A U.S. Navy warship and a flotilla of landing craft approach the shores of Saipan beneath towering Pacific storm clouds on D-Day, 15 June 1944. Smoke and haze from the pre-landing bombardment drift along the island's mountainous coastline. The original wartime caption on this official U.S. Navy photograph identifies a downed Japanese aircraft near the hillside, a reminder of the aerial combat that accompanied the amphibious assault which opened the costly campaign for Saipan. Project: 218719