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Operation Guadalcanal And Adjacent Islands, Operation Watchtower

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The campaign to seize Guadalcanal and adjacent islands, Operation Watchtower, is a valuable case study illustrating aspects of design and operational art. Features of operational design and art are unmistakable in the shaping of the Pacific campaign plan and subsequent subordinate operations. This case study illustrates the actions taken link the series of tactical actions across the Pacific toward the national strategic objective of defeating Japan along a defined line of operation. This paper briefly explores the use of design and operational art by the Allies in the Solomon Islands campaign of World War II.
At the strategic level, the Allies prioritized the European Theater of Operations (ETO) ahead of the Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) after the Arcadia conference (22 Dec 1941 – 14 Jan 1942). This initially relegated Pacific strategy to a defensive one primarily due to lack of resources. However, due to rapid Japanese advances in early 1942 Australia requested the return of her divisions that were currently serving in the ETO under the British. This set a chain of events in motion allowing a more aggressive Pacific strategy to emerge. Australia was a crucial ally and a decisive point in the defense of the Pacific. As a conciliatory measure the United States dispatched additional divisions and equipment to the South Pacific in order to retain Australian divisions in Europe. It should also be noted that most Americans were still seething over Pearl Harbor adding to

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