Combat· World War II
Solomons Campaign
After taking Guadalcanal, the Allies pushed north up the chain of the Solomon Islands.
The goal was to seize or build airfields step by step, moving closer to the big Japanese base at Rabaul until its planes and ships could no longer threaten the advance. Each island group brought its own landings and battles. Marines fought as raiders, defense battalions, and aviators, often working beside Army and New Zealand troops. They cleared the Russell Islands, fought through New Georgia, and finally landed on Bougainville. By the time the campaign ended, the Allies held a string of bases that ringed Rabaul and cut it off from support. The long climb up the island chain had broken Japan's hold on the southern Pacific and set the stage for the drive toward the Philippines and Japan itself.
Engagements in this conflict (5) Podcast episodes on World War II
Record no. 563