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The United States Army conducted many campaigns during World War II. These are the campaigns that were officially designated by the Army. It is the basis of campaign honors and awards for U.S. Army units and servicemen, but is not a comprehensive list of all the campaigns of the war, as it omits campaigns in which U.S. Army participation was minimal.

In all, 44 World War II campaigns were designated by the U.S. Army: 24 for the Asiatic–Pacific Theater, 19 in the European–African–Middle Eastern Theater, and one in the American Theater. In addition, there were three main blanket campaigns: antisubmarine warfare, ground combat and air combat. These were designated for each theater, except the American Theater, which only had the one blanket campaign awarded – anti-submarine warfare. These three theaters each had its own campaign ribbon. The list of campaigns includes those undertaken by U.S. Army units participating in ground combat as well as those undertaken by United States Army Air Forces participating in air combat.

Overview

The war started for America on 7 December 1941 with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and the invasion of the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies. Hard-fought campaigns in Papua and Guadalcanal followed in 1942. In 1943, the Japanese were driven from the Aleutian Islands, and U.S. forces landed in the northern Solomon Islands, the Gilbert Islands, and the Bismarck Archipelago. This was followed in 1944 by the invasion of the Marshall Islands, a series of landings in western New Guinea, the capture of the Mariana Islands and Battle of Palau. The U.S. Army returned to the Philippines in October 1944, waging major campaigns on Luzon and the southern Philippines through 1945. U.S. forces landed on Okinawa and in April 1945. Atomic bombs developed under the direction of the U.S. Army were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, which caused the Japanese to unconditionally surrender on 2 September 1945, aboard the USS Missouri.

While U.S. support for China was a reason for the war, the U.S. Army did not deploy major ground forces there, although U.S. air and service units played a vital role. After being driven out of Burma in 1942, a provisional regiment of the U.S. Army (Merrill's Marauders) participated in the reconquest of Northern Burma in 1944, and two regiments took part in the Central Burma Campaign the following year before moving on into China. In response to U.S. Army Air Forces operations from China, the Japanese drove the Americans and Chinese from eastern China. Only in the last weeks of the war did the tide turn in favor of the Allies in China.

Although many campaigns were fought in Asia and the Pacific, the major focus of the U.S. Army was always on the European Theater, where most its strength was ultimately deployed. U.S. forces saw action in the invasion of North Africa in November 1942, and the subsequent Tunisia Campaign in 1943. The U.S. Army participated in the Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943, and then the Allied invasion of Italy in September. Hopes for a quick capture of Rome were frustrated by the Germans, who conducted a fighting withdrawal to the Gustav Line, which the landing at Anzio and the fighting at Monte Cassino in January 1944 failed to break. The Gustav Line was finally broken in May 1944, while Rome was captured on 4 June, and the Germans retreated to the Gothic Line in Northern Italy, where the Allies were held until they broke into the Po Valley in a successful offensive in April 1945.

In June 1944, the U.S. Army participated in Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy. After heavy fighting, the Allies broke out of Normandy in July 1944. Efforts to capture the ports in Brittany proved difficult, but Allied forces quickly liberated Belgium and much of France. U.S. forces participated in the invasion of southern France (Operation Dragoon) in August 1944, and the airborne assault on the Netherlands (Operation Market Garden) in September, but logistical difficulties and German resistance slowed U.S. assaults on the Siegfried Line and in Lorraine in late 1944. In December 1944, the U.S. Army was surprised by the German Ardennes offensive (the Battle of the Bulge), which was defeated only after costly fighting that strained the U.S. Army's manpower to its limits. In February 1945, operations began that drove the Germans from the Rhineland, and the Rhine was crossed in March 1945. In April 1945, U.S. Army forces entered the heartland of Germany. Operations continued until the war in Europe ended on 8 May 1945 with the signing of unconditional surrender the previous day.

Asiatic–Pacific Theater

Pacific campaigns

Campaigns in the China India Burma Theater

Blanket campaigns

European–African–Middle East Theater

North African / Mediterranean Theater campaigns

European campaigns

Blanket campaigns

American Theater

Blanket Campaigns

Notes

1. The Aleutian Islands Campaign is considered part of both the Pacific and American theaters since it is physically part of North America, but geographically juts out into the Pacific Ocean. Participation is recognized with a Campaign Star on the Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal rather than on the American Campaign Medal.

Footnotes

1. ^ "European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal". The Institute of Heraldry: Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
2. ^ "Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal". The Institute of Heraldry: Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
3. ^ Wilson, pp. 40–41.
4. Sturgeon, pp. 148–149.
5. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 158–161
6. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 164–167
7. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 230–231.
8. ^ Stanton, p. 596
9. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 238–239
10. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 240–241
11. ^ Grant, p. 327
12. Sturgeon, pp. 322–325
13. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 246–247
14. ^ McLynn, p. 45
15. ^ McLynn, p. 254
16. ^ McLynn, p. 352.
17. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 186–187
18. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 210–211.
19. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 212–213.
20. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 252–253
21. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 304–305
22. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 258–259
23. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 268–269
24. ^ Dandocollins, pp. 100–101
25. ^ Sturgeon, pp. 298–299
26. Tucker, p. 1595.
27. McGee, p. 21.
28. Frank, pp. 589–597
29. ^ Callery, pp. 74–75.
30. Grant, p. 320
31. ^ Drea, p. 3.
32. ^ Grant, pp. 322–323.
33. McLynn, pp. 25–30
34. McLynn, p. 256.
35. McLynn, p. 304.
36. ^ Sturgeon, p. 183.
37. ^ "World War II - European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Campaigns". U.S. Army Center of Military History. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
38. "American Campaign Medal". The Institute of Heraldry: Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.

References

• Callery, Sean (2013). Scholastic Discover More: World War II. New York City: Scholastic Reference. ISBN 978-0-5454-7975-2.
• Center of Military History, United States Army (1992). A Brief History of the U.S. Army in World War II: The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II. Washington, D.C.: United States Army. ISBN 978-0-1603-5956-9.
• Dando-Collins, Stephen (2015). Operation Chowhound: The Most Risky, Glorious U.S. Bomber Mission of World War II. New York City: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-1137279637.
• Drea, Edward J. (1993). New Guinea Campaign. The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II. Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-1608-9936-2.
• Frank, Richard (1990). Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle (1st ed.). New York City: Random House. ISBN 978-0-3945-8875-9.
• Grant, R. G. (2008). Battle at Sea: 3,000 years of Naval Warfare (First American ed.). London: Dorling Kimberly. ISBN 978-0-7566-3973-0.
• McGee, William L. (2002). The Solomons Campaigns, 1942–1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville – Pacific War Turning Point. Vol. 2. London: BMC Publications. ISBN 978-0-9701-6787-3.
• McLynn, Frank (2011). The Burma Campaign: Disaster Into Triumph, 1942–45 (Reprint ed.). New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0300171624.
• Holmes, Richard (2009). World War II: The Definitive Visual History. London: Dorling Kimberly. ISBN 978-0756642785.
• Stanton, Shelby L. (1984). Order of Battle: U.S. Army World War II (1st ed.). Novato, California: Presidio Press. ISBN 978-0-8914-1195-6.
• Sturgeon, Alison (2009). World War II: The Definitive Visual History. New York city: Dorling Kimberly. ISBN 978-0-7566-4278-5.
• Tucker, Spencer (2012). Almanac of American Military History. Vol. 1. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-5988-4530-3.
• Wilson, John B. (2009). U.S. Army Campaign Streamers: Colors of Courage Since 1775 (PDF). Arlington, Virginia: Institute of Land Warfare, Association of the United States Army. Retrieved 11 May 2015.

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• Campaigns of World War II
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• United States Army in World War II
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