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World War II
Episode132

March 31, 2025

Turning Point in the South Pacific

Turning Point in the South Pacific
33:32
Listen on Apple Spotify

In this episode, we dive into the coordinated landings on the Treasury Islands, the daring Choiseul raid, and the brutal jungle fighting that followed. From LSTs taking direct hits at Falamai to a New Zealand bulldozer operator burying a live pillbox under fire, the stakes were high from the first wave. We'll follow Loganforce's stand at Soanotalu, the deception that tied down enemy forces at Choiseul, and the calculated push through Green Island and Emirau that sealed off Raball. With PT boats patrolling tight waters, Seabees building airfields under fire, and Marines fighting in thick jungle, the campaign isolated Japan's strongest forward base and opened the road to the Philippines.

References

  1. Altobello, B. (2000). Into the shadows furious: The guerrilla war in the Solomon Islands, 19421944. Presidio Press.
  2. Chapin, J. C. (1997). Top of the ladder: Marine operations in the Northern Solomons. Marine Corps Historical Center.
  3. Fuquea, D. C. (1997). Bougainville: The amphibious assault enters maturity. Marine Corps Gazette.
  4. Gailey, H. A. (1991). Bougainville, 19431945: The forgotten campaign. University Press of Kentucky.
  5. Hoffman, J. T. (1995). From Makin to Bougainville: Marine Raiders in the Pacific War. Marine Corps Historical Center.
  6. James, K. (2012). The hard slog: Australians in the Bougainville campaign, 194445. Cambridge University Press.
  7. Lord, W. (1977). Lonely vigil: Coastwatchers of the Solomons. Viking Press.
  8. McGee, W. L. (2002). The Solomons Campaigns, 19421943: From Guadalcanal to BougainvillePacific War turning point. BMC Publications.
  9. Melson, C. D. (1996). Up the slot: Marines in the Central Solomons. Marine Corps Historical Center.
  10. Mersky, P. B. (1993). Time of the aces: Marine pilots in the Solomons, 19421944. Marine Corps Historical Center.
  11. Miller, J. (1959). Cartwheel: The reduction of Rabaul. Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army.
  12. Monks, J. (1945). A ribbon and a star: The Third Marines at Bougainville. H. Holt and Company.
  13. Morison, S. E. (1958). Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier (Vol. 6). History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Little, Brown and Company.
  14. Rentz, J. N. (1946). Bougainville and the Northern Solomons. U.S. Marine Corps Historical Branch.
  15. Shindo, H. (2016). Holding on to the finish: The Japanese Army in the South and Southwest Pacific, 194445. In P. Dean (Ed.), Australia 194445: Victory in the Pacific (pp. 163184). Cambridge University Press.

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