"The thesis of this research is that the U.S. Army aviation engineer units played a crucial role in the success of General Douglas MacArthur's island hopping campaign in the Southwest Pacific Theater at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. Allied victory depended on seizing lightly defended enemy territory and neutralizing enemy strongpoints from Australia to the Philippines through the following patrem: conduct air and naval bombardment, land the assault forces, defeat any Japanese units in the area, and construct airfields and base facilities. This research demonstrates that aviation engineer units rapidly constructed these airbases and provided the necessary facilities for land-based aircraft so that carrier-based aircraft could focus on protecting the navy's fleet." TABLE OF CONTENTS MASTER OF MILITARY ART AND SCIENCE THESIS APPROVAL PAGE ii ABSTRACT iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS iv ILLUSTRATIONS vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2 FORMATION OF ENGINEER AVIATION UNITS, 1939-1941 15 CHAPTER 3 DEFENSE OF THE PHILIPPINES AND PREPARATIONS FOR THE OFFENSE, 1942 28 CHAPTER 4 EXPANSION OF ENGINEER AVIATION UNITS AND THEIR MISSIONS, 1943 55 CHAPTER 5 ENGINEER AVIATION UNITS PUSHING ALLIES NORTH, 1944 75 CHAPTER 6 ENGINEER AVIATION UNITS IN THE PHILIPPINES AND SHAPING THE FINAL MONTHS OF THE WAR, 1945 107 CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION 127 BIBLIOGRAPHY 134 INITIAL DISTRIBUTION LIST 137 CERTIFICATION FOR MMAS DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT 138 ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1 . Pacific Ocean Map 2 Figure 2. The Pacific Outposts 5 Figure 3 . Engineer Aviation Regiment 18 Figure 4. Engineer Aviation Battalion (Separate) 21 Figure 5. Philippine Islands 30 Figure 6. Bataan Peninsula 1942 32 Figure 7. Northern Australia 1942 35 Figure 8. Theater of Operations for the Southwest Pacific and Boundaries 38 Figure 9. Papua New Guinea 40 Figure 10. Combat Zone, 1943 61 Figure 11. Admiralty Islands, Biak, and Hollandia 77 Figure 12. Map of Vogelkop Operation and Geelvink Bay Area 89 Figure 13. Morotai Island of Dutch New Guinea, 1944 93 Figure 14. The Philippines, 1944-1945 108 Figure 15. Tactical Airfield Construction 116 Figure 16. Central Luzon 118 Figure 17. Airfield Locations in Southern Philippines 121 Digitized by www.dtic.mil

The thesis of this research is that the U.S. Army aviation engineer units played a crucial role in the success of General Douglas MacArthur's island hopping campaign in the Southwest Pacific Theater at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. Allied victory depended on seizing lightly defended enemy territory and neutralizing enemy strongpoints from Australia to the Philippines through the following pattern: conduct air and naval bombardment, land the assault forces, defeat any Japanese units in the area, and construct airfields and base facilities. This research demonstrates that aviation engineer units rapidly constructed these airbases and provided the necessary facilities for land-based aircraft so that carrier-based aircraft could focus on protecting the navy's fleet

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