Admiralty Islands campaign

Admiralty Islands
Part of World War II, Pacific War
The first wave of US troops lands on Los Negros, Admiralty Islands, 29 February 1944
Date 29 February 1944 (1944-02-29)– 18 May 1944 (1944-05-18) 80 days Location Admiralty Islands 2°2′S 147°16.5′E / 2.033°S 147.2750°E / -2.033; 147.2750Coordinates: 2°2′S 147°16.5′E / 2.033°S 147.2750°E / -2.033; 147.2750 Result Decisive Allied victory
Belligerents
United States  Australia	Empire of Japan
Commanders and leaders
Douglas MacArthur William C. Chase	Hitoshi Imamura Yoshio Ezaki  †
Strength
35,000	4,000
Casualties and losses
326 killed 1,190 wounded 4 missing	3,280 killed 75 captured

The Admiralty Islands campaign (Operation Brewer) was a series of battles in the New Guinea campaign of World War II in which the United States Army's 1st Cavalry Division occupied the Japanese-held Admiralty Islands.

Acting on reports from airmen that there were no signs of enemy activity and the islands might have been evacuated, General Douglas MacArthur accelerated his timetable for capturing the Admiralties and ordered an immediate reconnaissance in force. The campaign began on 29 February 1944 when a force landed on Los Negros, the third-largest island in the group. By using a small, isolated beach where the Japanese had not anticipated an assault, the force achieved tactical surprise, but the islands proved to be far from unoccupied. A furious battle over the islands ensued.

In the end, air superiority and command of the sea allowed the Allies to heavily reinforce their position on Los Negros. The 1st Cavalry Division could then overrun the islands. The campaign officially ended on 18 May 1944. The Allied victory completed the isolation of the major Japanese base at Rabaul that was the ultimate objective of the Allied campaigns of 1942 and 1943. A major air and naval base was developed in the Admiralty Islands that became an important launching point for the campaigns of 1944 in the Pacific.

The Admiralty Islands lie 200 miles (320 km) north east of the mainland of New Guinea and 360 miles (580 km) west of Rabaul, only two degrees south of the equator. The climate is tropical, with constant high temperatures and high humidity and an annual rainfall of 154 inches (3,900 mm). Thunderstorms are common. December to May is the north west monsoon season, with prevailing winds from that direction.

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