List of United States Army campaigns during World War II
The United States Army conducted many campaigns during World War II. These are the campaigns that were officially designated by the Army. It is the basis of campaign honors and awards for U.S. Army units and servicemen,[1][2] but is not a comprehensive list of all the campaigns of the war, as it omits campaigns in which U.S. Army participation was minimal.[3]
In all, 44 World War II campaigns were designated by the U.S. Army: 24 for the
Overview
The war started for America on 7 December 1941 with the Japanese
While U.S. support for China was a reason for the war, the U.S. Army did not deploy major ground forces there, although U.S. air and service units played a vital role.
Although many campaigns were fought in Asia and the Pacific, the major focus of the U.S. Army was always on the European Theater, where most its strength was ultimately deployed. U.S. forces saw action in the
In June 1944, the U.S. Army participated in
Asiatic–Pacific Theater
Pacific campaigns
Campaign name | Date | Result |
---|---|---|
Pacific Air Offensive | 17 April 1942 – 2 September 1945[8] | |
Philippine Islands Campaign | 7 December 1941 – 10 May 1942[5] | Japanese victory, American retreat from the Philippines[5] |
East Indies Campaign | 1 January – 22 July 1942[5] | Japanese victory, Allied retreat from the East Indies.[5] |
Aleutian Islands Campaign[a]
|
3 June 1942 – 24 August 1943[5] | Allied victory, Japanese withdraw from the Aleutian Islands.[5] |
Guadalcanal Campaign
|
7 August 1942 – 21 February 1943[27] | U.S. victory, Japanese withdraw from Guadalcanal.[28][29] |
Northern Solomons Campaign | 22 February 1943 – 21 November 1944[6] | Allied victory, Japanese resistance remains.[6][29] |
Bismarck Archipelago Campaign | 15 December 1943 – 27 November 1944[8] | Allied victory, Japanese resistance remains.[29][30] |
Papua Campaign
|
23 July 1942 – 23 January 1943[6] | Allied victory, Japanese withdraw from Papua.[6][29] |
New Guinea Campaign[31]
|
24 January 1943 – 31 December 1944[31] | Allied victory, Japanese resistance remains.[29][31] |
Leyte Campaign
|
17 October 1944 – 1 July 1945[32] | Allied victory, Japanese withdraw, sporadic resistance remains.[32] |
Luzon Campaign
|
15 December 1944 – 4 July 1945[10] | Allied victory, Japanese resistance remains.[10] |
Southern Philippines Campaign
|
27 February – 4 July 1945[10] | Allied victory, Japanese resistance remains.[10] |
Central Pacific Campaign | 7 December 1941 – 6 December 1944[7] | U.S. victory, Japanese resistance remains.[7][29] |
Eastern Mandates Campaign
|
31 January – 14 June 1944[7] | U.S. victory, Japanese resistance remains.[7][29] |
Western Pacific Campaign
|
15 June 1944 – 2 September 1945[9] | U.S. victory, Japanese resistance remains.[9][29] |
Ryukyus Campaign | 26 March – 2 July 1945[11] | U.S. victory, Japanese sporadic resistance remains.[11][29] |
Campaigns in the China India Burma Theater
Campaign name | Date | Result |
---|---|---|
Burma, 1942
|
7 December 1941 – 26 May 1942[33] | Japanese victory, Allied retreat into India.[14] |
India–Burma Campaign
|
2 April 1942 – 28 January 1945[15] | Allied victory, Japanese retreat into Central Burma.[34] |
Central Burma Campaign
|
29 January – 15 July 1945[35] | Allied victory, Japanese are driven out of Burma[16] |
China Defensive Campaign | 4 July 1942 – 4 May 1945[13] | Japanese victory, Allies driven from eastern China[13] |
China Offensive Campaign | 5 May – 2 September 1945[13] | Allied victory when war ends.[13] |
Blanket campaigns
Campaign name | Date | Result |
---|---|---|
Anti-submarine campaign | 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945[2] | |
Ground Combat | 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945[2] | |
Air Combat | 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945[2] |
European–African–Middle East Theater
North African / Mediterranean Theater campaigns
Campaign name | Date | Result |
---|---|---|
Egypt–Libya Campaign | 11 June 1942 – 12 February 1943[36] | Allied victory, Axis withdraw into Tunisia.[36] |
Algeria–French Morocco Campaign | 8 November 1942 – 11 November 1942[17] | Allied victory over Vichy French.[17] |
Tunisia Campaign
|
17 November 1942 – 13 May 1943[17] | Allied victory, Axis withdraw to Italy.[17] |
Sicily Campaign | 9 July – 17 August 1943[18] | Allied victory, Germans retreat into Italy. |
Naples–Foggia Campaign
|
9 September 1943 – 21 January 1944[19] | Stalemate; Germans conduct a fighting withdrawal to the Gustav Line.[19] |
Anzio Campaign | 22 January – 24 May 1944[20] | Stalemate at first; Allies fail to capture Rome, Germans fail to destroy Allied beachhead. The Allies broke out from the beachhead several months later.[20] |
Rome–Arno Campaign | 22 January – 9 September 1944[20] | Allied victory, Germans withdraw to the Gothic Line.[20] |
North Apennines Campaign | 10 September 1944 – 4 April 1945[20] | Stalemate.[20] |
Po Valley Campaign | 5 April – 8 May 1945[21] | Allied victory, Germans surrender in Italy.[21] |
European campaigns
Campaign name | Date | Result |
---|---|---|
European Air Offensive | 4 July 1942 – 5 June 1944[8][37] | |
Normandy Campaign | 6 June – 24 July 1944[22][37] | Allied success, Germans withdraw to central France.[22] |
Northern France Campaign
|
25 July – 14 September 1944[23][37] | Allied success; Germans are driven out of Northern France but Allied offensives in France, Germany and the Netherlands stall.[23] |
Southern France Campaign | 5 August – 14 September 1944[23][37] | Allied victory, Germans are driven out of Southern France.[23] |
Ardennes-Alsace Campaign | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945[24][37] | Allied victory, German offensive is driven back.[24] |
Rhineland Campaign
|
15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945[25] | Allied victory, Germans retreat across Rhine River.[25][37] |
Central Europe Campaign | 22 March – 11 May 1945[21] | Allies are triumphant, war in Europe ends with Germany's surrender.[21][37] |
Blanket campaigns
Campaign name | Date | Result |
---|---|---|
Anti-submarine campaign | 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945[1] | |
Ground Combat | 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945[1] | |
Air Combat | 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945[1] |
American Theater
Blanket Campaigns
Campaign name | Date | Result |
---|---|---|
Anti-submarine campaign | 7 December 1941 – 2 September 1945[38] |
Notes
- ^ The Aleutian Islands Campaign is considered part of both the Pacific and American theaters since it is physically part of North America, but geographically juts out into the Pacific Ocean.[26] Participation is recognized with a Campaign Star on the Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal rather than on the American Campaign Medal.[2]
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d "European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal". The Institute of Heraldry: Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal". The Institute of Heraldry: Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
- ^ a b Wilson, pp. 40–41.
- ^ Sturgeon, pp. 148–149.
- ^ a b c d e f g Sturgeon, pp. 158–161
- ^ a b c d e f Sturgeon, pp. 164–167
- ^ a b c d e f Sturgeon, pp. 230–231.
- ^ a b c d Stanton, p. 596
- ^ a b c Sturgeon, pp. 238–239
- ^ a b c d e Sturgeon, pp. 240–241
- ^ a b c Grant, p. 327
- ^ Sturgeon, pp. 322–325
- ^ a b c d e f Sturgeon, pp. 246–247
- ^ a b McLynn, p. 45
- ^ a b McLynn, p. 254
- ^ a b McLynn, p. 352.
- ^ a b c d e Sturgeon, pp. 186–187
- ^ a b Sturgeon, pp. 210–211.
- ^ a b c Sturgeon, pp. 212–213.
- ^ a b c d e f g Sturgeon, pp. 252–253
- ^ a b c d e f Sturgeon, pp. 304–305
- ^ a b c Sturgeon, pp. 258–259
- ^ a b c d e Sturgeon, pp. 268–269
- ^ a b c Dandocollins, pp. 100–101
- ^ a b c Sturgeon, pp. 298–299
- ^ Tucker, p. 1595.
- ^ McGee, p. 21.
- ^ Frank, pp. 589–597
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Callery, pp. 74–75.
- ^ Grant, p. 320
- ^ a b c Drea, p. 3.
- ^ a b Grant, pp. 322–323.
- ^ McLynn, pp. 25–30
- ^ McLynn, p. 256.
- ^ McLynn, p. 304.
- ^ a b Sturgeon, p. 183.
- ^ a b c d e f g "World War II - European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Campaigns". U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
- ^ "American Campaign Medal". The Institute of Heraldry: Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
References
- Callery, Sean (2013). Scholastic Discover More: World War II. New York City: Scholastic Reference. ISBN 978-0-5454-7975-2.
- ISBN 978-0-1603-5956-9.
- Dando-Collins, Stephen (2015). Operation Chowhound: The Most Risky, Glorious U.S. Bomber Mission of World War II. New York City: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1137279637.
- Drea, Edward J. (1993). New Guinea Campaign. The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-1608-9936-2.
- Frank, Richard (1990). Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle (1st ed.). New York City: Random House. ISBN 978-0-3945-8875-9.
- Grant, R. G. (2008). Battle at Sea: 3,000 years of Naval Warfare (First American ed.). London: Dorling Kimberly. ISBN 978-0-7566-3973-0.
- McGee, William L. (2002). The Solomons Campaigns, 1942–1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville – Pacific War Turning Point. Vol. 2. London: BMC Publications. ISBN 978-0-9701-6787-3.
- McLynn, Frank (2011). The Burma Campaign: Disaster Into Triumph, 1942–45 (Reprint ed.). New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300171624.
- Holmes, Richard (2009). World War II: The Definitive Visual History. London: Dorling Kimberly. ISBN 978-0756642785.
- Stanton, Shelby L. (1984). Order of Battle: U.S. Army World War II (1st ed.). Novato, California: Presidio Press. ISBN 978-0-8914-1195-6.
- Sturgeon, Alison (2009). World War II: The Definitive Visual History. New York city: Dorling Kimberly. ISBN 978-0-7566-4278-5.
- Tucker, Spencer (2012). Almanac of American Military History. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-5988-4530-3.
- Wilson, John B. (2009). U.S. Army Campaign Streamers: Colors of Courage Since 1775 (PDF). Arlington, Virginia: Institute of Land Warfare, Association of the United States Army. Retrieved 11 May 2015.