Product Description
by Jr. John Miller (Author)
The campaign described in the present volume was important to the Army as an experience in amphibious warfare and combined operations against a formidable and still resourceful enemy. It was also of critical importance in the evolution of American strategy in the Pacific. CARTWHEEL began as an uphill fight with means that seemed inadequate to the ends proposed, even though these were limited. But it swiftly brought our forces to a crest from which we were able to launch the two powerful drives, through the Southwest and Central Pacific, that crushed Japan before we redeployed the forces directed against Germany. The campaign put to the test the principle of unity of command, and also the capacity for co-operation between two theaters, one under Army, the other under Navy command, and both under forceful and dominant commanders. By ingenious and aggressive use of the ground, sea, and air forces at their disposal they made these suffice to achieve more than had been foreseen as possible, and opened up a new vista of strategy. They took a heavy toll of the enemy's resources, established the technique of bypassing his strongholds, including finally Rabaul itself, and threw him on the defensive. This book will be of interest not only to professional officers, but also to a wide variety of other readers and students.
Author Biography
Born in Scotland and a U.S. citizen since 1928, John Miller, Jr., was awarded the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History by the State University of Iowa in 1942. In World War II he saw service overseas with the U.S. Marine Corps in New Zealand and in the Solomon Islands, where he participated in the Bougainville operations described in this volume. A member of the historical staff of the Department of the Army since 1945, Dr. Miller is the author of Guadalcanal: The First Offensive in the present series, coauthor of Korea: 1951-1953, and contributor of several chapters to the 1956 edition of ROTC Manual 145-20, American Military History, 1607-1953. He has written articles and reviews for historical and military journals, and has taught history at the University of Omaha, the State University of Iowa, the Graduate School of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and The American University in Washington, D.C.
