Cartwheel in the Pacific 1943

Pacific Strategy 1942 from Newsweek, 1942/6/1

Vella Lavella, from Time 1943/08

"A Year's Work" - bg from Time, 1943/12/20

March 12 - South Pacific strategy conference in Washington

• tide beginning to turn in early 1943 - Op. TORCH, Stalingrad, Guadalcanal and Papua, Aleutians
• continue dual advance in Solomons and New Guinea
• inverted "V" toward Rabaul became Op. CARTWHEEL by Apr. 26
• Halsey to New Georgia & Bougainville
• MacArthur to Lae & Salamaua on New Guinea

Mar. 2-4 - Battle of Bismarck Sea

• Kenney's 100 low-flying bombers destroyed all 8 Japan's transports and 4 destroyer escorts, evading high-flying Zeros
• major defeat for Japan - end of Tokyo Express
• supply by subs instead
• importance of land-based bombers - Gen. George Kenney's 5th AF
• "Kenney's Targets" map from Time, 1943/01

Apr. 18 - Yamamoto shot down

June 30 - Cartwheel began

• landings at Rendova island toward Munda Field
• 43rd Division bogged down
• Munda on New Georgia not taken until August

Aug. - Halsey skipped Kolombangara for Vella Lavella on way to Bougainville but Japan evacuated 12,400

Sept.- MacArthur took Lae - but Japan evacuated many troops - pulled back perimeter to Bougainville and Madang

Sept. 21 - MacArthur took Finschhafen, 82 miles from Lae

Nov. 1 - start of Bougainville campaign

• largest island in Solomons - 40,000 Japan defenders
• beachhead at Empress Augusta Bay
• Hellsappopin Ridge in Dec.
• map and images

Dec. - MacArthur insisted on taking Cape Gloucester, but unnecessary

• Rabaul reduced by carriers - key to victory in SW Pacific
• Kenney objected - should move faster up New Guinea
• landings Dec. 26 by 1st and 7th Marines
• jungle, ravines, "fuzzy-wuzzy" on New Guinea
• maps and images

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