Intelligence had informed Spruance that the Japanese would not reach the area where the Americans were until June 19th. Knowing that such a move would be risky as there was always the chance that he would lose the battle, Spruance decided to wait for the Japanese to move towards his fleet. He had to offer sea protection to the troops on Saipan even though his instinct was to sail to the enemy and meet them away from Saipan itself. However, American submarines had tracked both parts that made up the Japanese fleet – and informed Admiral Raymond Spruance, commander of the 5th Fleet, accordingly. “The fate of the Empire rests on this one battle. Planes from the carriers also attacked Truk that had a Japanese air base on it, and various other targets – all of which allowed the American pilots to keep their skills honed.

In this assault, he was assisted by Task Force 58 – a massive carrier component of the 5th Fleet. In March, 1944, MacArthur attacked Hollandia in New Guinea. While the Northern and Southern forces were in training, America continued its advance led by Douglas MacArthur. Toyoda planned that the planes would attack whatever fleet America sent and damage it so badly that the second phase, a naval battle, could only result in a Japanese victory. More than 500 planes were based on Tinian, Guam and Saipan in the Marianas. The Japanese gathered 1,700 planes at their shore bases in Singapore, the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines and New Guinea. Little attempt would be made to conceal the movement of the Japanese force that was to be the bait – a force commanded by Vice-Admiral Ozawa. So what would entice the Americans to where the Japanese wanted to get them? Toyoda decided that part of his fleet would be used to lure the Americans to either the Palau’s or the Western Carolinas. Toyoda envisaged that they would finish off America’s naval power in the Central Pacific. Once in either region, America’s ships would be in range of Japan’s land based air force. Her Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Toyoda, had developed a complex plan to lure the American fleet to either the Palau’s or the Western Carolinas. The Japanese had planned for an attack on the Marianas with ‘Operation A-Go’. Without control of the sea, the Americans could not longer move her troops to shore. Without control of the sea, the Japanese believed, the Americans could no longer maintain their advance as all their successes had been amphibious based. As the Americans moved relentlessly east through the Central Pacific, the Japanese came to the conclusion that only a major sea battle with America would redress the balance at sea.

The ferocity of the American attack forced the Japanese to move their fleet to Singapore.

This started with the assault on the Gilbert Islands and moved, in February 1944, to the main atolls of the Marshall Islands.

There were 71,000 assault troops in the Northern Force and 56,000 in the Southern a combined total of 127,000.In November 1943, America launched the start of a major assault through the Central Pacific and at the heart of the Japanese defence system. The Southern Attack Force, commanded by Rear-Admiral R L Conolly assembled at Guadalcanal and Tulagi in preparation for an attack on Guam. The Northern Attack Force, led by Vice-Admiral Richmond Turner, was assembled at Hawaii in readiness to attack Saipan. The next stage in the American campaign was an attack on the Marianas, which was scheduled for June 1944.

Battle group spruance