Your favorite Pacific battle / campaign to study?

[Oreo]

OK, I know I'm going to forget some, so there will be an "other" category. Keep in mind for this poll we are not talking merely about air combat but also ground and naval combat as well. I will put as many as I can remember. Thus the category "Solomons" would include air combat, ground combat, and naval combat in that area-- all that went with it. I know this poll can't be perfect, but please just play along.

And it may take me a few minutes to get all the options listed, for all you who like to get excited about me "forgetting" to post the options.

 

[Oreo]

I hope everybody carefully reads all the options before voting. Doolittle Raid should be counted under Japan home islands.

I chose Solomons as my favorite. The exploits of the Cactus Air Force are legendary, and things were really in the balance around the end of '42.

 

[machine shop tom]

I'm voting for "Other", the Battle of Leyte Gulf, because my dad was involved in it. It may be classified in Phillipines (late), but since it was such a huge battle with many facets, I'm going to separate it out.

tom

 

[Amsel]

Both of my grandpas' were in the Marine Corps during the Pacific campaign. They were at Iwo Jima. But the most interesting battle to me was Okinawa. Okinawa was one of the most massive and vicious battles in mankinds history. It forced the presidents hand to use the nuke in fact, which was a hard decision to make. Looking at the casualty counts on Okinawa they realized that an invasion of mainland Japan would produce 1,000,000 plus KIA possibly.

 

[syscom3]

New Guinea and the Solomons.

So many battles and stories for nearly the whole war.

 

[Oreo]

Looks like a lot of different interests! Thanks for voting!

 

[Oreo]

I'm voting for "Other", the Battle of Leyte Gulf, because my dad was involved in it. It may be classified in Phillipines (late), but since it was such a huge battle with many facets, I'm going to separate it out.

tom

Well, I was considering Leyte Gulf to be included under Phillipines, late, but you explained yourself well.

 

[Capt. Vick]

I would have to say the battle of Midway for three reasons that I find fascinating.

1) That such a monumental loss to the seemingly unstoppable Japanese should happen so soon after Pearl Harbor (6 months) is just awesome and I think sometimes that aspect is overlooked.

2) The fact that the whole battle seemed to play out like a chess match. By that I mean intelligence, deception, intuition and luck (both bad and good) seem to play greater parts in this battle then the brute force, slugging matches that characterized later Pacific theater engagements.

3) Arguable the under-dog won. I guess they don't call it the "Miracle at Midway" for nothing.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

None actually, but since I am moving to Alaska I really am getting interested in the fighting there.

 

[Vraciu]

I chose New Guinea because of fantastic people which fought there (mjr Ed Warner, commander of 90.BS for example).

 

[wh1skea]

I chose Open Water, mainly because my main subject of study is American submarine warfare in WW2. Granted, I could have picked ANY of those choices, but I felt Open Water fit best (was half tempted to pick Japanese Home Islands).

 

[wilbur1]

I went with the solomans, just seems very interesting for some reason

 

[comiso90]

Guadalcanal or Leyete

 

[B-17engineer]

Okinawa....

 

[Freebird]

Seems I'm the first CW or UK poster. I guess that Malaysia Singapore got lumped in with Burma SE Asia? {I think there was some kind of minor skirmish there?} But all the Island groups are separate?

The battles in Singapore Malaysia are more interesting, Burma is like watching a train wreck....

 

[Wildcat]

RAAF operations in the New Guinea/ New Britain campaign interest me the most. Apart from that I also spend alot of time reading about Australian based units, particulary those in the Darwin area. All fascinating stuff.

 

[Njaco]

Well, seeing as how I know of Pacific battles but almost nothing about them, the one that has fascinated me is Wake/Midway. Lot of stories there from the Yorktown's turn-around from the Coral Sea battle, to the ringside seat by the pilot Gay (I think thats his name), to the decision to change out the bomb loads on the japanese planes at the exact time they were attacked, to the defense of the islands with outdated equipment and planes and on and on and on.

 

[Freebird]

Apart from that I also spend alot of time reading about Australian based units,

I've always wondered how things would have been different in Malaysia/Singapore if Churchill or Wavell had done the right thing and put an Aussie in charge, preferrably Morshead. I have a feeling that the battle might have turned out quite differently....

 

[syscom3]

I've always wondered how things would have been different in Malaysia/Singapore if Churchill or Wavell had done the right thing and put an Aussie in charge, preferrably Morshead. I have a feeling that the battle might have turned out quite differently....

Nothing would have changed, other than inflicting higher losses on the Japanese.

 

[Freebird]

Nothing would have changed, other than inflicting higher losses on the Japanese.

Perhaps... The Japanese didn't have enough troops or supplies to make a long siege. Many of the problems were the result of poor planning leadership. Even if they only held off the Japanes a few more months, but with a tough commander and some sensible deployments they could have made the battle very costly for the Axis. Singapore was also fairly well stocked to begin with, it was the loss of the supply dumps that caused the problems. Also I suspect that a "no nonsense" guy like Morshead might to the smart thing and send many nonCom civilians out of the fortress before the Japanese reached Johore, with at least a 50% reduction on the supplies, and eliminating the feeble reason for surrendering "To save the civilians"

A competant commander would not allow RAF aircraft to sit in crates as the Japanese chewed up the defenders, he also could have evacuated the 6" 8" harbour guns that were on the minor outlying islands to defend Singapore proper.

With an the Australians in charge, I would bet that the AUS government would make a superhuman effort to supply the garrison with the few things that were vitally needed. Keep in mind that for thee first 3 weeks both Allied air and sea routes were unmolested by the Japanese

1.) An adequate supply of HE shells for the 6" 8" fortress guns. {most of the supply was anti-ship AP shells.}

2.) At least a half dozen AT guns, even towed AT with lorrys would do. Most of the troops captured in Malaysia were lost when the feeble Japanese armour broke through the British roadblocks.

3.) 1 or 2 good brigades sent early enough would make a huge difference in the retreat down the peninsula, preventing the loss of several more brigades, that could then retreat into Singapore and rest before the final assault.


Also the Australians would be more able to chuck the flawed British plan, to hold out as long as possible the forward positions airbases at the Thai border, the smart thing to do would be to fall back from the exposed forward positions, and to make a strong defensive line in Johore, where the road net would allow proper lateral defence. {border area had no good cross-peninsula roads}

Additionaly I highly doubt that Morshead would accept the Governor's weak excuse for not making proper defensive preparations in Singapore. {It might make the civilians nervous and promote panic!} NEWS FLASH PEOPLE - The Japanese are coming, better get ready!