War in the Pacific Historic Resource Study

No. 60. Piti gun battery. Japanese battery of three Model 3 (1914) 140mm (5.6-inch) coastal defense guns. The battery is on Taguag Ridge immediately above the modern village of Piti. In 1944, the village of Tepungan was on the beach and rice paddies lay between it and the ridge. A short distance to the west was the Piti Navy Yard in Apra Harbor. A study of the reports of the 9th U.S. Marines, who captured this area on July 22, 1944, discloses no mention of taking the battery. Following the battle, the 3d U.S. Marine Division's Intelligence Section prepared a drawing of one of the open emplacements.

Gun No. 1 (east) is emplaced behind a low, rectangular concrete wall. Guns Nos. 2 and 3 (middle and west) are emplaced in earthen revetments. The ammunition and personnel caves are no longer extent on the surface. Gun No. 2 has been partly knocked from its base plate and its breech end is buried in the earth. Gun No. 3 has one of its two cylinders lying on the ground. Some time in the past, two of the guns acquired a coat of silver paint. This could be replaced with a more appropriate color. Vegetation grows profusely within the emplacements, requiring cyclic clearing. A thicket of tangantangan blocks the view of the harbor and ocean. By climbing the short distance to the top of the ridge, a good view of the west is obtained.

No. 60. Piti guns, Wapaipiti Unit, Apra Harbor, Guam.

No. 60. Piti guns, October 1944.

No. 60. Piti guns, October 1944.

No. 60. Piti guns.

No. 60. Gun No. 1, Piti, 1984.

No. 60. Gun No. 1, Piti, 1984.

No. 60. Gun No. 2, Piti, 1984.

No. 60. Gun No. 2, Piti, 1984.

No. 60. Gun No. 3, Piti, 1984.