this policy undoubtedly lengthened the war, and caused hundred of thousands of Allied casualties. While Unconditional Surrender was sold to the American public (and to generations of school textbook writers). But sometimes the allies could not avoid battle, as they had to land on some islands to seize airfields for American bombers. Allied military leaders found a way to defeat the Japanese, by avoiding the islands where the Japanese were strong. Meanwhile, US Marine Corps forces under Admirals Chester Nimitz and Raymond Spruance moved toward the Gilbert Islands, then the Marshalls, followed by Wake, the Eastern Carolines, and finally the Marianas.īoth Nimitz and MacArthur succeeded. American Army forces under General Douglas MacArthur or Admiral William Halsey advanced along a southern route towards the Philippines. The American counter-offensive advanced along two axes, one forthe Army, the other for the US Marine Corps. Plans to launch an offensive against the Japanese in the islands of the Pacific were initiated in 1943 at the Quadrant Conference held in Quebec. The American leaders finally decided to launch both attacks at once. This is because it was in, over and around the island of New Guinea that the Japanese Army and Navy, and their air forces, were first stopped, worn down and finally pushed back. The air campaign in the South Pacific, however, was of extreme importance, not just to the persons of all sides who fought there, but to the outcome of the war. Although this period comprises more than half the length of the war in the Pacific, somehow more attention seems to be paid in popular histories to other aspects of that war, such as the actions of the carrier fleets of Japan and the United States. But General Douglas MacArthur of the Army thought it best to attack through New Guinea and the Philippines.įrom February 1942 until July 1944, a war of attrition was fought by the air forces of the United States, Australia and Japan in Papua, New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands. Admiral Nimitz of the navy wanted to capture the small groups of Japanese-held islands in the Pacific, then seize Taiwan, and finally attack Japan itself. American military planners did not agree about the best way to launch such a counterattack. Vehicles left along the roadside unguarded were cannibalized by almost every passer-by.īy 1943, American forces were on the offensive against both Germany and Japan.
#AMERICA AND JAAN AUTO WAR DRIVER#
If an American driver had trouble with his carburetor he immediately demanded a new one, even though the only trouble was the malfunction of one small part. He seemed inherently extravagant and irresponsible. Even units suffering heavy casualties did not evince hatred of the enemy there had been no recognizable effort by the high command to evoke a fighting spirit.Ī survey group from the Inspector General's office reported from North Africa that Ordnance officers were unanimous in declaring that basically the American soldier was extremely wasteful and undisciplined where maintenance was concerned. The enemy was regarded as the visiting team and this not a major game. With notable exceptions, the prevailing attitude among American troops was that the North African operations was just another maneuver with live ammunition. All ranks were not yet imbued with the spirit that made them willing to die rather than fail in any assigned mission. By May 1943, the British and Americans had cleared the Germans from North Africa.īoth officers and men were psychologically unprepared for war. In November 1942, the Allies landed in North Africa. The United States entered the Second World War with a Germany-first strategy.
0 kommentar(er)
