Tarawa to Okinawa: The Evolution of Amphibious Operations in the Pacific during World War II

Abstract

U.S. amphibious warfare began its development in the early 1900's, became a real capability in World War II, and today provides the nation with a means to achieve its policy objectives with an ability to project military power from the sea. During World War II, the first real test of this amphibious assault capability came at the beginning of the Central Pacific drive on Tarawa in 1943 and culminated with the final amphibious operation in the Pacific at Okinawa, some 350 miles south of mainland Japan. Ultimately, the U.S. military's tactics, techniques, and procedures for conducting amphibious operations in the Pacific theater during World War II became more efficient as the war progressed, largely due to an increased understanding of the requirements for success in the combat environment, and an emphasis on meeting and exceeding those needs.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 06, 2010
Accession Number
ADA602899

Entities

People

  • Andrew T. Noblet

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amphibious Operations
  • Amphibious Vehicles
  • Artillery
  • Boats
  • Landing Craft
  • Marine Corps
  • Marine Corps Operations
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Vessels
  • Navy
  • Ridges
  • Second World War
  • Terrain
  • Training
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.
  • Urban Planning and Geography.