The biggest disadvantage the U.S. had in fighting the Japanese was the type of warfare that victory necessitated. With hundreds of islands under their control, Americans were faced with the daunting task of seizing each one. This was a unique challenge, because, frankly, this had never been done before in modern warfare. The U.S. needed to land troops on, sometimes, pieces of rock no bigger than a small city, amidst obstacles of corral reef, then advance into thick jungle conditions, all the while, fighting an enemy who enjoyed air support, and entrenched in bunkers, tunnels and caves.
Just figuring out which ilsands were key to victory presented a quandary to American war strategists--and this is evidenced by the U.S.s unique solution to the challenge. There were two strategies the U.S. used: Admiral Nimitzs take each island in the chain that approached Japans home islands, and General McArthurs wither on the vine approach, to capture on the important islands, and isolate the other islands.
Just that the U.S. would actually use two strategies tells you about the challenges the U.S. faced. It is almost as if the top commanders couldnt decided on a strategy--so they decided to use both. Yet that the U.S. could use two ways to fight the Japanese tells you something else. Once the U.S. industrial effort hits its stride in production, American warplanners were confident of victory over the Japan.
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