Case Studies in the Achievement of Air Superiority - Air Force ...

AIR SUPERIORITY
Planning for the Pacific Campaign
The basic strategy of the United States and her Allies was to defeat
Germany first and then finish off Japan. However, it was not possible to
take a completely defensive posture in the Pacific, because even after the
Battle of the Coral Sea, the Japanese continued to move down the Solomon
Island chain toward the supply lines to Australia and subsequently
mounted a land attack against Port Moresby from the north coast of New
Guinea. When these drives had been checked, as they were before the end
of 1942 on Guadalcanal and in the Owen Stanley Mountains of New
Guinea, Allied forces were able to continue a limited offensive.
Because of the great distance in the Pacific, active American theaters
were created. The Central Pacific theater under Adm. Chester Nimitz
would conduct the main American offensive toward the Japanese home
islands (but its campaigns will seldom appear in this account). To fight the
battle of Guadalcanal and then to move northward up the Solomons, the
South Pacific theater was formed, first under Vice Adm. Robert L. Ghormley
and then under Adm. William Halsey. The basic objective in the South
Pacific was the great fortress the Japanese had established at Rabaul, on
northern New Britain. When the South Pacific command had served its
purpose, it was to be absorbed into the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA)
command, which had been established in Australia under Gen. Douglas
Mac Arthur.
The mission of the Southwest Pacific Area was to defend Australia and
then to establish Allied control over Papua (eastern New Guinea) as soon
as possible. SWPA was also expected to play a major role in the capture, or
as later decided, the neutralization,* of Rabaul. Finally, SWPA was
assigned, over the objections of the Central Pacific command, the mission
of advancing westward along the New Guinea coast, and then northward to
free the Philippine Islands from Japanese occupation.
Air superiority was essential to the accomplishment of these Allied
objectives. Air superiority may be defined as a condition in a given geographical
area in which the air arm of one side was strong enough to successfully
defend air, ground, and naval bases, naval units at sea, and ground
forces in action from attacks by enemy air. Likewise, the air arm possessing
air superiority could carry out successful offensive operations against
enemy air bases, ground units, and naval craft and installations, and could
overcome the enemy air force’s air defense efforts. Air superiority, if successfully
exploited, could lead to air supremacy, a condition in which enemy
air, with the possible exception of occasional reconnaissance missions
*The word neutralization, as used in this essay, means to render a base or other position still
occupied by an enemy incapable of any longer making a significant contribution to the enemy’s
war effort.
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