Pacific 1944

FDR visit to ordinance plant, Twin Cities MN, 1944, from FDRL

Ernest King, from ILN 1944

new Pacific strategy emerged by 1944:

• Joint Strategic Plan approved at Cairo May 8, 1943 created 3 Commands:
  1. South Pacific to Philippines (MacArthur)
  2. Central Pacific to Formosa (Nimitz)
  3. China to Burma (Stilwell)
• PAC-10 at Hawaii June 10, 1943 created fast carrier taskforce
  • Japan decision to pull back perimeter to new defense line from Kuriles to Marianas to New Guinea to Burma; Adm Koga's Combined Fleet at Truk, 375 planes at Rabaul; only a mobile navy taskforce could break this new perimeter
  • November air strikes by carrier taskforce crippled Rabaul and Truk
  • Tarawa landings Nov. 20 in the Gilberts
• Navy command reorganization in December 1943
  • due to success of fast carrier taskforce; King promoted to 5-star Admiral and left Washington to take command in Pacific
• new Service Squadrons created - oil tankers & repair ships
  • each oiler carried 80,000 bbl fuel oil, 18,000 aviat. gas, 6,800 bbl diesel
  • also cranes, tugs, barges = complete floating base
  • gave fast carriers unlimited range
• new "Bat" team on each carrier - nighttime squadron coordinated with ship radar
  • one Avenger with radar and two Hellcat escorts
  • later, 4-plane Corsair teams
• new amphib. command ships (AGC) to coordinate amphib. landing
• some Avengers equipped with rockets that were better than 50 cal. machine guns

Marsahlls & Truk - "What Next?" from Time 1/44

Japanese plane shot down in Marshalls, from ILN 1944/01/08

"Four Shots at Japan" after Saipan, from Time 6/44

January 1944 - TF58 left Hawaii

• would be the last TF of fast carriers from Hawaii
• Japan had only 150 planes and no trained pilots to defend Marshalls
• last pilots killed at Rabaul - no more replacements

Jan 29 -began attack on Marshalls

Jan. 31 - landings on Kwajalein, Roi, Namur in the Marshalls

• 297 ships with 54000 troops

Feb. 17 - Eniwetok landings

Feb. 17-18 - TF58 air attack on Truk

• destroyed 250 planes, 15 warships, 137091 tons merchant shipping

June 11 - TF58 began air attacks on Marianas (5 days after D-Day in Europe)

June 15 - Saipan

• 3000 U.S. dead, 30,000 Japanese soldiers killed, 22,000 civilians suicide
• story of the suicidal counterattack July 7
• caused downfall of Tojo who was replaced as prime minister by moderate Kuniaki Koiso

June 18 - Battle of the Philippine Sea began

• TF58 commander Adm. Mitscher and his chief of staff Capt. Arleigh Burke wanted to attack the Japanese fleet sighted 350 miles west of the Mariannas on June 17, but Fifth Fleet commander Adm. Spruance refused and made the controversial order keeping the fleet in the Mariannas to protect the landings at Saipan.
• June 19 - Japanese commander Ozawa sent four waves of attack planes against TF58 waiting in the Philippine Sea 150 miles west of the Mariannas, but each wave was met by American fighters who destroyed 243 of the 373 Japanese planes. American submarines sank two Japanese carriers.
• June 20 - Adm. Mitscher finally was allowed to sail west and just before sunset found the remainder of the Japanese fleet. His four carrier groups launched 216 planes in 11 minutes, and destroyed another 150 of Ozawa's planes and sank a third aircraft carrier. Mitscher ordered a night recovery on fully-illuminated carriers, but 80 planes crashed during the dangerous landings.

Guam 50th anniversary

TBF's aboard USS Monterey (CVL-26) leaving flight deck for a bombing mission over Tinian 1944/06 (NWDNS-80-G-432851) from NA

"Horizon China" from Time 9/44

"Navy Day" from Time 11/44

July 21 - Guam

• Guam liberated and flag raised after 31 months occupation
• became Nimitz HQ for Central Pacific offensive

July 24 - Tinian

• 300 U.S. dead, 6,000 Japanese killed
• 6 runways, 10 lanes wide, 2 mi. long, built for B-29 that would bomb Japan and deliver the A-bomb
• Tinian campaign by William Stewart
• American Memorial Park on Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands from NPS includes photos and streaming videos

July 26 - Hawaii meeting with FDR, Nimitz, MacArthur

• pictures

July 30 - Vogelkop peninsula on New Guinea

• MacArthur had jumped to Hollandia and Aitape on the north-central coast of New Guinea on April 22, then to Wakde Island on May 17, to Biak Island on May 27, to Noemfoor Island on July 2, to the Vogelkop peninsula on the north-west tip of New Guinea.
• Japanese navy prepared to send a fleet to Biak Island, but diverted north and was defeated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea June 18-20

Sept. 12-16 - 2nd Quebec conference

Sept. 15 - Morotai island

• was midway between New Guinea and Mindanao

Sept. 15 - Peleliu in the Palaus

• on MacArthur's right flank in his drive from New Guinea to the Philippines
• Adm. Halsey recommended calling off the invasion the Paluas and proceeding directly to the Philippines, but Adm. Nimitz wanted the invasion to protect MacArthur's invasion.
• The battle of Peleliu in the southern tip of the Palau archipelago was a long and costly campaign against 10,500 Japanese led by Gen. Nakagawa who fought a battle of defense-in-depth in the ravines and caves of the island rather than on the beaches. When the battle ended Nov. 26, the American casualties were 6,526 including 1,252 killed.
• "Clamp on the Palaus" from Time 10/44 map

Sept. 15 - JCS approved MacArthur's plan for landings at Leyte Oct. 20

• supported by Navy taskforces of 21 Essex-class carriers and 3000 carrier aircraft
• Japan weakened by loss of half merchant ships and 2/3 tankers, yet had Home Fleet of 9 battleships and 5 carriers

Sept. 20 - Ulithi atoll was occupied without opposition in the western Carolines, 370 miles southwest of Guam, and became a major naval base for carrier task forces.

Oct. 3 - JCS approve Spruance/Nimitz plan to occupy Iwo Jima and Okinawa in Feb. and Apr. 1945 to provide air bases and staging bases for invasion of Japan

Oct. 10-19 - air raids by 3rd Fleet on Formosa, Okinawa, Luzon

• destroyed 500 Japan aircraft to prepare for Leyte landings

Oct. 20 - Landings on Leyte

• Adm. Thomas Kinkaid's 7th Fleet and Gen. Walter Krueger's 6th Army
• MacArthur was dumped ashore prematurely in knee-deep water by landing craft pilot - pictures
• "I Have Returned" from Time 10/44 map

Oct. 23-25 - Battle of Leyte Gulf

Oct. 25 - USS St. Lo was first ship sunk by kamikazi

Oct. 24 - USS Tang lost - was one of the most successful Submarines in the Pacific War

Next - Defeat of Japan 1945

Resources:

• Pacific map from ILN 1941/3/1 - bg - top - bot - 2
• Return to Guam by U.S. Navy released 1944; Fighting Seabees by Republic Pictures released 1944
• Victory at Sea by Henry Salomon in 26 episodes for NBC in 1952 romanticized the naval war in the Pacific - episode 11 on the "Conquest of Micronesia" focused on the aircraft carrier, with emotional music by Richard Rogers and arranged by Robert Russell Bennett
• Perilous Fight: World War II in Color episode 4 on Saipan, Iwo Jima, USS Franklin, Okinawa

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