Last year, a small group of us spent the better part of the summer and fall writing on the Solomons Campaign. That drawnout slugfest in the southwest Pacific receives little notice beyond Guadalcanal and some discussions regarding Santa Cruz. The purpose of that exercise (here and over at USNI’s blog) was to surface the larger…
OK — entering the homestretch of the Solomons Campaign. Before we get to the final sea battles of that campaign, we need to go back and capture the Battle of Santa Cruz for the pivotal impact it had on the campaign. Part I is presented here with II and III to follow in the coming…
We resume the quite comprehensive articles provided by CINCLAX as part of the ongoing Solomon Islands Campaign blog project. With the exception of some noteworthy battles at sea and on land, the Solomons campaign slogged on in near anonymity, except for those doing the fighting. We would learn much in the process – about joint…
Today — part 2 of CINCLAX’s articles on the Bougainville Campaign… Battle of Empress Augusta Bay (the “short versionâ€) While the 3rd Marines were settling for their first night ashore, a critical sea battle was brewing offshore. As they had immediately responded in the air, the IJN was quick to counter attack by sea. In…
The next four posts will cover the invasion of Bougainville and are provided via guest author CINCLAX.– SJS The Last Spoke in the Cartwheel Strategic Progress Before the Guadalcanal operation (Watchtower) even began in August 1942, it had been decided to neutralize the Japanese bastion of Rabaul by moving up the Solomons one step at…
