Island hopping was an important part of the Allied strategy, which focused on isolating and blocking enemy forces rather than attacking them. This article will discuss the benefits of this strategy as well as the cost. Let's first look at how Japan's limited resources contributed to this tactic.
An Allied strategy that isolating and blocking, rather than attacking
"Island hopping" (also known as leapfrogging) was an Allied strategy devised by the US Navy's General Staff in early twentieth-century to manage Japan's Western Pacific influence. Japanese imperial officers read the strategy in 1920 and adopted it for their Southeast Asian offensive. "Island hopping", a common tactic used in World War II by Allied troops, was a widely known tactic.
After the Pacific War was over, the Allied Forces continued to "island hop," gaining ground, and moving closer toward mainland Japan. After they took Rabaul (and other islands), they began to shift their focus towards the Philippines and the Gilbert-Marshall Islands, which were Japanese strongholds. The Allied forces were able to successfully blockade these areas, starving Japan into submission.
Success of Allied 'island hopping' campaign
The Allied Island Hopping Campaign proved to be a very successful strategy during WWI. Leapfrogging is another name for this tactic. It allowed the Allies to quickly and easily cross the ocean, bypassing Japanese. The result was that the Japanese were unable to continue their offensive operations and would eventually be defeated by the United States.
Cost of Allied island hopping’ campaign
The "island hopping" campaign that was begun by the United States during World War II aimed to capture smaller islands in the Pacific and establish military bases in preparation for an invasion of Japan was reaching its final stages in the late 1940s. It was a tremendous success but also very costly. The 36-day Battle of Iwo Jima alone cost the U.S. army over 6,000 men, while the Japanese lost nearly 20,000 men.
The Allied forces kept up their "island hopping” campaign throughout the Pacific and gained ground in areas nearer to Japan. The final major island to be reached by the Allied forces was Okinawa. This island was crucial to the Allied bombing campaign on mainland Japan.