History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: New Guinea and the Marianas, March 1944-August 1944This installment of Samuel Eliot Morison's insider history of the U.S. Navy covers five of the most eventful months of the Pacific war, March through July 1944. Awash with spectacular rescues of downed airmen, bold beach landings, and brilliant though risky strategic gambles, this volume carries Morison's coverage of the war in the Pacific through the Allies' securing of Dutch New Guinea and the Marianas. The three assaults that comprised Operation "Forager"--in which Morison participated--add up to one of the most important amphibious operations in history: protracted, bitterly contested, requiring great flexibility as well as fortitude. The development of powerful new weapons and sophisticated new tactics, together with the greatly extended distance of active operations from continental bases, rendered naval operations more vast and more complicated than ever before in history. After nearly two years of bitter and almost continuous fighting, the Allies have broken the Bismarcks Barrier, conquered key Japanese positions in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands, and cleared the way for an advance along the New Guinea-Mindanao axis. General MacArthur is intent on his one road to Tokyo, but Combined Chiefs of Staff decide to send Admiral Nimitz and the Pacific Fleet on a second, northern route, parallel to MacArthur's. Morison follows MacArthur's Southwest Pacific Forces in a series of bold leaps to Holandiak, Wakde, Biak, and the Vogelkop, also covering Pacific Fleet operations from the end of the Marshall Islands campaign to the recovery of Guam. |
Contents
The Pacific Strategy for 1944 | 3 |
2 Japanese Counterstrategy | 10 |
Submarine Patrols December 1943July 1944 | 15 |
Fast Carrier Strikes on Palau Hollandia and Truk 22 March30 April 1944 | 27 |
2 Strikes on Hollandia WakdeSarmi and Truk 30 March30 April | 34 |
The Southwest Pacif1c Organization | 45 |
2 Southwest Pacific Specialties | 49 |
Dutch New Guinea and the Reckless Plan | 59 |
4 PHELPSS Adventures 1621 June | 210 |
Battle of the Philippine Sea Preliminaries 3 May18 June 1944 | 213 |
2 The Japanese Submarine Offensive 14 May4 July | 222 |
3 Forward to Decisive Victory 1215 June | 231 |
4 Strikes on Iwo and Chichi Jima 1511 June | 237 |
5 Feeling Each Other Out 1518 June | 240 |
Battle of the Philippine Sea the Action 1920 June | 257 |
2 The Submarines Contribution 19 June | 278 |
2 The Enemys Situation | 65 |
The Hollandia Operation 21 April6 June 1944 | 68 |
2 Battle of the Driniumor River 1 June10 August | 71 |
3 Tanahmerah Bay 22 April6 June | 74 |
4 Humboldt Bay 22 April6 June | 79 |
5 Japanese Reaction and Retreat 22 April17 May | 88 |
WakdeSarmi May 1944 | 91 |
Biak 27 May1 June 1944 | 103 |
2 Zday at Bosnik 27 May | 108 |
3 The Drive for the Airfields | 114 |
The Japanese Reaction to Biak Operation KON 27 May13 June 1944 | 117 |
2 First Reinforcement Attempt 31 May4 June | 119 |
3 Battle off Biak 89 June | 125 |
4 AGo Cancels KON Biak Secured 1022 June | 131 |
Noemfoor and Sansapor 2 July3 September 1944 | 134 |
2 Sausapor 30 July31 August | 140 |
3 New Guinea Epilogue | 144 |
Preliminary Poundings and Final Plans FebruaryApril 1944 | 149 |
2 First Call 23 February | 154 |
3 Plans Problems and Procedures | 157 |
4 Japanese Preparations to Defend Saipan | 167 |
Approach and Bombardment 10 May14 June 1944 | 170 |
2 Fast Carrier Air Strikes 1113 June | 174 |
3 Prelanding Bombardments 1315 June | 179 |
4 The Underwater Demolition Teams20 | 183 |
Saipan 1521 June 1944 | 186 |
2 Beachhead Secured 1511 June | 199 |
3 Shore Advances and Counterattacks 1121 June | 206 |
3 Moving Westward 2000 June 190500 June 20 | 282 |
4 The Air Battle of 20 June | 288 |
Battle of the Philippine Sea Conclusion 2024 June | 305 |
2 Operation Jocko 24 June | 311 |
3 Victory | 313 |
4 Plane Losses | 319 |
Saipan Secured 21 June9 July 1944 | 322 |
2 The Struggle for Mount Tapotchau 2126 June | 330 |
3 The North End Cleared 27 June9 July | 334 |
4 Conclusion | 337 |
Logistics for the Marianas | 341 |
2 Food and Fuel | 343 |
3 Ammunition | 346 |
4 Shipping and Stretchers | 347 |
The Fight for Tinian 24 July1 August 1944 | 351 |
2 Jday 24 July | 360 |
3 Tinian Taken 25 July2 August | 364 |
Guam Recovered JuneAugust 1944 | 371 |
2 First Phase of the Assault 2128 July | 382 |
3 Island Secured 29 July10 August | 398 |
Hollandia Task Organization | 403 |
Naval Forces Engaged in the Capture of Saipan and Tinian | 407 |
Forces Engaged in the Battle of the Philippine Sea | 412 |
2 Japanese Forces in Operation AGo 120 June | 416 |
Naval Forces Engaged in the Capture of Guam 21 July10 August 1944 | 418 |
421 | |
Other editions - View all
History of United States Naval Operations in World War II.: New Guinea and ... Samuel Eliot Morison No preview available - 2001 |
History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: New Guinea and ... Samuel Eliot Morison No preview available - 2001 |
Common terms and phrases
2nd Marine Division A-Go Action Report Admiral Spruance Air Force Air Group aircraft airfields airstrip Aitape Allied American amphibious amphtracs antiaircraft April Army artillery ashore assault aviators battalion battle battleships beach beachhead Biak boat bombardment bombers bombing Bosnik Capt Cardiv carrier planes Charan Kanoa Commander cruisers D-day defense Desdiv destroyers dukws enemy Eniwetok fast carrier fight fighter fire fuel Guam Guinea guns Hellcats Hollandia Humboldt Bay Infantry island Japanese planes July June Lake Sentani landing craft launched LCIS Lieutenant LSTs Lt.Cdr LVTs MacArthur Marianas Marine Division Maru miles Mitscher Mobile Fleet Navy night officers operation Ozawa Pacific Fleet Palau patrol Philippine Sea pilots Raid Rear Admiral reef Regiment Saipan ships shore shot squadron staff strike submarine Tanahmerah Bay tanks targets Task Force 58 Tawi Tawi Tawi Tinian torpedo transports troops Truk United USNR Vice Admiral Wakde yards Zekes Zuikaku