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Pacific Theater of Operations
 
 
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The Pacific Theater of Operations
Theater (warfare)

In warfare, a theater or theatre is defined as a specific geographical area of conduct of armed conflict, bordered by areas where no combat is taking place....
 (PTO) was the World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
 and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period.






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Pacific Theater Areas;map1
The Pacific Theater of Operations
Theater (warfare)

In warfare, a theater or theatre is defined as a specific geographical area of conduct of armed conflict, bordered by areas where no combat is taking place....
 (PTO) was the World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
 and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period. (The other areas of the Pacific War
Pacific War

The Pacific War was the part of World War II?and preceding conflicts?that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, between July 7, 1937 and August 14, 1945....
 -- the China Burma India Theater and the South-East Asian Theatre
South-East Asian theatre of World War II

The South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was the name given to the campaigns of the Pacific War in Burma , British Ceylon, British India, Thailand, French Indochina, British Malaya and Singapore....
 -- had their own respective command structures, independent of PTO.)

From mid-1942 until the end of the war in 1945, there were two operational commands in the PTO:
  • Pacific Ocean Areas
    Pacific Ocean Areas

    Pacific Ocean Areas was the major Allies military command in the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands during the Pacific War, and one of two United States commands in the Pacific Theater of Operations....
     (POA; divided into Central Pacific Area, North Pacific Area and South Pacific Area), commanded by Admiral Chester Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief Pacific Ocean Areas
  • South West Pacific Area
    South West Pacific Area

    South West Pacific Area was the name given to the Allies of World War II supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II....
     (SWPA), commanded by General Douglas MacArthur
    Douglas MacArthur

    General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, Order of the Bath was an United States General officer, United Nations general and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army....
    , Supreme Allied Commander South West Pacific Area.


In addition, during 1945, General Carl Spaatz
Carl Spaatz

Carl Andrew "Tooey" Spaatz Order of the British Empire was an United States World War II general and the first Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force....
 commanded the separate U.S. Strategic Air Forces in the Pacific.

Because of the complementary roles of the US Army
United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
 and the Navy
United States Navy

The United States Navy is the navy of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy currently has approximately 331,682 personnel on active duty as of 31 December 2008 and 124,000 in the United States Navy Reserve....
 in conducting war in the Pacific theater, there was no single Allied or U.S. commander (comparable to Eisenhower in the ETO
European Theater of Operations

The European Theater of Operations , is the term used in the United States to refer to US operations north of Italy and the Mediterranean coast, in the European Theatre of World War II....
) for the PTO. Indeed, the organizational structure was rather complex, requiring the frequent involvement of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a group of military leaders in the United States armed forces who advise the civilian government of the United States....
 and the Army and Navy commanders each reporting to both the Secretary of War
United States Secretary of War

File:Swearing in of Secretary Dwight Davis.jpgThe Secretary of War was a member of the United States President of the United States United States Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration....
 and the Secretary of the Navy
United States Secretary of the Navy

The United States Secretary of the Navy is the civilian head of the United States Department of the Navy. The position was a member of the President of the United States United States Cabinet until 1947, when the Navy, Army, and newly created Air Force were placed in the United States Department of Defense and the Secretary of the Navy was...
. (The consolidation of their respective cabinet departments into the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense

The United States Department of Defense is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government relating directly to national security and the Military of the United States....
 in 1947 addressed subsequent needs for control of joint operations on such large scales.)

See also

  • Command areas of the Pacific War
    Command areas of the Pacific War

    The command structures of the Pacific War varied, reflecting the different roles of various belligerent nations, and often involving different geographic scopes....