Editing Operation Cartwheel (section)

==Background==
[[Battle of Rabaul (1942)|Japanese forces had captured Rabaul]], on the island of [[New Britain]] in the [[Territory of New Guinea]], from Australian forces in February 1942. Rabaul became a major [[Forward operating base|forward base]] for Japanese forces in the South Pacific, and in turn became the main objective for Allied forces in the area. MacArthur formulated a strategy known as the '''Elkton Plan''' to capture Rabaul, using bases in Australia and [[New Guinea]] as staging points. Meanwhile, Admiral [[Ernest J. King]], the [[Chief of Naval Operations]], proposed a plan with similar elements but under US Navy command. [[Chief of Staff of the United States Army|Army Chief of Staff]] [[George C. Marshall]], whose main goal was for the US to concentrate its efforts against [[Nazi Germany]] in [[European theatre of World War II|Europe]] and not against the Japanese in the Pacific, proposed a compromise in which the drive towards Rabaul would be divided into three stages; the first under Navy command, and the latter two under MacArthur's direction and the control of the Army. This strategic plan, which was never formally adopted by the US [[Joint Chiefs of Staff]] but was ultimately implemented in practice, called for the following:
*Capturing [[Tulagi]] (and later Guadalcanal) and the [[Santa Cruz Islands]] ([[Operation Watchtower]])
*Capturing the northeastern coast of New Guinea and the central Solomons<ref name=WDL1/>
*Reducing Rabaul and surrounding Japanese bases<ref name=WDL1/>

The protracted [[Guadalcanal campaign|battle for Guadalcanal]], followed by the unopposed seizure of the [[Russell Islands]] (''Operation Cleanslate'') on 21 February 1943, resulted in Japanese attempts to reinforce the area by sea. MacArthur's air forces countered in the [[Battle of the Bismarck Sea]] from 2–5 March 1943. The disastrous losses suffered by the Japanese prompted Admiral [[Isoroku Yamamoto]] to initiate [[Operation I-Go]], a protracted series of air attacks against Allied airfields and shipping at both Guadalcanal and New Guinea, during which Japanese naval air strength was significantly [[Attrition warfare|attrited]]. Yamamoto was [[Operation Vengeance|killed]] on 18 April 1943 when his plane was shot down over the Solomon Islands.