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South West Pacific Area

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	Topics South West Pacific Area Topic Home South West Pacific Area (SWPA) was the name given to the AlliedAllies of World War II The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis Powers during the Second World War. ... supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War IISouth West Pacific theatre of World War II The South West Pacific was one of two theatres of World War II in the Pacific region, between 1942 and 1945.... . It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific theatresPacific War The Pacific War was the part of World War II — and preceding conflicts — that occurred in the Pacific Ocean, its... of World War IIWorld War II World War II, or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict fought between the Allied Powers and the Axis Powers ,... , during 1942-451945 Overview 1945 was a common year starting on Monday .... . SWPA included the PhilippinesPhilippines The Philippines , officially the Republic of the Philippines , is an island nation located in the Malay archipelago in... , BorneoFacts About Borneo Borneo is the third largest island in the world.... , the Dutch East IndiesDutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, or Netherlands East Indies, was the name of the colonies set up by the Dutch East India Compan... (excluding SumatraFacts About Sumatra Sumatra is the sixth largest island of the world and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia .... ), AustraliaAustralia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland o... , the Territory of New GuineaNew Guinea New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the world's second largest island, having become separated from the Australi... (including the Bismarck ArchipelagoBismarck Archipelago The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the coast of New Guinea in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, named in honou... ), the western part of the Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands The Solomon Islands is a nation in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands.... and some neighbouring territories. The supreme commander, General Douglas MacArthurFacts About Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur was an American general and Medal of Honor recipient, who was Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the S... , was in charge of primarily United StatesUnited States The United States of America, also known as the United States, the U.S., the U.S.A., and America, is... and Australian forces. DutchNetherlands The Netherlands is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands , which is formed by the Netherlands, the Neth... , Filipino, BritishUnited Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state that lies off the northwest coast... and other Allied forces also served in the SWPA. Origins The name "South West Pacific Area" appears to have originated in BritishUnited Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country and sovereign state that lies off the northwest coast... military circles in 1941, purely in reference to British forces under the short-lived American-British-Dutch-Australian CommandAmerican-British-Dutch-Australian Command The American-British-Dutch-Australian Command, code name ABDACOM, was a short-lived, supreme command for all Allied fo... (ABDA). The rapid JapanJapan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea, and Russia, stretching from... ese advance through the Dutch East Indies effectively divided the "ABDA Area" in two, and in late February 1942, ABDA was wound up at the recommendation of its commander, the British General Archibald Wavell, who — as Commander in Chief in India — retained responsibility for Allied operations in BurmaBurma Campaign The Burma Campaign was a campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II.... and SumatraSumatra Sumatra is the sixth largest island of the world and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia .... (which fell to the Japanese on 28 March 1942), and against Japanese held SingaporeSingapore Singapore, formally the Republic of Singapore , is an island city-state and the smallest country in Southeast Asia.... , MalayaBritish Malaya British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula that were colonized by the British from the 18th and... and ThailandThailand The Kingdom of Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia, bordering Laos and Cambodia to the east, the Gulf of Thailand and Ma... . On March 24 1942, the newly-formed British-US Combined Chiefs of StaffCombined Chiefs of Staff The Combined Chiefs of Staff was the supreme military command for the western Allies during World War II.... issued a directive designating the Pacific theater an area of American strategic responsibility. Six days later the US Joint Chiefs of StaffJoint Chiefs of Staff The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a panel comprising the highest-ranking members of each major branch of the armed services in an... (JCS) divided the Pacific theater into three areas: the Pacific Ocean Areas (POA), the Southwest Pacific AreaSouth West Pacific Area South West Pacific Area was the name given to one of the four major Allied commands in the Pacific theatre of World War II, ... (SWPA), and the Southeast Pacific Area. Therefore most of the Pacific OceanPacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the world's largest body of water. ... and its islands fell under a separate Allied command, Pacific Ocean AreasPacific Ocean Areas Pacific Ocean Areas was a major Allied military command during World War II.... , headed by US Admiral Chester NimitzChester Nimitz Chester William Nimitz was the Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces for the United States and Allied forces during World Wa... . The Allied commander in the Philippines, General Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur was an American general and Medal of Honor recipient, who was Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the S... was elevated to the post of Supreme Commander Southwest Pacific Area, although he preferred to use the more conventional title of Commander in ChiefCommander-in-Chief A Commander-in-Chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces.... (CinC). As the Japanese surrounded US and FilipinoPhilippines The Philippines , officially the Republic of the Philippines , is an island nation located in the Malay archipelago in... forces in the Philippines, MacArthur was ordered by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to leave his headquarters on CorregidorCorregidor Corregidor is an island in the entrance of the Philippines' Manila Bay.... , and to relocate to Melbourne, Australia. On April 17, the Australian government, led by Prime MinisterPrime minister Summary A prime minister is the most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system.... John CurtinJohn Curtin Summary John Curtin, Australian politician and 14th Prime Minister of Australia, led Australia through the when the Australian main... , directed Australian personnel to treat orders from MacArthur as equivalent its own. In fact, for most of 1942 and 1943, MacArthur commanded more Australian than U.S. personnel. He also commanded some Dutch forces which had retreated to Australia. Some British, New ZealandNew Zealand New Zealand is a country in the south-western Pacific Ocean consisting of two large islands and many much smaller islands, m... and other national forces also came under MacArthur's command. One result of the division of the Pacific theatre into two separate Allied/U.S. commands was that each competed for scarce resources in an economy-of-force theater, and each was headed by a commander in chief (CinC) from a different service. In particular, the division of the Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands The Solomon Islands is a nation in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands.... caused problems, since the battles of the Solomon Islands campaignSolomon Islands campaign The Solomon Islands campaign was a major campaign of World War II.... in 1942–1943 ranged over the whole region, with the main JapanJapan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of China, Korea, and Russia, stretching from... ese bases in SWPA and the main Allied bases in POA. Command Although MacArthur had been ordered by Roosevelt to appoint as many Australian and Dutch officers to senior positions as possible, most of his immediate staff was made up of US Army officers who had served under him in the Philippines. In July, MacArthur moved his general headquarters (GHQ) north, to Brisbane, Australia. GHQ subsequently moved to HollandiaJayapura Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea.... in August 1944, LeyteLeyte Leyte is a province of the Philippines located in the Eastern Visayas region.... in October 1944, and ManilaManila The City of Manila, or simply Manila, is the capital of the Philippines.... in April 1945. The Australian ArmyAustralian Army The Australian Army is Australia's military land force.... CinC, General Sir Thomas BlameyThomas Blamey Overview See also Field MarshalField Marshal Sir Thomas Albert Blamey, GBE, KCB, CMG, DSO was an Australian General of World War II,... , was appointed Commander, Allied Land Forces. Im practice, however, MacArthur preferred to control land operations himself, through "task forces", the most important of which were New Guinea Force, formed in 1942, and Alamo Force, formed in 1943, around which was built the U.S. Sixth ArmyU.S. Sixth Army The United States Sixth Army was activated in January 1943, commanded by Lieutenant General Walter Krueger.... . On the arrival of this formation in SWPA in February 1943, MacArthur revived U.S. Army Forces Far EastU.S. Army Forces Far East USAFFE included the Philippine Department, Philippine Army, and the Far East Air Force.... (USAFFE) as an administrative command. The result was that Blamey did not command of the vast majority of U.S. land forces in the theatre after that time, although his post was not abolished. Vice Admiral Herbert F. Leary, was appointed Commander, Allied Naval Forces. Leary, was succeeded by Vice Admiral Arthur S. CarpenderArthur S. Carpender Arthur Schuyler Carpender was an American vice admiral during World War II commanding US naval forces in the Southwest Pacif... , who also became commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet when it was formed on March 15, 1943. They were junior in rank to both the Australian Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Admiral Sir Guy Royle, and the Dutch naval commander, Vice Admiral Conrad Emil Lambert HelfrichConrad Emil Lambert Helfrich Vice Admiral Conrad Emil Lambert Helfrich of the Royal Netherlands Navy was a leading Dutch naval figure of World War I... . However, Royle agreed to serve under the Allied Naval Forces as commander of the Southwest Pacific Sea Frontier (Australian coastal waters). MacArthur was not the superior of his U.S. Navy commanders — they were answerable to Admiral Ernest KingErnest King Fleet Admiral Ernest Joseph King was Commander in Chief, United States Fleet and Chief of Naval Operations during World War ... , the Commander in Chief, United States FleetUnited States Fleet The United States Fleet was an organization in the United States Navy from 1922 until after World War II.... , and MacArthur was embarrassed when the Navy DepartmentUnited States Department of the Navy The United States Department of the Navy was established by an Act of Congress on April 30, 1798, to provide administrative ... replaced Carpenter with Vice Admiral Thomas C. KinkaidThomas C. Kinkaid Thomas Cassin Kinkaid was an admiral of the United States Navy during World War II.... without informing him or consulting the Australian government. In early 1944, MacArthur declined a suggestion, from Australian leaders, that the Australian I Corps be used in the forthcoming campaign to re-take the Philippines, in its own area of responsibility. MacArthur suggested instead that one Australian division be used, but this was not accepted. In September 1944, MacArthur discarded the task force concept for the land forces, and assumed direct control of the U.S. Sixth ArmyU.S. Sixth Army The United States Sixth Army was activated in January 1943, commanded by Lieutenant General Walter Krueger.... , U.S. Eighth ArmyU.S. Eighth Army Overview The Eighth US Army—often abbreviated EUSA— is the commanding formation of all US Army troops in South Kore... , Australian First ArmyAustralian First Army The name First Army was applied to at least two different Australian Army formations during World War II, both of them assoc... , Australian I CorpsAustralian I Corps I Corps of the Australian Army was the main frontline corps of the army during World War II.... and U.S. XIV Corps. Lieutenant General George KenneyGeorge Kenney George Churchill Kenney was a United States Army Air Forces general during World War II.... commanded the Allied Air Forces. Initially, he combined this with command of the U.S. Fifth Air ForceFifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force, with headquarters currently located at Yokota Air Base, Japan, is one of very few numbered air forces o... . When the U.S. Thirteenth Air ForceThirteenth Air Force Like the Fifth Air Force, the Thirteenth Air Force/Gen.... was transferred from the South Pacific Area in 1944, he created the U.S. Far East Air ForceFar East Air Force * The United States Far East Air Force was formed from the Philippine Army Air Corps on August 4, 1941... to control them both. Kenney consolidated Royal Australian Air ForceRoyal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force.... (RAAF) units under his command into the RAAF Command under Air Vice Marshal William BostockWilliam Bostock Air Vice Marshal William Dowling Bostock CB, DSO, OBE was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force.... . The RAAF Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal George JonesGeorge Jones (RAAF officer) Air Marshal Sir George Jones KBE, CB, DFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force .... , was outside Kenney's command. A controversy erupted in May 1943 when Jones removed all RAAF air transport units from Kenney's control. An appeal from MacArthur to Prime Minister Curtin failed to get them back and the result was that Jones, Royle and Blamey were ordered to provide GHQ with detailed lists of units assigned to SWPA, which in the case of the land forces, had often been ambiguous. Forces from the SWPA were to have made up a significant proportion of the Allied units set aside for the proposed invasion of JapanOperation Downfall Operation Downfall was the overall Allied plan for the invasion of Japan at the end of World War II.... , scheduled to take place from November 1945. Major campaigns in the theatre Philippines campaign, 1942Battle of the Philippines (1941-42) Overview The Battle of the Philippines was the invasion of the Philippines by Japan in 1941-42 and the defense of the islands by Fili... New Guinea campaignNew Guinea campaign The New Guinea campaign was one of the major military campaigns of World War II.... , 1942-45 Philippines campaign, 1944-45 Borneo campaign, 1945 Command structure (combat units) Ranks cited are those on assumption of each position. GeneralGeneral A General is an officer of high military rank.... Douglas MacArthurDouglas MacArthur Summary Douglas MacArthur was an American general and Medal of Honor recipient, who was Supreme Commander of Allied forces in the S... , Philippine ArmyPhilippine Army The Philippine Army is the ground arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines .... /U.S. Army, Supreme Commander (1942-45) Lieutenant General George Brett, Deputy Commander & Commander of Allied Air Forces (until August 4, 1942; not replaced) Staff officers (all U.S. Army) Major GeneralMajor General Overview Major General or Major-General is a military rank used in many countries.... Richard K. SutherlandRichard K. Sutherland Overview Richard K. Sutherland was a Lieutenant General of the US Army and General MacArthur's Chief of Staff in the South West Pacif... (Chief of Staff) Brigadier GeneralBrigadier General Brigadier General is the lowest rank of general officer in some countries, usually ranking just above Colonel and just below... Richard J. Marshall (Deputy Chief of Staff) US Army Forces Far East (1941-1945) Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries.... Jonathan M. Wainwright (U.S. Army), Wainwright held the position until the Allied surrender on May 6, 1942, after which it was vacant. Allied Land Forces (1942-45) Australian ArmyAustralian Army The Australian Army is Australia's military land force.... officers, except where stated. GeneralGeneral A General is an officer of high military rank.... Sir Thomas BlameyThomas Blamey See also Field MarshalField Marshal Sir Thomas Albert Blamey, GBE, KCB, CMG, DSO was an Australian General of World War II,... , Allied Land Forces New Guinea Force (1942-44) Major General Basil Morris Lieutenant GeneralLieutenant General Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries.... Sydney Rowell General Sir Thomas Blamey (in direct command) Lieutenant General Edmund HerringEdmund Herring Summary Lieutenant General Sir Edmund Francis Herring KCMG, KBE, DSO, MC, ED, QC was an Australian Army officer during World War II,... Lieutenant General Sir Iven MackayIven Giffard Mackay Lieutenant General Sir Iven Giffard Mackay CMG, KBE, DSO, VD was an Australian Army Lieutenant General who served in World W... (acting) Lieutenant General Sir Edmund Herring General Sir Thomas BlameyThomas Blamey See also Field MarshalField Marshal Sir Thomas Albert Blamey, GBE, KCB, CMG, DSO was an Australian General of World War II,... (in direct command) Lieutenant General Sir Iven Mackay, Lieutenant General Sir Leslie MorsheadLeslie Morshead Lieutenant-General Sir Leslie James Morshead, KBE, CMG, DSO, ED, KC was an Australian soldier with a distinguished career in... Lieutenant General Stanley SavigeStanley Savige Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige KBE, CB, DSO, MC, ED , was a highly decorated soldier of the Australian Imperia... Australian First Army (1942-45) Lieutenant General John LavarackJohn Lavarack Lieutenant General Sir John Dudley Lavarack KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB, DSO was an Australian soldier who was Governor of Queensla... , Lieutenant General Vernon Sturdee, Australian Second Army (1942-45) Lieutenant General Sir Iven Mackay, Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Morshead, Major General Herbert LloydHerbert Lloyd Brigadier Lloyd was an Australian politician, elected as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly.... , U.S. Sixth Army (1943-45) Lieutenant General Walter KruegerWalter Krueger Walter Krueger was a German-American soldier and general in the first half of the 20th century.... , U.S. Sixth ArmyU.S. Sixth Army The United States Sixth Army was activated in January 1943, commanded by Lieutenant General Walter Krueger.... (a.k.a. Alamo Force, in theatre from June 1, 1943 to September, 1944) U.S. Eighth Army (1944-45) Lieutenant General Robert Eichelberger, U.S. Eighth ArmyU.S. Eighth Army Overview The Eighth US Army—often abbreviated EUSA— is the commanding formation of all US Army troops in South Kore... (formed 1944) Allied Air Forces United States Army Air ForcesUnited States Army Air Forces Summary The United States Army Air Forces was a part of the U.S.... officers, except where stated. Lieutenant General George Brett, Allied Air Forces (until August 4, 1942) Lieutenant General George KenneyGeorge Kenney George Churchill Kenney was a United States Army Air Forces general during World War II.... , Allied Air Forces (from August 4, 1942) 1942-44 U.S. Fifth Air ForceFifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force, with headquarters currently located at Yokota Air Base, Japan, is one of very few numbered air forces o... Controlled Allied air operations in the Northeastern Area (New Guinea, including islands) Lieutenant General C. Kenney RAAF Command Controlled Allied air operations in the Northwestern Area (Australia and the Dutch East Indies). Air Vice Marshal William BostockWilliam Bostock Air Vice Marshal William Dowling Bostock CB, DSO, OBE was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force.... , Royal Australian Air ForceRoyal Australian Air Force Summary The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force.... . 1944-45 U.S. Far East Air ForceFar East Air Force * The United States Far East Air Force was formed from the Philippine Army Air Corps on August 4, 1941... Philippines area and southern islands of Japan. Lieutenant General George Kenney U.S. Fifth Air Force Major General Ennis Whitehead U.S. Thirteenth Air ForceThirteenth Air Force Like the Fifth Air Force, the Thirteenth Air Force/Gen.... (from Pacific Ocean Areas) Lieutenant General Hubert R. HarmonHubert R. Harmon Overview Lieutenant General Hubert Reilly Harmon, after a distinguished combat career in World War II, was instrumental in developing... (1944) Major General St. Clair Streett (1944-45) Major General Paul B. Wurtsmith (1945) U.S. Seventh Air ForceSeventh Air Force The Seventh Air Force is a Numbered Air Force under the Pacific Air Forces major command of the United States Air Force.... (from POA, mid-1945) Major General Thomas D. WhiteThomas D. White General Thomas Dresser White was the fourth Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.... RAAF Command Allied operations in Australia, Dutch East Indies and the Territory of New Guinea. Air Vice Marshal William Bostock Allied Naval Forces U.S. Navy officers, except where stated. Vice Admiral Herbert F. Leary, Allied Naval Forces, April 20, 1942-September 11, 1942 Vice Admiral Arthur S. CarpenderArthur S. Carpender Arthur Schuyler Carpender was an American vice admiral during World War II commanding US naval forces in the Southwest Pacif... , Allied Naval Forces, February 19, 1943-November 26, 1943; and Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, (from March 15, 1943) Vice Admiral Thomas C. KinkaidThomas C. Kinkaid Thomas Cassin Kinkaid was an admiral of the United States Navy during World War II.... , November 26, 1943-September 2, 1945; and Commander U.S. 7th Fleet Southwest Pacific Sea Frontier Australian coastal waters AdmiralAdmiral Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. ... Guy Royle See also U.S. I CorpsU.S. I Corps The I Corps aka, nicknamed America's Corps, is a corps of the United States Army with headquarters in Fort Lewis, Wash... Australian I CorpsAustralian I Corps I Corps of the Australian Army was the main frontline corps of the army during World War II.... Australian II CorpsAustralian II Corps The Australian II Corps was an Australian Army corps.... Maroubra ForceMaroubra Force Maroubra Force was the name given to the Australian infantry force that defended Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from the Jap... Australian First Tactical Air ForceFacts About Australian First Tactical Air Force The Australian First Tactical Air Force was formed on October 25, 1944 by the Royal Australian Air Force to provide fighter ... External links