RELIGION: Army chaplains visit the local Catholic priest in the compound for native Chamorros at Charan Kanoa, Saipan, Marianas Islands, 10 July 1944. L-R: Elias Sablan, our interpreter in the compound; Capt. Jose Gorski, Catholic Chaplain in the Army Ground Forces from Cleveland, Ohio: Br. Oroquieta, SJ, a Catholic worker; Capt. Bernard Spoelker , a Catholic Chaplain from Louisville, Ky; Fr. Jose Maria Tardio, SJ; and Capt.W.D. Rookstool, Air Force dentist of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, who arranged the interview. Br. Oroquieta and Fr. Tardio, who are Spanish, had been on the island for 13 years; and they with the six nuns who worked with them fled to the hills during Japanese occupation and stayed until they were rescued by our forces.

RELIGION: Sunday mass conducted by Col. J.A. Moffatt, 7th Air Force Chaplain of Kansas City, Missouri, on board the USAT “Sea Flasher” carrying 7th Air Force Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron personnel to Saipan in the Marianas Islands. December 1944.

CREWS: After the final mission over Iwo Jima on 15 Feb. 1945, 1st Lt. Victor O. Besche crosses off the most recent enemy base to enter “assignment carried out” ledger of this 7th Air Force fighter group. Fellow P-38 pilots looking on are, L-R: Lt. Jack Yaeger of Tallahassee, Florida; Lt. J.T. Spivey of Suffolk, Virginia and Lt. R.G. O’Hara of Reading, Ohio. Lt. Besche is from Baltimore, Maryland. Saipan, Marianas Island.

CREWS: Col. Paul Tibbets, pilot of B-29 Superfortress, “Enola Gay” standing by his plane which bombed Hiroshima, Japan. Marianas Islands.

AIRPLANES: A 20 millimeter shell from a Japanese fighter smashed this hole in the tail section of a Saipan-based Superfort of the 73rd Wing. The exploding shell also sliced communication cables to the tailgunner’s compartment for 25 minutes. Other crewmen thought him to be wounded or dead because they couldn’t reach him by interphone. They pried the door open and found the gunner busy firing at attacking fighters.

FIELDS & INSTALLATIONS: Aerial view of airfield on Saipan, Marianas Islands. October 1944.

FIELDS & INSTALLATIONS: Aviation engineers are cutting into this coral mountain on Saipan in the Marianas to rip out half a million yards of white coral for the B-29 base being constructed on the island. Two – and – half ton trucks are lined up to carry the crushed material – excellent construction material – down a central island highway to the airstrips and taxiways. 1944.

FIELDS & INSTALLATIONS: Pittsburgian in atmosphere, this asphalt – blacktop plant was whipped out of salvaged materials chiefly, put into operation to manufacture Superfortress airstrip topping which Washington engineers said couldn’t be done on Saipan. Big obstacle was necessity of receiving hard asphalt in drums which couldn’t be mixed with crushed rock. Engineers used cooling system of pipes from a Charan Kanoa sugar plant, turned it into a giant steam melter for asphalt, piped it directly to the stone-asphalt mixers. Now B-29 strips have a hard, smooth black-top surface. 1944.

FIELDS & INSTALLATIONS: General view of coral quarry #1 on Saipan, Marianas Islands. Mount Tapotchou is in the distance. October 1944.

FIELDS & INSTALLATIONS: In parking areas on Isley Field, Saipan, these 7th AF Consolidated B-24 Liberators await orders to attack the Bonnin and Volcano Islands. 1945.