Utente:Nonno88/Sandbox3

Sviluppo delle basi

Conflitto sul comando

Discussioni riguardanti lo sviluppo della base nell'arcipelago dell'Ammiragliato furono tenute,ad inizio febbraio, tra rappresentanti del Comando delle forze alleate del Pacifico Sud-occidentale South West Pacific Area (SWPA) e quelli del confinante Comando delle forze alleate del Pacifico Meridionale

William Halsey Jr. neighbouring South Pacific Area (SOPAC). The original intention was forces from SWPA would capture the islands and construct the airbase, while SOPAC would be responsible for the development of the naval base. The SOPAC representatives indicated they would not be able to supply troops or materials in the early stages, so it was resolved SWPA would also undertake the initial stages of naval base development.

Admiral Nimitz recommended to the Joint Chiefs of Staff that development and control of the base facilities be placed under SOPAC by extending its border westward to include the Admiralties. MacArthur was furious; the borders of SWPA could not be changed without the consent of the Australian government. Nimitz's proposal was eventually turned down by the Joint Chiefs but not before MacArthur restricted access to the facilities to ships of the United States Seventh Fleet and British Pacific Fleet. Halsey was summoned to MacArthur's headquarters in Brisbane on 3 March 1944, and the two agreed to a compromise. Responsibility for the development of the base passed from Krueger's Alamo Force to Kinkaid's Allied Naval Forces on 18 May 1944. It was proposed control would ultimately pass to SOPAC but it never did.

Costruzioni delle basi aeree

Momote airfield was found to have been constructed on a coral subbase with an overburden of coconut palm humus, over which the Japanese had laid a thin layer of coral and coral sand. This would not withstand heavy use, so 40th Naval Construction Battalion, 8th Engineer Squadron, and Shore Battalion of the 592nd EBSR had to strip away the humus and lay a new coral surface. Just 3 600 piedi (1 100 m) of runway was sufficient for the Kittyhawks and Spitfires but the runway was increased to 7 800 piedi (2 400 m) by late April. B-24s of 5th Bombardment Group moved in on 18 April 1944 and flew their first mission, against Woleai two days later.

Plans called for a second airfield at Salami Plantation, but surveys revealed that the site was unsuitable and a new site was found in a coconut plantation near Mokerang. While the 46th Naval Construction Battalion cleared an access road, the 836th Engineer Aviation Battalion constructed the runway, and the 104th and 46th Naval Construction Battalions built the taxiways and dispersal areas. As at Momote, the humus had to be removed to reach the coral subgrade, which was then graded and compacted. In places the coral was so hard explosives had to be used. The work required the clearing of 1 100 acri (4,5 km²) and the removal of 18,000 coconut trees. B-24s of 307th Bombardment Group (the "Long Rangers") arrived on 21 April 1944. They participated in raids on Biak and supported the Battle of Biak in May.

A fighter base to provide repair and overhaul facilities for carrier aircraft was constructed by the 78th Naval Construction Battalion on Ponam Island. As half of the work area was swamp, coral was blasted and dredged from the ocean bed and used as landfill. Another facility for carrier aircraft was built on Pityilu by the 71st Naval Construction Battalion in May and June 1944, along with accommodation for 2,500 men. The eastern end of Pityilu was cleared and a fleet recreation centre was built that could accommodate up to 10,000 at a time.

Costruzione della base navale

US Navy floating Dry Dock Number 4 in Seeadler Harbor in 1945.

Construction of the naval base on Los Negros was the responsibility of the 2nd Naval Construction Regiment, with the 11th, 58th and 71st Naval Construction Battalions. Work included a bulk storage at Papitalai for Template:Bbl to t of fuel oil, Template:Bbl to t of distillate, Template:Bbl to t of avgas and Template:Bbl to t of mogas; a 500 bed evacuation hospital; two Liberty ship wharves; 24 warehouses and 83 administration buildings in Quonset huts. At Lombrum Point, the Seabees built three installations: a seaplane repair base, a ship repair base, and a landing craft repair base. A 250-long-ton (250 t) pontoon drydock was provided for servicing the landing craft.

Development of facilities on Manus was taken in hand by the 5th Naval Construction Regiment, with the 35th, 44th and 57th Naval Construction Battalions, which arrived in mid-April. They erected 128 storage buildings and 50 refrigerators, each of 680 piedi cubi (19 m³) capacity. A water supply system was developed to supply 4 000 000 galloni americani (15 000 000 l) per day. Two systems were developed, one using streams in the Lombrum area that supplied 2 700 000 galloni americani (10 000 000 l) per day, and another for outlying areas that used wells to produce 850 000 galloni americani (3 200 000 l) per day. The system included water treatment plants, reservoirs, and pipes. All construction work was completed by April 1945, with the base remaining in use until the end of the war.

Analisi

La conquista delle isole dell'ammiragliato da parte degli alleati fu di valore inestimabile, la loro cattura permise di evitare quella di Truk, Kavieng, Rabaul e la baia di Hansa accelerando di conseguenza la loro avanzata. Come base aerea, le isole permisero agli aerei alleati di colpire Truk e Wewak. Come base navale il loro valore fu anche maggiore in quanto offrivano, oltre ad un ancoraggio per molte navi, grandi infrastrutture.

Per i giapponesi, la perdita delle isole dell'Ammiragliato significò la perdita della loro linea difensiva sud orientale. Il Quartier Generale Imperiale ordinò la preparazione di una nuova linea nella Nuova Guinea Occidentale e vista l'ambizione mostrata dagli alleati decise che venissero difese, oltre alla baia di Hansa, anche Aitape e Wewak.