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South West Pacific Area (SWPA) was the name given to one of the four major Allied commands in the Pacific theatre of World War II, during 1942-45. The SWPA included the Philippines, Borneo, the Dutch East Indies (excluding Sumatra), Australia, the Territory of New Guinea (including the Bismarck Archipelago), the western part of the Solomon Islands and some neighbouring territories. The supreme commander, General Douglas MacArthur, was in charge of primarily United States and Australian forces. Dutch, Filipino, British and other Allied forces also served in the SWPA. In general, allies are people or groups that have joined an alliance and are working together to achieve some common purpose. ...
The Pacific War, which is known in Japan as the Greater East Asia War and in China as the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (kang-Ri zhanzheng, literally Resist Japan War), occurred in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in Asia. ...
Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...
1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...
1945 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...
Borneo (including the Kalimantan provinces of Indonesia, Sabah and Sarawak of Malaysia, and Brunei) is the third largest island in the world. ...
The Dutch East Indies, or Netherlands East Indies, (Dutch: Nederlands Indië) was the name of the colonies set up by the Dutch East India Company, which came under administration of the Netherlands during the 19th century (see Indonesia). ...
Sumatra (also spelled Sumatara and Sumatera) is the sixth largest island of the world (approximately 470,000 km²) and is the largest part of Indonesia. ...
The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the coast of New Guinea in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, named in honour of the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck and belonging to Papua New Guinea. ...
MacArthur landing at Leyte Beach in 1944. ...
A map of the Pacific Theater.
Origins
The name "South West Pacific Area" appears to have originated in British military circles in 1941, purely in reference to British forces under the short-lived American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDA). The rapid Japanese advance through the Dutch East Indies effectively divided the "ABDA Area" in two, and in late February 1942, ABDA was wound up at the recommendation of its commander, the British General Archibald Wavell, who — as Allied commander in India — retained responsibility for Allied operations in Sumatra, Singapore, Malaya, Thailand and Burma. 1941 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...
The American-British-Dutch-Australian (ABDA) Command, code name ABDACOM, was a short-lived, unified command for all Allied forces in South East Asia, during the Pacific War. ...
Archibald Percival Wavell, 1st Earl Wavell (May 5, 1883 _ May 24, 1950) was a British General and the commander of British Army forces in the Middle East during World War II. He led British forces to victory over the Italians, only to be defeated by the German army. ...
Sumatra (also spelled Sumatara and Sumatera) is the sixth largest island of the world (approximately 470,000 km²) and is the largest part of Indonesia. ...
The Federation of Malaya, or in Malay Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, was formed in 1948 from the British settlements of Penang and Malacca and the nine Malay states and replaced the Malayan Union. ...
On March 24, 1942, the newly-formed British-US Combined Chiefs of Staff issued a directive designating the Pacific theater an area of American strategic responsibility. Six days later the US Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) divided the Pacific theater into three areas: the Pacific Ocean Areas (POA), the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA), and the South East Pacific Area. Therefore most of the Pacific Ocean and its islands fell under a separate Allied command, Pacific Ocean Areas, headed by US Admiral Chester Nimitz. March 24 is the 83rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (84th in Leap years). ...
1942 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ...
The Combined Chiefs of Staff was the supreme military command for the western Allies during World War II. It was a body constituted from the British Chiefs of Staff Committee and the American Joint Chiefs of Staff. ...
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a panel comprising the highest-ranking members of each major branch of the armed services in any particular country. ...
Pacific Ocean Areas was a major Allied military command during World War II. It was one of four major commands during the Pacific War, and one of two United States commands in the Pacific theatre of operations. ...
Chester Nimitz Chester William Nimitz (February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966) was the Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces for the United States and Allied forces during World War II. He was the nations leading authority on submarines, as well as Chief of the Navy Bureau of Navigation in...
The Allied commander in the Philippines, General Douglas MacArthur who had headed was elevated to the post of Supreme Allied Commander South West Pacific Area. As the Japanese surrounded US and Filipino forces in the Philippines, MacArthur was ordered by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to leave his headquarters on Bataan Peninsula, near Manila, and to relocate to Melbourne, Australia. MacArthur landing at Leyte Beach in 1944. ...
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ...
Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. ...
Manila (Maynila in Filipino) is the capital city of the Philippines. ...
The City of Melbournes coat of arms The central business district of Melbourne, viewed from the north Alternate meanings: Melbourne (disambiguation) Melbourne is the capital and largest city of the state of Victoria, and the second largest city in Australia, with a population of 52,117 in the Central...
General MacArthur and Australian Prime Minister John Curtin. On April 17, the Australian government, led by Prime Minister John Curtin, directed Australian personnel to treat orders from MacArthur as equivalent its own. In fact, for most of 1942, MacArthur commanded more Australians than US personnel. He also commanded some Dutch forces which had retreated to Australia. Later in the war, some British and other Allied forces also came under MacArthur's command. Curtin and MacArthur File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Curtin and MacArthur File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Rt Hon John Curtin John Curtin (January 8, 1885 – July 5, 1945), Australian politician and 14th Prime Minister of Australia, led Australia through the darkest period of its history: when the Australian mainland came under direct military threat during the Japanese advance in World War II. Many Australians regard him...
April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ...
Rt Hon John Curtin John Curtin (January 8, 1885 – July 5, 1945), Australian politician and 14th Prime Minister of Australia, led Australia through the darkest period of its history: when the Australian mainland came under direct military threat during the Japanese advance in World War II. Many Australians regard him...
In July, MacArthur moved his headquarters north, to Brisbane, Australia. This article is about the Australian city. ...
One result of the division of the Pacific theatre into two separate Allied/U.S. commands was that each competed for scarce resources in an economy-of-force theater, and each was headed by a commander in chief (CinC) from a different service. In particular, the division of the Solomon Islands caused problems, since the battles of the Solomon Islands campaign in 1942–1943 ranged over the whole region, with the main Japanese bases in SWPA and the main Allied bases in POA. The main Allied offensives were undertaken from the POA. The Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) is the term used in the United States for all military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, in World War II. Pacific War is a more common name, around the world, for the broader conflict between the Allies and Japan...
Although MacArthur had been ordered by Roosevelt to appoint as many Australian and Dutch officers to senior positions as possible, most of his immediate staff was made up of US Army officers who had served under him in the Philippines. The Australian Army CinC, General Thomas Blamey, was appointed Commander, Alllied Land Forces. However the CinCs of the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Australian Navy were sidelined from 1942 as their subordinates were put under the operational control of the U.S. Fifth Air Force and U.S. Seventh Fleet. Similarly, from mid-1943, the U.S. Sixth Army (code name Alamo Force) was deployed under MacArthur's direct control, meaning that Blamey was excluded from command of the vast majority of U.S. land forces in the theatre after that time. The Australian Army Emblem The Australian Army is Australias military land force. ...
The RAAF Roundel is based on that of the British Royal Air Force, with the central circle replaced by a Kangaroo, a symbol of Australia. ...
The Royal Australian Navy (or RAN) is the navy of Australia and part of the Australian Defence Force. ...
One of the few numbered air forces never stationed in the United States, Fifth Air Force is also one of the oldest and continuously active. ...
The United States 7th Fleet is a naval military unit based in Yokosuka, Japan. ...
The US Sixth Army was activated in January 1943, commanded by Lieutenant General Walter Krueger. ...
In 1945, following the Allied landings in the Phillipines, MacArthur moved his headquarters back to Manila. Battle of Leyte Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date October 20, 1944 – December 31, 1944 Place Leyte, Philippines Result American victory The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Allied forces under...
Manila (Maynila in Filipino) is the capital city of the Philippines. ...
Forces from the SWPA were to have made up a significant proportion of the Allied units set aside for the proposed invasion of Japan, scheduled to take place from November 1945. Operation Downfall was the overall Allied plan for the invasion of Japan at the end of World War II. It was scheduled to occur in two parts: Operation Olympic, the invasion of Kyushu, set to begin in November 1945; and later Operation Coronet, the invasion of Honshu near Tokyo, scheduled...
Major campaigns in the theatre - Philippines campaign, 1942
- New Guinea campaign, 1942-45
- Philippines campaign, 1944-45
- Borneo campaign, 1945
The Battle of the Philippines was the invasion of the Philippines by Japan in 1941-42, and the defence of the islands by Filipino and United States forces. ...
The Borneo campaign of 1945 was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area, during World War II. In a series of amphibious assaults between May 1 and July 21, the Australian I Corps, under General Leslie Morshead, attacked Japanese forces occupying the island. ...
Command structure (combat units only) General Douglas MacArthur (U.S. Army/Philippine Army), Supreme Commander (1942-45) General of the Army, or less formally five-star general, is historically the second most senior rank in the United States Army. ...
MacArthur landing at Leyte Beach in 1944. ...
The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...
Military branches Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps and Coast Guard), Air Force Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2001) Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 22,435,982 (2004 est. ...
- Staff officers (U.S. Army)
Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ...
Richard K. Sutherland (November 27, 1893 - June 25, 1966) was a Lieutenant General of the US Army and General MacArthurs Chief of Staff during World War II. He served with the American Expeditionary Force during World War I. The Japanese Surrender At the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay on...
A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ...
Richard Jacqueline Marshall (June 16, 1895 - August 3, 1973) was a Major General in the US Army. ...
Allied forces in the Philippines (1942) Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ...
Jonathan Mayhew Wainwright IV (August 23, 1883 – September 2, 1953), as a Lieutenant General, was the commanding officer of the Philippine Department at the time of its surrender to the Japanese, during World War II. Wainwright was married to Adele Holley Wainwright (1887–1979). ...
Allied land forces (1942-45) Australian Army officers, except where stated. The Australian Army Emblem The Australian Army is Australias military land force. ...
Memorial statue of Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey in Kings Domain, Melbourne. ...
New Guinea Force (1942-44) - Allied land forces in the Territory of New Guinea
- Lt Gen. Sydney Rowell Commander New Guinea Force (NGF) (until September 1942)
- Gen. Blamey (in direct command), September 1942 to 1943)
- Lt Gen. Iven Mackay, Commander NGF (January 30, 1943 to May 21,1943
- Lt Gen. Leslie Morshead, Commander NGF (May 21, 1943 to August 28, 1943)
- Lt Gen. Mackay (second time), Commander NGF (August 28, 1943 to January 20, 1944)
Advanced New Guinea Force General Leslie James Morshead (18 September 1889 - 26 September 1959) was an Australian soldier with a distinguished career in both world wars. ...
- Allied front line land forces in New Guinea
- 1942-44
- Lt Gen. Edmund Herring, Commander (1942-43)
- Lt Gen. (temporary) Robert Eichelberger (U.S. Army), Commander Commander (1943-44)
Robert Lawrence Eichelberger (9 March 1886 – 26 September 1961) was a general in the United States Army, who commanded the US Eighth Army in the Pacific during World War II. Eichelberger was born at Urbana, Ohio, on 9 March 1886. ...
Australian First Army (1944-45) - Australian front line land units, 1944-45
- Lt Gen. Vernon Sturdee, Commander, (1944-45)
U.S. Sixth Army (1943-45) Walter Krueger (1881-1967) was a German-American soldier and general in the first half of the 20th century. ...
The US Sixth Army was activated in January 1943, commanded by Lieutenant General Walter Krueger. ...
U.S. Eighth Army (1944-45) Robert Lawrence Eichelberger (9 March 1886 – 26 September 1961) was a general in the United States Army, who commanded the US Eighth Army in the Pacific during World War II. Eichelberger was born at Urbana, Ohio, on 9 March 1886. ...
The US Eighth Army is the commanding formation of all US Army troops in South Korea. ...
Allied air forces U.S. Army Air Force officers, except where stated. USAAF recruitment poster. ...
- General George Brett, Commander, Allied Air Forces (until August 4, 1942)
- Lt Gen. George Kenney, Commander, Allied Air Forces (from August 4, 1942) and Commander, U.S. Fifth Air Force.
RAAF Command One of the few numbered air forces never stationed in the United States, Fifth Air Force is also one of the oldest and continuously active. ...
- Australian front line air units
Advanced Echelon, Fifth Air Force An Air Vice Marshals sleeve/shoulder insignia Air Vice Marshal is the third most senior rank active in the Royal Air Force today, after the inactivation of Marshal of the Royal Air Force as a substantive rank in peacetime during defence cuts of the 1990s. ...
The RAAF Roundel is based on that of the British Royal Air Force, with the central circle replaced by a Kangaroo, a symbol of Australia. ...
The RAAF Roundel is based on that of the British Royal Air Force, with the central circle replaced by a Kangaroo, a symbol of Australia. ...
- USAAF front line units
- Brig. Gen. Ennis Whitehead, Commander.
Allied naval forces U.S. Navy officers, except where stated. The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ...
- Admiral Herbert F. Leary, Commander, Allied Naval Forces, April 20, 1942-September 11, 1942
- Vice Admiral Arthur S. Carpender, Commander, Allied Naval Forces, February 19, 1943-November 26, 1943 and Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, (from March 15, 1943)
- Adm. Thomas C. Kinkaid, November 26, 1943-September 2, 1945 Commander; Commander U.S. 7th Fleet
Southwest Pacific Sea Frontiers Admiral is a word from either the Arabic term amir-al-bahr, or the Irish term Ard muirfhear or Ardmurar , both meaning commander of the seas. ...
Vice Admiral is a naval rank of three star level, equivalent to Lieutenant General in seniority. ...
The United States 7th Fleet is a naval military unit based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near South Korea and Japan. ...
Thomas Cassin Kinkaid (3 April 1888 – 17 November 1972) was an admiral of the United States Navy, who commanded the 7th Fleet in the Pacific during World War II. Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid watches landing operations in Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, from the bridge of his flagship, USS Wasatch (AGC-9...
- Australian coastal waters
- Vice Adm. Sir Guy Royle (British Royal Navy), Commander
The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ...
See also Unit crest of the United States Army I Corps, Americas Corps. ...
Maroubra Force was the name given to the Australian infantry force that defended Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea from the Japanese advance along the Kokoda Track during World War II. Maroubra Force successfully fought a month long delaying action through the debilitating terrain of the Owen Stanley Range, before being...
The Australian First Tactical Air Force (1 TAF) was formed on October 25, 1944 by the Royal Australian Air Force to provide fighter and ground attack support to Allied ground and naval forces, fighting the Empire of Japan in the South West Pacific Area. ...
External links Prof. David Horner, 2002, "The Evolution of Australian Higher Command Arrangements" (http://www.defence.gov.au/adc/Cdclms/Command%20evolution.doc)
U.S. Army in World War II 9official history) "Organization and Command of the Pacific" (http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Strategy/Strategy-11.html)
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