Aerial Warfare by Frank Ledwidge

Author:Frank Ledwidge [Ledwidge, Frank]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780192550347
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Published: 2018-01-03T00:00:00+00:00

The second arm of the strategy (line ‘B’ on Figure 11), led by Admiral Nimitz aimed at establishing bases in the Central Pacific as launch pads for air attacks and an eventual direct assault on Japan from there. This required capturing key islands in the Marshall, Gilbert, and Marianas Island chains. All of these campaigns relied upon Allied air forces taking and securing control of the air.

Guadalcanal, taken in November 1942 was the first of many viciously hard-fought assaults on islands often defended almost to the last man by Japanese forces. Like all of the others it was, to use Churchill’s term ‘triphibious’ requiring close co-ordination of land, sea, and air assets. Initially progress was slow, with a still-strong Japanese Navy providing formidable opposition in a series of complex campaigns. Hard lessons were learned in these early assaults, especially at Tarawa in November 1943. By this time, however, US industry was running at full tilt, fulfilling its vast potential for production. The Americans ended the war with no fewer than ninety-eight aircraft carriers, including twenty-four of the excellent Essex class large fleet carriers (Figure 12). Japan had none, or none capable of launching aircraft.

Figure 12 The USS Essex

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