The United States has always been known for their tough attitude when it comes to war. Although the country as a whole has not been in many wars, the few times they have, they have been decisive and swift.
This is in large part due to their military strategy. During World War II, the United States relied heavily on the concept of attrition warfare.
What is attrition warfare, you might ask? It is a military strategy that relies on steadily defeating the enemy through heavy fire power and tactical moves rather than direct attacks.
This allows for less casualties on your side while slowly demoralizing the opposition. When used correctly, it can be very effective.
Attrition warfare was first used by Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz during the 19th century. He defined it as: “To wear down the enemy by methods of relentless force until he capitulates.
Aerial bombardment
During World War II, the United States relied heavily on aerial bombardment as a means to defeat the enemy. This was evident in the war efforts against both Germany and Japan.
Aerial bombardment referred to the targeted and deliberate bombing of enemy territories by aircraft. In this case, it was usually U.S. planes that carried out these bombings.
The United States had a large supply of planes and trained pilots during World War II. As such, they were able to produce a substantial amount of aircraft for their operations. Their pilots were also highly trained, which increased the likelihood of success during aerial bombardments.
Many of the Allied victories over Germany during WWII can be attributed to air superiority gained through aerial bombardment campaigns conducted by the Allies. The same can be said for the victories gained by the United States in the Pacific Theater against Japan.
Non-combat occupations
In the years following World War II, the U.S. developed a new way to think about how to defeat a country: by thinking about how to transform its society and politics.
This idea grew out of the realization that military force alone could not end conflicts and restore stability in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
In both of those countries, the US spent billions of dollars on military forces, but could not ensure lasting stability until it invested in rebuilding civilian society and institutions.
As we’re seeing in Afghanistan today, this investment is still necessary even after many years of US military involvement. The same will likely be true in Iraq once the current battle with ISIS is over.
This concept is known as non-combat occupations, and while it may sound strange at first, it has become an essential part of US foreign policy since the 1990s.
Blockade
In the years leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States sought to isolate Japan economically and diplomatically.
It did this by reducing trade with Japan, banning exports to Japan, and freezing Japanese assets in America. These measures were largely successful in cutting off access to oil and other key resources needed for waging war.
At the same time, America was rapidly building up its military, especially its navy. This was done in part by selling ships to other countries, which helped spread its influence.
America also began building enormous fleets of warships in its own ports, using millions of gallons of fuel every day. This strategy was intended to put pressure on Japan’s leaders — they knew that American ships were growing more powerful by the day, and that their own fleet was running low on fuel. It was a form of strategic deterrence.
Landings
The United States had a strategy that focused mainly on landings against Japan. These landings were meant to be the final blow against Japan, and all other strategies were built around this one concept.
Landings included the phases of bombing missions, island-hopping, and the final invasion of the Japanese mainland. Bombing missions were meant to weaken Japan’s power, island-hopping was meant to get troops closer to Japan and cost them less soldiers and ships, and the invasion of the mainland was meant to be the killing blow.
Island-hopping was a strategy that was used very frequently during WWII by the Allied forces. Island hopping is when forces move from island to island until you reach your target. In this case, the targets were islands close to Japan that had military bases on them. By clearing out these islands, it made it easier for Allied forces to advance towards Japan.
Air raids
When it came to fighting the Japanese, the United States relied mainly on a strategy of air raids. At the time, the United States was at the forefront of aerial technology, and this gave them an advantage over Japan.
The United States had several types of aircraft and weapons that they could use in their fight against Japan. They had B-29 Superfortress heavy bombers that could carry huge payloads of bombs and make long distance flights. They also had B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombers that were widely used in the air raids against Germany, but were modified for use against Japan.
They had many fighters such as the P-38 Lightning, P-40 Warhawk, and P-51 Mustang that were used to intercept and destroy enemy aircraft. They also had troop transport planes like the C-47 Skytrain and C-46 Commando to drop troops into battle.
Manchurian invasion
In February 1932, the Japanese invaded Manchuria, a region in northeast China. This was part of a wider strategy to increase Japan’s wealth and power.
At that time, Japan was a rapidly industrializing nation, but it lacked certain resources, such as oil. So the Imperial Army launched operations to secure oil reserves in nearby Mongolia.
The United States sent troops to guard the American-owned oil fields in that country, and they stayed until 1945. That was a very long time! The Japanese didn’t succeed in their mission, either: The Americans kept their oil wells safe.
Japan had been increasingly militaristic since the end of World War I, but it wasn’t until this invasion of Manchuria that the United States took notice and began developing strategies to oppose them. Before then they had just been considered a rising power.
China intervention
The United States planned to fight the war in the Pacific theater against Japan with the help of China. This was known as the China intervention.
In fact, many historians argue that this strategy was a bigger factor in defeating Japan than the atomic bombs were. The China intervention is largely forgotten because it did not receive nearly as much media attention as the atomic bombs did.
The United States helped to fund and arm Chinese nationalist forces led by Communist leader Mao Zedong, who fought Japanese forces in the Chinese Civil War. These troops would eventually go on to defeat Japan, pushing them out of mainland China.
This strategy was important because it cut off vital resources that allowed Japan to continue fighting Allied forces. It also took away a major battlefield for Japanese troops, resulting in higher casualties.
China intervention was one of the first cases of postwar nation-building, and it helped to strengthen communist movements across Asia.
Soviet help
In early 1945, the United States began planning its next major operation: the invasion of Japan. The U.S. had defeated Germany and was now focusing on defeating Japan, but this would not be easy.
By this time, the Soviet Union had joined the war against Japan and was advancing through Manchuria. The U.S. negotiated a joint invasion of Japan with the Soviets, hoping they would capture some territory in the nation for themselves as part of the deal.
This was a significant part of the strategy to defeat Japan: rely on Soviet help to occupy parts of it.
The U.S. also knew that this would be very costly for them, both in terms of casualties and in rebuilding after the war. This may have been one reason why they were willing to negotiate with the Soviets over occupation rights.
