從瓜島到長崎 (WWII Battlefield S4/E5)

the Japanese Empire stretched over a vast area of the western Pacific

After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941,

Japanese forces moved quickly to capture Hong Kong,

as the expanding empire swept into the Solomon Islands,

Japanese territory spread as far as the large jungle island

that would give its name to one of the best-known episodes of the Pacific War,

Japan's expansion was a seemingly relentless advance.

But around the time they reached Guadalcanal,

the tide was already beginning to turn against the Empire.

forced Japan to shelf(?) the idea of attacking New Guinea's capital.

to halt their expansion into the Pacific.

Consolidation was now the order of the day.

But the Empire was still a force to be reckoned with.

Allied intelligence in the Solomon Islands

were constructing an airfield on the north coast of the island.

Coconut trees were being felled in the thousands.

that the airstrip will be operational in a matter of weeks.

would threaten the precious supply line between Hawaii and Australia.

the American chiefs of staff considered their response.

One idea was to carry out a raid against Guadalcanal,

the Americans decided to capture the island.

The plan was to effect an amphibious landing by American Marine forces,

and establish an Allied airbase on the island.

the decision was made to go ahead with the operation,

When the decision was made to capture Guadalcanal,

the American planners knew very little about the background that lay ahead

the island was almost entirely unfamiliar.

and only a limited air reconnaissance was possible.

And this was not the only problem that affected American preparations.

and physically capture the vital airstrip.

received his orders at his headquarters in New Zealand on the 25th of June,

he knew that his men were far from combat ready.

It was early in the previous month that the marines

had left their home base in North Carolina.

only 1/3 of their number had arrived in New Zealand.

not to expect any operational duties until 1943.

was expected to go into battle in a matter of weeks.

Vandegrift was forced into urgent preparations in New Zealand

as his men and supplies arrived in the region.

Despite an outbreak of influenza amongst his troops

amongst the dock workers in the Port of Wellington,

awaiting a final rehearsal for the task ahead.

General Vandegrift by now secured a postponement to the day of attack

But he knew that his preparation time have been far from ideal.

the inexperience of the American Marines revealed itself.

revealed the logistical difficulties involved.

There was little evidence of coordination

and the accompanying naval and air support.

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從瓜島到長崎 (WWII Battlefield S4/E5)【英字全】

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