They too fought the Japanese: The American Army's war in the Southwest Pacific.
Item
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Title
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They too fought the Japanese: The American Army's war in the Southwest Pacific.
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Identifier
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AAI3074694
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identifier
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3074694
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Creator
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Young, Robert MacGregor.
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Contributor
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Adviser: David Syrett
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Date
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2003
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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History, United States
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Abstract
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This study describes how the men of the United States Army fought a brutal four-year war in the Southwest Pacific against the soldiers of the Japanese Army. Beginning with the campaign at Buna and culminating with the bitter battles on Luzon during the summer of 1945, the reader will see the development and maturation of an American Army that few to this day have given a suitable amount of credit for the final defeat of Japan.;Fighting in the Southwest Pacific was far different than the type of war being waged in Europe or even in the Central Pacific by the U.S. Marine Corps. In addition to combating a resourceful, hardened, and fanatical enemy, the men of the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) also had to combat the heat, incessant rains, jungles, and mountains of New Guinea and the Philippines. Unfortunately, they at times also suffered from the flawed designs and ego of their theatre commander, General Douglas MacArthur.;War in the SWPA was not one of maneuver, deception, or fluidity. Rather, it was a bitter war of attrition in which the Japanese occupied formidable defensive positions and the Americans had to blast them out. Utilizing the available weapons and capabilities of the American fighting man and developing those weapons and capabilities into a suitable tactical doctrine is the focus of this dissertation. It was neither the type of war America expected to fight nor the type of war they expected to excel in. Yet, America won and won convincingly.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
