2nd Armored Amphibian Battalion Merchandise

In the spring of 1944, the 2nd Armored Amphibian Battalion set sail for a battlefield they'd yet to encounter. Their daunting task: to lead the vanguard of sea-launched shock troops against Saipan, a fortified island stronghold of Japan nestled in the heart of the Central Pacific. Their arsenal was cutting-edge, equipped with 70 amphibious tanks armed with 75mm howitzers - weaponry yet to prove its mettle in the theatre of war - prepared to mount the initial armored onslaught on the heavily fortified beaches of Saipan, thus paving the way for the subsequent wave of Marine infantry.

The ambitious strategy required these amphibious tanks to overcome the island's outer reef and navigate the lagoon, deploying their howitzers and machine guns to subdue the defenses that lined the beachfront. Once ashore, they were tasked with breaching the fortifications until they reached a tractor control line that designated an initial beachhead. Once this line was secured, the amphibian tanks would then provide support to the infantry till the arrival of land-based tanks, all the while safeguarding the Marine forces from potential counterattacks from the sea or along the beachfront.

The historical record confirms that on June 15, 1944, the Battalion spearheaded the 2nd Marine Division's assault on Saipan. A little over a month later, on July 24, it guided the 4th Marine Division onto the shores of Tinian Island. The battalion, with its formidable fleet of 70 amphibian tanks, formed the initial wave of the assault by the 4th and 5th Marine Divisions on Iwo Jima on February 19, 1945. These brave men were in position to strike at Japan's homeland when the country's unconditional capitulation rendered their final assault redundant. This is their narrative, relayed in their own voice, a heroic saga that began on the beaches of Saipan.