Island hopping

A Pacific War strategy of capturing selected islands to build bases and advance toward Japan while bypassing Japanese-held positions that could be isolated.

Leapfrogging strategy: A military approach that advances past enemy positions rather than defeating each one directly. Island hopping used leapfrogging to avoid costly assaults on strongly defended islands.
Guadalcanal campaign: A 1942–1943 campaign in which Allied forces captured Guadalcanal from Japan in the Solomon Islands. Its airfield and sea lanes made Guadalcanal an early step in the Allied advance.
Pacific War: The Second World War fought across East Asia and the Pacific Ocean, chiefly between Japan and the Allied powers. Island hopping was one approach within the wider war against Japan.
Strategic bombing during World War II: The use of sustained air attacks against an enemy's industrial capacity, infrastructure, and cities during the Second World War. Airfields captured in the Marianas enabled long-range bombing of Japan.
Amphibious warfare: Military operations that move forces from the sea onto a hostile or defended shore. Capturing islands depended on moving troops and supplies ashore under fire.
Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign: A series of Allied operations that captured Japanese-held islands in the Gilbert and Marshall archipelagos in 1943–1944. These campaigns established positions farther west while bypassing other Japanese-held islands.
Douglas MacArthur: An American general who commanded Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific during the Second World War. MacArthur's forces advanced through New Guinea and the Philippines toward Japan.
B-29 Superfortress: A long-range American heavy bomber used extensively against Japan during the Second World War. B-29s operating from the Marianas brought Japan's home islands within bombing range.
Naval logistics: The planning and movement of personnel, equipment, and supplies by sea. Long advances across the Pacific required sustained shipping, fuel, and supply networks.
Mariana and Palau Islands campaign: A 1944 Allied campaign to capture the Mariana Islands and secure positions in the western Pacific. The Marianas brought Japan within range of American B-29 bombers.

Linked from 16 pages