Bougainville Campaign
Publié le 22/02/2012
Extrait du document
Bougainville is the largest of the Solomon Islands
and is located near the northern end of the Solomons
chain in the southwestern Pacific. With the
island of Buka and the Kilinailau, Tauu, Nukumanu,
Nuguria, and Nissan Island groups, Bougainville
is now a province of Papua New Guinea.
The island is 75 miles long and varies in width
from 40 to 60 miles. Its topography is ruggedly volcanic,
the Emperor Range reaching 9,000 feet at the
northern end of the island. Another, lower range,
the Crown Prince Range, occupies the southern
half of the island. Bougainville is surrounded by
coral reefs.
From November 1943 to August 1945, Bougainville
was the target of a U.S. campaign to eject
the Japanese garrison stationed there. Having
achieved success in the New Guinea Campaign and the New Georgia Campaign, American
forces closed in on the major Japanese base at
Rabaul. Bougainville was the final Japanese line
of defense protecting Rabaul from U.S. forces progressing
up the Solomon chain. Recognizing Bougainville's
critical importance, the Japanese rushed
to reinforce it by sending in 37,500 men of the
Seventeenth Japanese Army commanded by Lt.
Gen. Hyakutake Haruyoshi. However, most of
these men were deployed to the southern end of
Buin and to offshore islands. This left Empress
Augusta Bay vulnerable to a landing by U.S.
Marines on November 1, 1943, after the 3rd New
Zealand Division had taken the Treasury Islands
nearby. The marines set up a perimeter and immediately
began construction of airstrips. In the
meantime, at sea, the Battle of Empress Augusta
Bay commenced on November 2. U.S. naval forces
sank a Japanese cruiser and a destroyer. Simultaneously,
the Fifth U.S. Army Air Force bombed
Japanese airstrips and provided close air support
for the marines.
Despite these initial successes, American forces
were menaced by the powerful naval force of V.
Adm. Kurita Takeo based at Rabaul. U.S. Adm.
William A. "Bull" Halsey seized the offensive
and attacked Kurita's fleet before it had gotten
under way from Rabaul. It was a bold gamble, since
it put Halsey's two-carrier task force squarely
within range of the formidable air arm at Rabaul.
Indeed, Halsey expected that the carriers might be
sunk, but land-based aircraft defended them so
vigorously that they escaped unscathed, even as
their aircraft battered Kurita's fleet, forcing its
withdrawal to Truk.
By the time the sea battle was in its final stages,
the marines on Bougainville had completed sufficient
airstrips to launch intensive air raids against
Rabaul, forcing the Japanese to withdraw from this
key base. The defeat of Rabaul allowed a rapid
build-up of American forces on Bougainville. Japanese
counterattacks were readily repulsed. Under
Maj. Gen Oscar Griswold, U.S. ground forces, now
numbering 62,000 men, repulsed one final Japanese
counteroffensive by March 27, 1944. Bougainville
largely fell silent, and Griswold enlarged his
perimeter before withdrawing after his force was
relieved by Australian II Corps. This relief was
completed by December 1944. However, the Allies
had at this time grossly underestimated remaining
Japanese strength on Bougainville. They believed
only 12,000 to 25,000 troops were present, whereas,
in fact, some 40,000 remained. These troops offered
renewed fierce resistance to the Australians before
they were defeated.
Liens utiles
- Synthèse : extrait 5 "Supplément au voyage de Bougainville" de Diderot
- Diderot : Supplément au Voyage de Bougainville (présentation de l'oeuvre)
- dissertation en HLP: Que pensez-vous de la vision que donne Bougainville du peuple tahitien?
- Fiche de lecture - Supplément au voyage de Bougainville - Diderot
- Analyse Supplément au voyage de bougainville