Preface
The chronology is primarily one of tactical events of World War II from the time the United States was drawn into the conflict on 7 December 1941 until the surrender of Japan in 1945, with emphasis on ground action by United States armed forces. Air and naval cooperation, combat actions of foreign units – both Allied and enemy – and general events of world-wide interest are detailed within the scope of space limitations.
Geographically, events for the period from Pearl Harbor to the invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944 are arranged in sequence from the Western Hemisphere westward around the world. From D Day to the end of the war the order is reversed, the action in western Europe taking precedence. The dates used are those of the area under discussion. Thus, the attack on Pearl Harbor is dated 7 December while the events occurring simultaneously in the Far East appear under 8 December. An exception has been made for the Gilberts and Marshalls campaign because the scene of engagement lies so near the International Date Line and also because most of the records consulted are dated west longitude.
To itemize the materials used in the preparation of this work of reference would be tedious, if not impossible. Suffice it to say that the compiler consulted extensively After Action Reports, histories of units engaged, dispatches of the Allied commanders, and other primary sources, but for correctness and completeness relied heavily on the findings of the historians who have written and are writing other volumes for the UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II, on the History of United States Naval Operations in World War II by Samuel Eliot Morison, and on The Army Air Forces in World War II edited by Wesley Frank Craven and James Lea Cate.
The volume is the product of a cooperative effort of the Chronology Section – first of the Historical Division and then of the Office of the Chief of Military History. To one staff member, Miss Goldie Ann Kannmacher, the compiler is especially grateful for unstinting service throughout most of the life of the project. The assistance of Miss Betty Lee Belt in the project’s initial stages is gratefully acknowledged. For directing the work of the staff during a six-month absence of the compiler, acknowledgments are due Maj. John M. Baker. Members of the staff who served it ably are Mrs. Margaret Leenhouts, Miss Mary G. Schuster, Miss Ruth Upson, Miss Grace Waibel, Miss Elizabeth Stribling, and the late Mrs. Priscilla White. Miss Lauretta Plockelman and Miss Jaqueline Van Hovel contributed valuable clerical assistance.
The compiler is also grateful to Dr. Kent Roberts Greenfield for his advice and moral support. To Miss Mary Ann Bacon, who edited the volume, to Nicholas J. Anthony for the Index, and to Mr. Israel Wice, Chief, General Reference Office, and his competent assistants, who acquired the materials used, I acknowledge my great indebtedness.
Mary H. Williams
Washington, D.C.
21 February 1958
United States Army In World War II
Kent Roberts Greenfield, General Editor
Advisory Committee
(As of 17 January 1958)
Elmer Ellis, University of Missouri
Maj. Gen. Oliver P. Newman, United States Continental Army Command
Samuel Flagg Bemis, Yale University
Brig. Gen. Edgar C. Doleman, Army War College
Gordon A. Craig, Princeton University
Brig. Gen. Frederick R. Zierath, United States Army War College
Oron J. Hale, University of Virginia
Brig. Gen. Kenneth F. Zitzman, Industrial College of the Armed Forces
W. Stull Holt, University of Washington
Col. Vincent J. Esposito, United States Military Academy
T. Harry Williams, Louisiana State University
Office of the Chief of Military History
Maj. Gen. Richard W. Stephens, Chief
Chief Historian, Kent Roberts Greenfield
Chief, Histories Division, Col. Seneca W. Foote
Chief, Editorial and Publication Division, Lt. Col. E. E. Steck
Editor in Chief, Joseph R. Friedman
Chief, Cartographic Branch, Elliot Dunay
Chief, Photographic Branch, Margaret E. Tackley