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Operation Cleanslate
During World War II, Operation Cleanslate was the occupation of Russell Islands about sixty miles northwest of Guadalcanal by the United States on 21 February, 1943. The Japanese had captured the island in January, 1943, but abandoned them after only two weeks. A coastwatcher reported on 11 February that Japanese forces had left the islands. Background Located 25 miles from Guadalcanal, Russell Islands had no part in the operations there, until occupied by Japanese forces on January, 1943, to use them as a staging post for the evacuation of Guadalcanal. Reportedly, their presence there was very short-lived, and on 11 February they had left the islands. After securing Guadalcanal, admiral William Halsey Jr. ordered the occupation, both to develop the islands for future operations, and to prevent the Japanese from using them against American forces. Invasion Forces assigned to take the islands comprised around 10,000 men, including the 43rd Army Division and the 3rd Marine Raider ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis powers. World War II was a total war that directly involved more than 100 million personnel from more than 30 countries. The major participants in the war threw their entire economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind the war effort, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role in the conflict, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and deploying the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war. World War II was by far the deadliest conflict in human history; it resulted in 70 to 85 million fatalities, mostly among civilians. Tens of millions died due to genocides (including the Holocaust), starvation, ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Russell Islands
:''See also Russell Island (other).'' The Russell Islands are two small islands (Pavuvu and Mbanika), as well as several islets, of volcanic origin, in the Central Province of Solomon Islands. They are located approximately northwest of Guadalcanal. The islands are partially covered in coconut plantations, and have a copra and oil factory at Yandina (on Mbanika). Yandina also has basic services, including a store, post office, and airport. People The Lavukal people live on these islands. Their language is Lavukaleve. There is also a settlement of Polynesians, resettled from Tikopia, that lives in Nukufero on the west side of the larger island, Pavuvu. In 1956 the Levers Pacific Plantations company donated 80 acres for use for this resettlement, and later added another 125 acres in the 1960s. This land was subdivided into 4 acre lots for each family. Five hundred people from Tikopia had migrated there by 1965. Te Ariki Taumako who was the third Chief of Tikopia, made a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the second by population (after Malaita). The island is mainly covered in dense tropical rainforest and has a mountainous hinterland. Guadalcanal's first charting by westerners was under the Spanish expedition of Álvaro de Mendaña in 1568. The name comes from the village of Guadalcanal, in the province of Seville, in Andalusia, Spain, birthplace of Pedro de Ortega Valencia, a member of Mendaña's expedition. During 1942–43, it was the scene of the Guadalcanal Campaign and saw bitter fighting between Japanese and US troops. The Americans were ultimately victorious. At the end of World War II, Honiara, on the north coast of Guadalcanal, became the new capital of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. Geography Guadalcanal is the lar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Halsey Jr
William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959) was an American Navy admiral during World War II. He is one of four officers to have attained the rank of five-star fleet admiral of the United States Navy, the others being William Leahy, Ernest King, and Chester W. Nimitz. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Halsey graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1904. He served in the Great White Fleet and, during World War I, commanded the destroyer . He took command of the aircraft carrier in 1935 after completing a course in naval aviation, and was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in 1938. At the start of the War in the Pacific (1941–1945), Halsey commanded the task force centered on the carrier in a series of raids against Japanese-held targets. Halsey was made commander of the South Pacific Area, and led the Allied forces over the course of the Battle for Guadalcanal (1942–1943) and the fighting up the Solomon chain (1942–1945). I ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naval Base Banika Island
Naval Base Banika Island was a United States Navy base built during World War II on Mbanika Island in the Russell Islands, part of the Solomon Islands. A larger supply depot was built to support the ships fighting in the Pacific War. Also built were a repair base for landing craft, PT boats, and other boats. Banika Island offered excellent fleet anchorage. Banika Island was taken during the Solomon Islands campaign. Also at the base was built the Renard Sound Seaplane Base. History US Navy Seabee Construction Battalions built the base starting in February 1943. Seabee 33rd Battalion, 35th Battalion and other Construction Battalions built the Naval Base and much of the airfields on Banika Island. Enemy planes bombed one of the Naval Base Banika Island's tank farms on June 25, 1943. One 1,000-barrel tank was destroyed by fire. Three had Shrapnel shell, shrapnel damage. The pipelines to the port and airfields were damaged. It took the Seabees five days to repair the damages. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
