Photographs from the Battle of Tinian

26-G-2658 From a Coast Guard-manned landing craft, American invaders wade through a golden, shallow surf to hit the beach of Tinian Island near Guam in the Marianas. In this striking sunrise silhouette, units of a mighty task force stand on the horizon -- Navy warships, transports and LSTs. In closer, smaller invasion craft are halted by shallow water about 100 yards off shore.

26-G-2680 American destroyers, firing from off shore, score a direct hit on a Japanese oil dump on Tinian Island, causing a black column of smoke to pile into the sky. In foreground, Coast Guard-manned landing craft of the first wave move against the beach close on the climax of the fleet bombardment of enemy shore positions.

26-G-2682 A water buffalo, loaded with Marines, churns through the sea bound for the beaches of Tinian Island near Guam in this invasion picture made by a Coast Guard combat photographer “going in” aboard another landing craft to the attack against the Japanese in the Marianas.

26-G-2686 Ducks, water buffalo, and Coast Guard-manned landing barges strike hard at the beaches of Tinian Island near Guam in the Marianas. This large scale amphibious attack was met with bitter Japanese resistance, but overwhelming American power soon crushed the defenders back inland and later completed occupation of the island.

26-G-2710 Marines unload oil drums from a Coast Guard-manned tank lighter and roll them through the surf and onto the beach of Tinian Island, Marianas base near Guam. Off shore stands a concentration of the American invasion armada including lighters, alligators, LSTs and LCVPs. Striking swiftly with terrific force, the Yankees soon crushed Japanese resistance on Tinian.

80-G-432851 TBF's aboard USS Monterey (CVL-26) leaving flight deck for a bombing misssion over Tinian Island, nearest Japanese held island to Saipan.

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