Island Hopping
Airstrip Vella Lavella (1943), constructed on captured island
Island Hopping is a term that refers to the means of crossing an ocean by a series of shorter journeys between islands. This strategy was used by the United States Navy under the command of Admiral Nimitz during the war against Japan in WWII. The reason for “hopping” from island to island was to move the fight closer to Japan. The island they landed on usually had some sort of a strategic value to it such as an airfield, anchorage, or a place for supplies to be distributed. This helped the United States Navy methodically push the Japanese back from their maximum aggression limit towards the Japanese home islands. If the island were inhabited with too large of a number of Japanese troops, the island would simply be bypassed. This would cut off those troops from their supplies, making them easier targets after the supplies ran out. The island hopping campaign also created air bases closer and closer to the Japan home islands so that long-range bombers could start attacking Japanese military industrial facilities at closer distances. By doing this, they would disrupt the Japanese ability to create new weapons and material. The significance of this military strategy was it created smaller steps and shorter distances between battles that helped maintain the supply structure and the ability of the Navy to push forward in strength.