun pit.
19:21And look at the coverage it's got.
19:24Covers the entire length of that beachfront and the reef.
19:29Look here, more.
19:32Look at that.
19:35They've cut right down onto this terrace.
19:38There's even a slot there where you can imagine a gun.
19:42But again, look at the coverage.
19:43The open sea and the beach.
19:46Carving these trenches into the bedrock would be back-breaking work.
19:51But from these protected positions, the gunners could rain hell onto the invading Americans.
19:57Here's another one.
20:00This entire cliffside is peppered with small positions.
20:04It's quite clear that if anybody tried to land an amphibious force over there, the Japanese
20:11here were going to make them pay dearly for it.
20:16Saipan's coastline now bristles with firepower.
20:19As well as almost 200 pieces of artillery, hundreds of machine gun emplacements, pillboxes
20:25and dugout gun positions protect its shores.
20:30The strength of Saito's defences and his forces' resolve will soon be put to a formidable
20:37test.
20:45June 13th, 1944.
20:48The battle for Saipan begins.
20:55Fifteen US battleships launch a fearsome bombardment of the island.
21:00Over two days, they fire more than 165,000 artillery rounds.
21:10Captain Sakai Oba and his unit take shelter in a cave as shells rain down outside.
21:16Get inside!
21:18They're getting closer!
21:21I can't afford to lose any of you!
21:24The bombardment is ferocious, but the Japanese knew it was coming, and they're ready for
21:29it.
21:31Martin Morgan is discovering measures put in place to withstand the firestorm.
21:36All around the airfield are these strangely shaped structures of concrete.
21:44You don't see many openings in it.
21:47And its entryway is protected by a blast wall.
21:51And that's because this is a bomb shelter.
21:55It is like a sauna in here.
22:07Imagine a hundred, maybe even two hundred men in here during a raid while the bombs
22:16are going off outside, with all these iron doors shut, closed, making this place even
22:26more cramped and claustrophobic.
22:29And they just waded out in this, and that would be unpleasant to say the least.
22:37I mean, it's suffocating and cramped enough, and I'm the only one in here.
22:46Thanks to shelters like these, most of the 30,000 Japanese soldiers on Saipan survive
22:51the onslaught.
22:54And Lieutenant General Saito is convinced the pattern of shelling has given away the
22:58Americans' plans.
23:03The American bombardment is concentrated here, the southwestern beaches.
23:08They've even dropped these things there, facing propaganda and lies.
23:16The enemy has shown his hands.
23:20We must move troops here to confront their landing force.
23:28Understood?
23:31June 15th, 0700.
23:34After 48 hours of shelling, the Americans are finally ready to invade.
23:41An initial force of 8,000 soldiers aboard more than 300 amphibious troop carriers prepares
23:47to storm Saipan's southwestern beaches.
23:53Saipan's airfield is their main objective.
23:56They plan to take it as quickly as possible before advancing north.
24:02The Japanese have other ideas.
24:10From their emplacements, pillboxes, and trenches, they open fire on the invaders as they attempt
24:16to land.
24:17Saito's plan is to take the fight to the enemy and just repulse them and push them back into
24:22the sea.
24:23That's the plan.
24:25and aggressively as these troops can possibly do.
24:38Out on the lagoon, conflict archaeologist Tony Pollard is searching for evidence of
24:42the carnage caused by the Japanese gunners.
24:46There's dark splodges and patches of weed and coral everywhere.
24:51Oh look, this one looks rectangular.
24:53Wow, look at that.
24:56There's a turret.
24:57You can see the tracks.
25:02This is the wreck of an LVT, which is a landing vehicle tract.
25:08Amphibious vehicles used to get men and supplies onto the invasion beaches.
25:16For the Americans, they're quite an innovation because what they allow them to do is theoretically
25:23protect the men while they're at their most vulnerable.
25:27And any amphibious force, the most dangerous period is getting from the ships onto the
25:32beach.
25:33For the enemy, it can be like shooting fish in a barrel if they've got their act together.
25:39And here in Saipan, the Japanese have definitely done that.
25:44And so a lot of these vehicles here came a cropper.
25:48It's difficult to imagine what it would have been like being an American marine in one
25:51of these vehicles.
25:52You know there's every chance that between here and there, this thing you're in might
25:57be hit.
25:58It must have been hell on earth, really.
26:03The intense fire slows the Americans' advance to a crawl.
26:09But it doesn't stop them.
26:10The numbers are simply too great for the Japanese to drive them back.
26:19By nightfall, 20,000 American troops have made it ashore.
26:27But Saito, who has moved his command post to a cave, stays true to his warrior code.
26:35Inform Tokyo, our division will launch a night attack and annihilate the enemy in one swoop.
26:50We will drive them back into the sea.
26:53Saito's battle plan is basically to be very aggressive.
26:57The soldiers are told defending the shoreline is actually being on the offensive.
27:03And so this mentality is sort of indoctrinated among the soldiers.
27:08Saito selects 700 of his finest men.
27:12Their mission?
27:14To overwhelm a section of the American lines and strike fear into their enemy with the
27:19sheer ferocity of their attack.
27:23But the Americans are quick to respond.
27:28Their ships offshore fire illumination shells into the sky.
27:33Only stripped of the cover of darkness, Saito's men become easy targets.
27:42All 700 fall in a hail of bullets.
27:46Those who die, they're considered heroes of Japan.
27:51It's a warrior mentality that has just been fostered in Japan for its entire military
27:57history.
28:03Saito radios Imperial headquarters in Tokyo and tells them, look, I planned this large
28:08assault.
28:09It occurred, but it completely failed.
28:11But I'm going to try it again.
28:13But he never changes his tactics.
28:16It's still attack, attack, attack.
28:19But as the battle unfolds, Saito's troops are forced to fall back.
28:23The American invaders are gaining ground.
28:30After two days of fighting, the Japanese have lost control of nearly a quarter of the island.
28:39Faced with the ominous American advance, Saito plans another massive counter-offensive.
28:49June 17th, 1944, day five of the battle for Saipan.
28:57Despite their fierce resistance, the Japanese are losing ground.
29:05Now the Americans are approaching their prime objective, Saipan's airfield.
29:14Saito knows this is a defining moment in the battle.
29:18Yet again, his strategy is one of violent attack.
29:22But this time, he'll commit more than just men.
29:30Lump of rusty metal here with trees growing out of it.
29:33It's almost like over-enthusiastic camouflage because this is a tank.
29:37And even though it's seen much better days, I can tell from the drive wheels and the configuration
29:44of the turret that it's a Type 97.
29:48You can see there, the ball mount.
29:50That would have had a 7.7mm machine gun poking through it.
29:55This is the observation visor for the driver, not your average windshield.
30:00And here, the entire side has been smashed out.
30:03And if we look inside, you get some idea of the claustrophobic nature in there.
30:08There would have been four men.
30:10It must have been horrific in battle, the noise, the fumes from the engine.
30:16Japan's Type 97 tank is a proven battle winner.
30:20It played a key role as Japanese forces swept through Malaya and Singapore.
30:25And Saipan has one of the largest tank battalions in the entire Pacific.
30:30There are 20,000 Americans on this island.
30:32Saito has to do something.
30:34And so what he does is put into action a tank assault, along with them, around 1,000 infantry.
30:43And it turns out to be the biggest tank battle ever fought in the Pacific campaign.
30:49The result is carnage.
30:52It's almost medieval.
30:55Forty-eight Japanese tanks bear down on the US lines.
31:00But by now, the Americans have more than a hundred of their own tanks on the island,
31:06with far superior firepower.
31:10In barely 45 minutes, more than half of Saito's tanks are blown to pieces.
31:18The Warrior Code might have won the Japanese countless victories in the past,
31:23but on Saipan, it's leading to nothing but defeat.
31:28The problem is that the Americans have the Sherman, and it's a far, far better tank.
31:33And they just rip holes in these.
31:35The field is just littered with smouldering wrecks.
31:38Tanks everywhere, dying men.
31:40There's no plan for follow-up.
31:43There's no support.
31:44It's just a total waste of men and machines.
31:50In Tokyo, Emperor Hirohito is informed of the deteriorating situation on Saipan.
31:58It is imperative they rise to the challenge.
32:07They must make a tremendous effort.
32:10The Emperor wants to make sure that his men will keep the morale to continue fighting.
32:16He wants to instill courage into his men, and he doesn't want them to give up.
32:20But the Warrior Code can't compensate for the fact that Saito's men are outnumbered
32:25and outgunned.
32:27They can't keep hold of the island's crucial airfield.
32:31By June 18th, it's in American hands.
32:36Hirohito is all too aware of the seriousness of the situation.
32:41On the day the airfield is lost, he addresses his Prime Minister.
32:45If we ever lose Saipan, air raids on Tokyo will follow.
32:54No matter what happens, we must keep hold of it.
33:00The loss of the airfield at Saipan is a really big moment in the Pacific War.
33:05Hirohito realizes that suddenly, you know, the Allies are within spitting distance of
33:11the Japanese mainland, and he's absolutely determined that his troops, the defenders
33:15there on Saipan, should retake it, and retake it as quickly as possible.
33:20The Japanese have one last hope.
33:24That their navy can land enough reinforcements on Saipan to turn the tide of the battle.
33:30But first, they must defeat the Americans at sea.
33:36The next day, Japan launches airstrikes against the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
33:41A colossal two-day face-off between the two navies follows.
33:47But the Battle of the Philippine Sea is yet another disaster for the Japanese.
33:54As well as three aircraft carriers, they lose nearly 500 planes.
34:02There will be no reinforcements for Saipan, although Saito's men never learn that truth.
34:10The only information that they really have access to is the propaganda that's coming
34:14out of Tokyo that's talking about these glorious victories throughout the Pacific,
34:19and that the support is coming from the home islands.
34:22And it's just not true.
34:25Retaking the airfield is now out of the question.
34:28With thousands of his men dead and those still alive massively outgunned, Saito sends a bleak
34:33summary of his situation to Japan.
34:36Please tell the Emperor, I'm sorry we can't do any better.
34:44The army will defend its positions to the last.
34:50A week into the battle, the Japanese have lost control of almost the entire southern
34:55third of Saipan.
34:58The Americans are now advancing along a valley parallel to the east coast, forcing Saito's
35:03men into the hills at the center of the island.
35:07It's a dramatic change in terrain, and Saito matches it with an equally dramatic change
35:13in his tactics.
35:16Instead of taking the fight to the enemy, he orders his men to dig in on the steep slopes
35:21above the valley, and to make the Americans pay in blood for every step of their advance.
35:28This is the summit of Mount Tapachiao, which is the highest point on the island.
35:32From here you can really see how Saipan's terrain changes as you go from south to north.
35:37Saito, his men cover every square inch of that valley floor with machine gun, mortar,
35:45and artillery fire.
35:47Hundreds of Americans were casualties of that valley.
35:51The loss of life is so high that the G.I.s begin to call that Death Valley.
35:56It was literally a matter of one American for every meter of its length.
36:08It is attrition that is suddenly the name of the game, dragging out the battle, fighting
36:15to the last man, and really wearing down the Americans as much as they possibly can.
36:21But still, the American advance continues.
36:26Every available Japanese soldier is now called up to the front line, including Captain Sakai
36:31Oba's unit.
36:33But as he and his men approach, they're sighted by the enemy.
36:43The enemy! Get down!
36:49It's coming back! Inside the caves! Hurry!
36:54The spotter plane radios Oba's location to U.S. Navy gunners offshore.
37:13This is no way to fight a war. We can't even step outside the caves. How are we supposed
37:19to fight? What are we supposed to do? This isn't fighting. We are being killed by an
37:29enemy we can't even see. It's madness.
37:41U.S. firepower is taking its toll.
37:45After three weeks of fighting, the Americans control almost all of Saipan, but the battle's
37:50defining moment is yet to come.
37:56After four bloody weeks of the Battle of Saipan, more than 20,000 Japanese soldiers have perished.
38:04Those who survive have been forced back into the island's northern hills.
38:11In a makeshift cave headquarters, Saito and his fellow officers solemnly gather for what
38:19they know will be their last meal.
38:28There is no hope of success. Here is my final order.
38:36Despite the bitterness of defeat, each of us must pledge to take seven American lives.
38:46Whether we attack or whether we stay where we are, there is only death. However, in death,
38:55there is life.
38:58His final order is for his troops to conduct a massive bonsai charge, one of 3,000 troops.
39:05Fulfilling their duty to the Emperor and that tradition of the Japanese martial spirit
39:10throughout the Pacific War.
39:14But Saito feels he is too frail to be of use in the charge. Instead, he chooses to commit
39:20seppuku, ritual suicide, along with his senior officers.
39:25I will never suffer the humiliation of being taken alive. To the enemy lines, follow me!
39:32Long live the Emperor! Bonsai!
39:41Near the front line, Captain Sakaya Oba receives Saito's final order.
39:50It will be a useless death, but it's our duty to take as many enemy lives as possible before
39:57laying down our own for the Emperor.
40:04Bonsai charges by that point are just completely outdated. When your enemy is equipped with
40:10mortars, artillery, fast-firing machine guns and plenty of them, it's really, really
40:17not the tactic to use.
40:25Oba knows they will achieve nothing. But still bound by a powerful sense of honor and duty,
40:31there is no turning back.
40:38The charge kills 451 American soldiers. But 14 hours later, almost all 3,000 Japanese
40:55who take part are dead. The slaughter effectively ends the Battle of Saipan.
41:09But in the days that follow, the Japanese warrior code inspires one final act of mass bloodshed.
41:17At Saipan's northernmost point, Martin Morgan is at one of the most poignant landmarks of
41:25the Pacific War.
41:31Since World War II, this space has been known as the Bonsai Cliff. And that's because of
41:37what happened here at the end of the battle. Saipan's different than other Pacific War
41:41battles in that the island has a significant civilian population on it at the time that
41:46the campaign unfolds.
41:48Just like Japan's soldiers, civilians have been fed propaganda urging them to choose
41:53death rather than capture by the enemy. After the battle ends, thousands of them commit
42:00suicide despite desperate American appeals. Hundreds hurl themselves from Bonsai Cliff.
42:09The average Japanese person had been told the Americans would not even waste a bullet
42:14on them, but drive over them with their tanks, and that the women and even young women would
42:19be raped.
42:21You have to understand their mindset. These are people that didn't question authority,
42:30anything that leadership told them they were willing to believe. It's hard to not stand
42:36here and be in reverence for the fact that these lives were lost at the end of this battle,
42:40these lives that didn't have to be lost.
42:47Defeat at Saipan is a turning point for the Japanese. Three months after the battle, the
42:53first B-29s arrive, ready to unleash their bombs on Japan. For the first time, the Japanese
43:01empire tacitly accepts the war can no longer be won.
43:09Lieutenant General Yoshitsugu Saito is given a funeral on Saipan by his U.S. counterpart.
43:15He's buried with military honors.
43:19Captain Sakai Oba is one of the few Japanese not to perish in the Bonsai Charge. He leads
43:24a group of soldiers and civilians into the jungle, where they hold out until after the
43:29end of the war. Oba then returns to Japan, where he works for a department store. He
43:35dies in 1992 at the age of 78.
43:40The futility of the Japanese tactics on Saipan leads to a sea change in their strategy. From
43:46this point on, they abandon the warrior doctrine of relentless aggression in favor of attrition
43:51and defense in depth. Bloody as Saipan is, the battles that follow will take an even
43:58greater toll on their enemy.