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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. ...
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...
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...
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