In June 1944, as the world watched Normandy, America launched a second colossal invasion half a world away on a tiny volcanic island in the Marianas. This episode explains why Saipan mattered: sitting within the 1,600-mile combat radius of the new B-29 bomber, it was the anchor of Japan's absolute national defense zone.

Across 24 brutal days we examine the fractured Japanese command, the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot, the largest banzai charge of the Pacific War, the tragic civilian suicides at Marpi Point, and the Saipan ratio that reshaped American strategy and toppled Tojo's government.

• How War Plan Orange and the B-29's range made Saipan the prize
• The toxic Army-Navy rivalry that crippled Japanese defenses
• Radar and proximity fuses at the Battle of the Philippine Sea
• Roughly 8,000 to 10,000 civilian deat ...