Another of the _29th_’s regiments garrisoned Tinian and the remaining unit, the _38th Infantry_, together with division headquarters troops, arrived on Guam in March. The other major Army defending units were the _48th Independent Mixed Brigade_ and the _10th Independent Mixed Regiment_, both formed on Guam in March from a six-battalion infantry, artillery, and engineer force sent from the _Kwantung Army_. With miscellaneous supporting troops, the total Army defending force numbered about 11,500 men. Added to these were 5,000 naval troops of the _54th Keibitai_ (guard force) and about 2,000 naval airmen reorganized as infantry to defend Orote Peninsula and its airfield. General Takashina was in overall tactical command of the 18,500 Army and Navy defenders. His immediate superior, Lieutenant General Hideyoshi Obata, commanding the _Thirty-first Army_, was also on Guam, though not intentionally. Returning to his Saipan headquarters from an inspection trip to the Palau Islands, Obata was trapped on Guam by the American landing on Saipan. He left the conduct of Guam’s defense to Takashina.
The fact that the Americans were to assault Guam was no secret to its defenders. The invasion of Saipan and a month-long bombardment by ships and planes left only the question of when and where. With only 15 miles of potential landing beaches along the approachable west coast, the Japanese could not be very wrong no matter where they defended.
Tokyo Rose said they expected us. On board ship, the Americans heard her and her pleasant beguiling voice on the radio. While she made threats of dire things to happen to invasion troops, she was never taken seriously by any of her American “fans.”
[Illustration: _LtGen Hideyoshi Obata_, Thirty-first Army _commander, who took command of the defense of Guam after Gen Takashina’s death, was himself killed by soldiers of the 306th Infantry, when they overran the Mataguac command post._]
Major General Kiyoshi Shigematsu, shoring up the morale of his _48th Independent Mixed Brigade_, told his men: “The enemy, overconfident because of his successful landing on Saipan, is planning a reckless and insufficiently prepared landing on Guam. We have an excellent opportunity to annihilate him on the beaches.”