How the Allies Bypassed Rabaul and Isolated 100,000 Japanese Troops

Rabaul was one of Japan’s most powerful strongholds in the South Pacific, protected by a massive garrison, fortified positions, major airfields, and Simpson Harbor. Instead of launching a costly direct invasion, Allied commanders used Operation Cartwheel to strip the base of its strategic reach. This video follows the campaign through Bougainville, Cape Gloucester, the Green Islands, and the Admiralty Islands, showing how forces under Douglas MacArthur and William Halsey captured surrounding airfields and naval bases, attacked Japanese air and sea power, severed supply routes, and ultimately bypassed Rabaul. By 1944, nearly 100,000 Japanese troops remained heavily armed on New Britain, but the Allied advance could move toward the Philippines without having to storm the fortress itself. Sources: https://history.army.mil/Publications... https://history.army.mil/Research/Ref... https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-b... https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-b... https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-b... https://www.history.navy.mil/content/... #WWII #WorldWarII #PacificWar #Rabaul #OperationCartwheel #PacificTheater #MilitaryHistory #NewBritain #Bougainville #DouglasMacArthur #WilliamHalsey #WW2History