The strategy of island-hopping was to capture important islands, one by one, until Japan was in easy range of American bombers.
The strategy of island-hopping was to capture important islands, one by one, until Japan was in easy range of American bombers.
WWII in Europe was a Land War. WWII in the Pacific was an Ocean War. Discounting the CBI Theater (China, Burma, India). The Axis (Japan) took islands in the pacific and fortified them into military garrisons/AIRFIELDS & NAVAL BASES. These were needed to "Protect" the Empire. The Allies (US, Britain, Australia, New Zealand) fought to take those island garrisons/AIRFIELDS & NAVAL BASES back. These were needed to "Attack" the Empire. That was the strategy. The tactics were NAVAL BATTLES. Whom ever won the naval battles; won the islands.
They were able to get closer to Japan and isolate Japanese troops on bypassed islands.
There were a number of islands captured by the Allies in 'Island Hopping' which was also known as 'leapfrogging' e.g. Guadalcanal , Peleliu , Tarawa , Iwo Jima and Okinawa .
containment strategy
The capture of the airfields that the Japanese had built upon the island were important to the Allies because it would have prevented interdiction of the Japanese air-forces on Allied supply lines/shipping and the airfields , in Allied hands , were of strategic importance to the Allied strategy of 'Island Hopping' although USMC General H.M."Howlin Mad" Smith felt it was an island of limited importance and could be bypassed leaving the Japanese there stranded on the island and essentially out of the war .
"Island Hopping" .
Island-Hopping .
Admiral Nimitz .
Island hopping- they "hopped" island to island clearing out the Japanese forces as they went
Iwo Jima was important to the Allies' Island-Hopping strategy with it's airfields and proximity to Japan .
Island hopping
Two military strategies the Allies used in the Pacific were island-hopping and
WWII in Europe was a Land War. WWII in the Pacific was an Ocean War. Discounting the CBI Theater (China, Burma, India). The Axis (Japan) took islands in the pacific and fortified them into military garrisons/AIRFIELDS & NAVAL BASES. These were needed to "Protect" the Empire. The Allies (US, Britain, Australia, New Zealand) fought to take those island garrisons/AIRFIELDS & NAVAL BASES back. These were needed to "Attack" the Empire. That was the strategy. The tactics were NAVAL BATTLES. Whom ever won the naval battles; won the islands.
They were able to get closer to Japan and isolate Japanese troops on bypassed islands.
The Allies attempted to reagin control of the Pacific by using a strategy of island hopping. Basically, they would capture islands of strategic value, dodging arounds those that weren't that important. The Allies adopted General Douglas MacArthur's strategy to reach Japan, which was the capture of the Philippines and then Okinawa, over Nimitz's strategy, the capture of the Marianas and then Formosa. Eventually, the importance of the Marianas as a base for logistical and aerial support was realized, leading to it's capture, and Iwo Jima, which could serve as a base for escort fighters for B-24s, 25s and 29s coming from Saipan (in the Marianas) as well as an airfield for premature landing of planes and a possible staging area for an invasion of Japan, was soon captured by the Allies. From then on, a strategy of heavy Bombing of Japan before an ultimate invasion occurred . This ended with Japan's surrender to the Allies.
Through a process called Island Hopping. Attack and hold islands that had a strategic value to the Allies and bypass and quarantine those that didn't.
The tactic was called "Island Hopping". Sun Tzu is probably the first to write about this strategy, saying "some towns are meant to be bypassed".