ABSTRACT
This chapter examines one of Walter Krueger's many battles—the Wakde-Sarmi operation—as a case study. The Wakde-Sarmi area refers to a region of Northern New Guinea that is covered with dense jungle and low-lying swamps. While Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) officers were familiar with the geographical features of the Wakde-Sarmi area, they had far less knowledge of the Japanese defenses there. As commander of the Sixth United States Army during the Second World War, General Krueger has faced mixed reviews from military historians. Douglas MacArthur's instructions to Krueger on the eve of the Hollandia-Aitape campaign, directing him to prepare for multiple operations that were separated by hundreds of miles of ocean, were representative of the SWPA commander's approach to strategy throughout the Pacific War. Krueger received inaccurate intelligence prior to the Wakde-Sarmi operation. MacArthur's obsessive desire to return to the Philippines made him press Krueger into extending his forces across hundreds of miles of ocean and jungle.
