Island hopping was a key part of the Allied strategy. They focused on isolating and blocking enemy troops rather than attacking them. This article will examine the effectiveness of the strategy and discuss the costs. Let's start by looking at how Japan's limited resources led to this tactic.
Allies strategy of attacking and blocking instead of attacking
"Island hopping," also known as "leapfrogging," was an Allied strategy developed by the US Navy General Staff in the early twentieth century to control Japan's area of influence in the Western Pacific. The strategy was first published by a British journalist in 1920. Japanese imperial officers subsequently studied it and adopted it to their Southeast Asian offensive. "Island hopping," a tactic that Allied troops had adopted by the end World War II, was a standard tactic.
The Allied forces "island hopped" across the Pacific after the Pacific War began, gaining ground and closer to Japan. Once they had seized Rabaul and others islands, they moved their focus to the Philippines, Gilbert and Marshall Islands which were Japanese strongholds. As a result, the Allied forces could successfully blockade these areas and starve Japan into submission.
Success of the Allied island hopping’ campaign
The Allied island hopping campaign was a highly effective strategy in WWI. This tactic, also known as Leapfrogging, allowed the Allies to move quickly and easily across the ocean, bypassing the Japanese in the process. The Japanese were then unable continue with their offensive operations and were ultimately defeated by the United States.
Cost of Allied 'island hopping' campaign
In the late 1940s, the United States began the "island-hopping" campaign to capture small islands in the Pacific. It was intended to establish military bases and prepare for an invasion by Japan. The campaign was hugely successful, but it was also very costly. The 36-day Battle of Iwo Jima alone cost the U.S. army over 6,000 men, while the Japanese lost nearly 20,000 men.
The Allied troops continued their "island hopping” campaign across the Pacific, gaining ground nearer to Japan. The final major island to be reached by the Allied forces was Okinawa. This island was crucial to the Allied bombing campaign on mainland Japan.