air bombardments lasted from 11 to 13 June 1944, involving 216 carrier aircraft and land-based B-24 bombers from the Marshall Islands. On 12 and 13 June, 12 Japanese cargo ships and several fishing vessels were sunk. On 27 June, U.S. Navy battleships and cruisers started shelling the island, joined by a U.S. carrier group on 4 July, and two more on 6 July. Opposing forces United States US Fifth Fleet Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, USN Southern Attack Force (Task Force 53) Vice Admiral Richard L. Conolly, USN Expeditionary Troops Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith, USMC Approx. 48,200 officers and enlisted III Marine Amphibious Corps Major General Roy S. Geiger, USMC Northern landing area: 3rd Marine Division Maj. Gen. Allen H. Turnage, USMC Southern landing area: 1st Provisional Marine Brigade Brig. Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr., USMC Reserve: 77th Infantry ("Statue of Liberty") Division Maj. Gen. Andrew D. Bruce, USA Japan Army Forces Lieutenant General Takeshi Takashina (KIA 28 July) Thirty-First Army Lieutenant General Hideyoshi Obata (committed suicide 11 August) Approx. 11,500 officers and enlisted 29th Division (Lt. Gen. Takashina) (elements) 48th Independent Brigade 9th Tank Regiment (2 companies) 10th Independent Mixed Regiment Army weapons: 14 x 105 mm howitzers 18 x 75 mm field guns (10 "new" type) 40 x 75 mm pack howitzers (mountain) 9 x 70 mm infantry guns 8 x 75 mm mobile AA guns 6 x 20 mm AA machine cannon 24 x 81 mm mortars 9 x 57 mm AT guns 30 x 47 mm AT guns 47 x 37 mm AT guns 231 x 7.7 mm machine guns 349 x 7.7 mm light machine guns 540 x 50 mm grenade dischargers 29 x Type 95 Ha-Go tanks 10 x Type 97 Chi-Ha tanks 1 x Type 97 Chi-Ha "Shinhoto" tank Navy Forces 54th Navy Special Police Unit (Capt. Yutaka Sugimoto) (2,300 personnel, including coast defense and AA) Two Naval construction battalions (each 900, 1,800 total) IJNAS ground crews, logistics and maintenance personnel (2,000) Miscellaneous (1,000) Battle Before landing, US forces sought to ensure both air and naval superiority. A total of 274 ships, which fired 44,978 shots from 2-inch and 5-inch guns supported the landing. In addition, a total of 13 aircraft carriers participated in the air raid and a total of 4,283 bombs (weighing a total of 1,310 tons) were dropped from 18 to 20 July, the day before disembarkation. The heavy bombardment