USA WWII "Island Hopping" Strategy

Introduction to Island Hopping

Island Hopping

*The island-hopping strategy was used in the Pacific Theater to take only strategic (importantly positioned) Japanese-held islands.

General MacArthur would choose which island to conquer next, *based upon the island's defenses and its distance from Japan.

The Battle of Midway

The Americans were in desperate need of a victory against the Japanese. At the Battle of Midway, the Japanese had a naval fleet of 150 ships, the largest ever. In fact, the U.S. was outnumbered 4:1. The Japanese were so certain of a victory, that the navy was even were carrying Admiral Yomamoto, he wanted to see the U.S. be defeated in person. But Japanese code had been broken and the American forces were ready for the ambush at Midway. The U.S. defeated the heavily favored Japanese at Midway; this battle was a clear turning point in the Pacific Theater.

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The Pacific Theater Before Island Hopping

The Japanese dominated the Pacific Theater before the United States adopted the tactics of Island Hopping. In fact, the Japanese pushed the US forces all the way back to the Island of Midway, the closest island to the islands of Hawaii. The American effort in the Pacific seemed lost and without hope.

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The President Dies

*President Roosevelt was sick and died and Vice-President Harry S. Truman was sworn in as President!

Island Hopping

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How?

In 1943, the US forces were in a position to attack the retreating Japanese. MacArthur, the mastermind of Island Hopping, decided to take advantage of the opportunity; *we took islands that were within range of the American planes gasoline tank. *The plan was to bomb Japan before American forces invaded the Japanese home islands.

Island hopping worked for the U.S. because of the strategic planning of the campaign. The Americans knew the Japanese outnumbered them, so they needed to move swiftly and win decisive battles, such as Midway and Iwo Jima. The Americans would attack islands with the least amount of defenses, but were also vital to the Americans for making their way up to the main island of Japan. All the islands attacked by the U.S. were episodic in the fact that they were all used to reach Japan and each contributed to the war effort.

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Heavy Casualties

*The Americans had heavy casualties as they fought to take Japanese-occupied islands. *The Japanese were unwilling to accept defeat, and fought hard.

Iwo Jima was one of the final battles in the Island Hopping campaign. This battle was one of the bloodiest battles of the Island Hopping campaign. The American forces lost a total of 6,821 soldiers; the Japanese forces suffered 21,844 deaths, losing 99% of their total soldiers at Iwo Jima. With the victory at Iwo Jima, the end of WWII and victory in the Pacific Theater was near.

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