U.S. Marine cleans his gun for action on Saipan Island.

U.S. Marine cleans his gun for action on Saipan Island. An American Marine, who helped capture Saipan Island from the Japanese, cleans his mobile gun during a pause in the fierce 25-day battle that ended in complete U.S. control of the Marianas island 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from Japan. American troops stormed ashore on June 14, 1944, and smashed back the Japanese into a trap on the northern end of the strategic Central Pacific Island, where organized enemy resistance was ended on July 8, Saipan, once a key enemy defense base, is now a potential springboard for U.S. air and sea attack. Its excellent airfields are within U.S. B-29 Superfortress range of Japan, while harbor facilities allow the supplying of American Pacific Fleet fighting ships.