Engineer Aviation Units in the Southwest Pacific Theater During World War II

Abstract

The thesis of this research is that the U.S. Army aviation engineer units played a crucial role in the success of General Douglas MacArthur's island hopping campaign in the Southwest Pacific Theater at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. Allied victory depended on seizing lightly defended enemy territory and neutralizing enemy strongpoints from Australia to the Philippines through the following patrem: conduct air and naval bombardment, land the assault forces, defeat any Japanese units in the area, and construct airfields and base facilities. This research demonstrates that aviation engineer units rapidly constructed these airbases and provided the necessary facilities for land-based aircraft so that carrier-based aircraft could focus on protecting the navy's fleet.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 17, 2005
Accession Number
ADA439239

Entities

People

  • Natalie M. Pearson

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Aircrafts
  • Amphibious Operations
  • Carrier Based Aircraft
  • Department Of Defense
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Groundwater
  • Landing Fields
  • Logistics
  • Military Applications
  • Military History
  • Organizational Structure
  • Second World War
  • Shortages (Logistics)
  • Supply Depots
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime and Naval Warfare Studies
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies