| Original caption: “The first wave of Marines to hit the Saipan beach in the Marianas invasion take cover behind a sand dune, while waiting for the following three waves to come in.” 2 Tracked Landing Vehicles, Amtrac LVT(A)4s of the 2nd Armored Amphibian Battalion, support the landings of the 8th and 23rd Marine Regiments on Green and Blue Beaches, near Afetna Point, on Saipan, on June 15, 1944. Amtrac LVT(A)4s – “Amtanks” – carried a turret from the M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage with the M1 Pack 75 millimeter (3-inch) Howitzer. Saipan was the 1st instance of this amphibious tank’s use, and the only time it was employed in a direct fire role. The “amtanks” were severely underpowered, and the Tracked Landing Vehicles, Amtrac LVT-4s, that carried the assault Marines, would outpace the LVT(A)4s and obscure their firing angles. If the LVT(A)4’s engine quit, the lack of freeboard and distance to shore meant that the craft could founder. However, the ability to devastate Japanese blockhouses and machine gun positions was crucial, as the 1st waves encountered heavy fire. United States Marine Private Carl W. “Tubby” Matthews Junior (August 14, 1924 – January 7, 2017) of Hubbard, Texas, G Company, 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division identifies himself as the man crouching at the far right, and United States Marine Private 1st Class Wendal M. Nightingale (August 31, 1923 – June 18, 1944), of Skowhegan, Maine, same unit, as the man crouching with him. United States Marine 1st Lieutenant James S. “Skeebow” Leary Junior (December 1, 1921 – July 6, 1944) of Ahoskie, North Carolina, is standing, leading the men to advance. Nightingale was killed when Japanese artillery and machine guns hit G Company as they advanced past Aslito Airfield. Leary was machine-gunned close to the end of the battle while observing Japanese officers on reconnaissance. Neither man’s remains were recovered. 2nd Armored Amphibian Battalion’s D Company’s Commanding Officer, United States Marine Captain Kenneth D. Handyside (January 20, 1920 – June 15, 1944), was shot in the head by a sniper as his “Amtank” approached Green Beach. D Company fielded 17 “Amtanks” that clearly heard Handyside’s dying words over the radio: “Ambrose, take command!” Shot in the eye, his men were shocked he could speak. United States Marine 1st Lieutenant Charles F. Ambrose (August 15, 1917 – September 4, 2009), D Company’s Executive Officer, who was wounded himself in the leg and buttocks, took command. The underpowered LVT(A)4s, which the battalion just received a few weeks before the landings, were drifting with the current and forcing the “Amtanks” to land at the wrong places. Ambrose would later state, “It still puzzles me how amid all that mass confusion we kept our unit cohesion.” Photographer Marine Sergeant James L. “Larry” Burns (December 31, 1919 – June 21, 1994) enlisted in the Marine Corps on September 23, 1941, and was a public relations photographer. Burns extensively documented the Saipan landings. He was honorably discharged on October 19, 1945. He worked for the Cedar Rapids Gazette after World War II. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1518.jpg |
| Image Size | 824 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 3565 x 2602 |
| Photographer | James L. Burns |
| Photographer Title | United States Marine Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 15, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | Saipan |
| Country | Marianas |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-127-N-83261 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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