Overview

On November 20, 1943, the United States military invaded the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands as part of the first American offensive in the Central Pacific region during World War II. This invasion, however, marked more than just one first - it was also the introductory test of a doctrine that was developed during the interwar period to address recognised problems inherent in the substitution of naval gunfire for land-based artillery support of an amphibious assault. The historical consensus has been that the doctrine passed the test and that lessons learned at Tarawa increased the U.S. Navy's efficiency in applying the doctrine for the rest of the war in the Pacific. Further study of the planning and execution of the Central Pacific preliminary naval gunfire bombardments after Tarawa, however, shows that reality was much more complex than this accepted consensus would make it appear. In U.S. Naval Gunfire Support in the Pacific War, Donald K. Mitchener documents and analyses the prewar development of U.S. naval gunfire doctrine as well as its application and evolution between the years 1943 and 1945. He concludes that the historical consensus on the doctrine's success and application after Tarawa must be modified with two factors in mind: first, strategic concerns often took precedence over the lessons learned at Tarawa, and, second, failure to keep apprised of the latest doctrinal developments and their application led certain important naval planners to ignore these lessons altogether. AUTHOR: Donald K. Mitchener is a naval historian, lecturer, and fellow of the Military History Center at the University of North Texas. He is a member of the Editorial Advisory and Review Board for Global War Studies. 16 b/w photographs, 5 tables

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9781949668124

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This meticulous work finally gives us a long overdue stern but shrewd assessment of the evolution of U.S. naval gunfire support doctrine for Pacific amphibious landings. It reflects a host of still useful insights into the formulation of multiservice doctrine. Among the most important of these are the critical value of a shared understanding of terminology, a rigorous pursuit of empirical data to identify combat 'lessons, ' and the difference between the good intention to incorporate combat 'lessons' into doctrine and actually incorporating those 'lessons.' Its most timeless finding is that precision targeting counts far more than tonnage of explosives. This is a must-read for any serious student of amphibious warfare history. -- Richard B. Frank, author of A History of the Asia-Pacific War, Vol. 1, Tower of Skulls and Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle Technology reflects the influence of human innovation. Yet, the key social and political aspects of technological innovation are often obscure within the literature of maritime history, naval strategy, and operations. Considering developments in doctrine and technology, Donald K. Mitchener provides an important analysis of fundamental trends in American maritime strategy and naval command in the era of the Second World War. Drawing new perspectives from primary sources as well as the historiography, Mitchener offers fresh conclusions and his work will be an indispensable addition to any library. U.S. Naval Gunfire Support in the Pacific War will be required reading for examining the trends which shaped the struggle to achieve precision in supporting U.S. Navy amphibious operations in the Second World War and beyond. -- David Kohnen, director of the John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research, U.S. Naval War College

Technology reflects the influence of human innovation. Yet, the key social and political aspects of technological innovation are often obscure within the literature of maritime history, naval strategy, and operations. Considering developments in doctrine and technology, Donald K. Mitchener provides an important analysis of fundamental trends in American maritime strategy and naval command in the era of the Second World War. Drawing new perspectives from primary sources as well as the historiography, Mitchener offers fresh conclusions and his work will be an indispensable addition to any library. U.S. Naval Gunfire Support in the Pacific War will be required reading for examining the trends which shaped the struggle to achieve precision in supporting U.S. Navy amphibious operations in the Second World War and beyond. -- David Kohnen, director of the John B. Hattendorf Center for Maritime Historical Research, U.S. Naval War College This meticulous work finally gives us a long overdue stern but shrewd assessment of the evolution of U.S. naval gunfire support doctrine for Pacific amphibious landings. It reflects a host of still useful insights into the formulation of multiservice doctrine. Among the most important of these are the critical value of a shared understanding of terminology, a rigorous pursuit of empirical data to identify combat 'lessons, ' and the difference between the good intention to incorporate combat 'lessons' into doctrine and actually incorporating those 'lessons.' Its most timeless finding is that precision targeting counts far more than tonnage of explosives. This is a must-read for any serious student of amphibious warfare history. -- Richard B. Frank, author of A History of the Asia-Pacific War, Vol. 1, Tower of Skulls and Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle

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Donald K. Mitchener is a naval historian, lecturer, and fellow of the Military History Center at the University of North Texas. He is a member of the Editorial Advisory and Review Board for Global War Studies.

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