South Pacific Area

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Pacific & Adjacent areas 1942.

The South Pacific Area (SOPAC) was a multinational U.S.-led military

Chester Nimitz
.

The delineation and establishment of the Pacific Ocean Areas was negotiated by the Allied governments of the

Tuamotu, Samoa, Fiji, and New Hebrides island groups plus New Caledonia and New Zealand.[1] Its western boundary was shifted to just west of Guadalcanal on 1 August 1942 to facilitate operations against that island.[2]

Background

The assignment orders for Major General Millard Harmon as the Commanding General, Army Forces, South Pacific, dated 7 July 1942, said:[3]

"The establishment of the Pacific Ocean Area as an area of United States strategical responsibility under the command of the Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet, became effective on May 8, 1942. The

Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet
, has been designated the "Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Ocean Area". Under the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Ocean Area, a U.S. Naval officer has been designated as "Commander, South Pacific Area". The South Pacific Force under COMSOPAC include the following:

  • 1. All base and local defense forces (ground, naval and air) now assigned or to be assigned to forces in the South Pacific Area. The New Zealand Chiefs of Staff are responsible for the land defense of New Zealand, subject to such strategic decisions affecting this responsibility as may be made by the Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet, for the conduct of naval operations in the Pacific Ocean Areas.
  • 2. Assigned New Zealand, Free French, Dutch and other United Nations Naval forces.
  • 3. Such fleet types and aircraft as may be assigned by the Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet."
Organization of South Pacific Forces just before Task One, the invasion of Guadalcanal

In July 1942 the South Pacific Area, under Admiral

John S. McCain, Sr.[4]
At a later stage Transport Group, South Pacific (TransGrpSoPac) was added to the organisation.

The organisation's first major battle was the

Battle of Guadalcanal. Admiral Ghormley's Operations Order 1-42 established two task forces, Task Force 61 and Task Force 63
, to carry out the operation.

On September 20, 1942, six weeks after the first American amphibious operation of the war got underway at

Distinguished Flying Cross. AirSoPac ultimately encompassing U.S. Navy, Army, Marine Corps, and Royal New Zealand Air Force
air units. It saw great success aiding the Allied campaign in the area.

Commander, Aircraft, Solomons (Com

2d Marine Aircraft Wing
. The fact that a general headed the staff of an admiral is perhaps the best indication of the multiservice nature of AirSols operations.

Vice Admiral Finch retained two areas of flight operations under his direct control; sea search by long range Navy patrol planes and Army bombers, and transport operations by South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command (SCAT). Throughout its long and useful life (November 1942-February 1945), SCAT's complement of Marine and Army transports was headed by Marine Aircraft Group 25's commanding officer. SCAT's operations area moved northward with the fighting during 1943, and by August's end, all regularly scheduled flights in SoPac's rear areas were being handled by the Naval Air Transport Service (NATS).

Commanders, South Pacific Area

See also

Notes

  1. ISBN 0-7858-1305-5
    .
  2. ^ Morison, p. 261
  3. ^ Letter of Instructions, Major General Harmon
  4. ^ "HyperWar: US Army in WWII: Strategy and Command: The First Two Years".
  5. ^ Shaw & Kane, History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

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