The Battle of the Philippine Sea would be a battle very important for both sides of the war. The United States was on a roll, winning previous battles at both Coral Sea and Midway, increasing the nervousness of the Japanese military. Japan decided to switch to an offensive mindset against the US. They knew that they could not afford for the US to gain control of their bases in Guam, Tinian, and Saipan. They referred to these as the Marinas Island Group. Japan's plan was to draw out the American forces more west, away from Saipan, so they would be able to bombard the Navy from land, air and sea. The Americans almost fell for the trap, but realized Japan's plan and held back. Fighting was eminent, and the battle eventually broke out between the two. It would be a disastrous battle for Japan, losing approximately one-third of their air force in the battle. It would also be disastrous from the geographic view for the Philippines. The United states now controlled the Marinas Islands and the Philippine Sea. This essentially was Japan's last real chance at winning this war as this loss gave the Unites States complete control of the Pacific Ocean. The Philippines were now an easy target along with the main island of Japan.
Along with the win in the Philippine Sea, General MacArther's island hopping campaign is what gave the United States the path to Victory in the war. The strategy included hopping from island to island and taking each one over. The specifically targeted islands would help Americans steer clear of the heavily defended bases while also continuing the push towards Japan's main island. The targeted islands would be the weakest held ones of them all. These strategies were put in placed and proved to be successful through the Marshall and Marinas islands, along with many others. |
This map is from a 1945 edition of the Indianapolis Star