Marsh Is.#491 1st Battle of Philippine Sea - 1994 Imperforate Mint Issue
June 19, 1944 The waters surrounding Saipan, Tinian and Guam (the three main islands of the Marianas) became the stage for the greatest carrier battle in naval history. The Americans knew that the Japanese would commit their entire navy to maintain control of the Marianas, whose loss would pose certain defeat for Japan. It was one of the most decisive battles of the war involving four times the naval power present in the Battle of Midway, a total of 9 Japanese carriers against 15 U.S. carriers. This epic confrontation was later named “The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot” because American air superiority resulted in an embarrassing defeat for the Japanese. Enemy losses during this two-day battle were phenomenal. The Japanese lost three carriers and two tankers; only 35 war planes survived out of 400. The U.S. losses were considerably less, with only slight damage to a few ships and 130 planes lost. The Rising Sun was now setting on Japan’s Imperial Empire.
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