The "Island Hopping Campaign" was a term to describe the years in which the United States attempted to gain military bases on different islands in the Pacific Ocean. Teaming up with other allied countries, the United States attacks the islands least protected by the Japanese. However, acquiring this land was not easy and was not without cost. Many battles were fought on the Pacific Islands and many lives were lost. One of the major battles fought for control of an island was the Battle of New Guinea. New Guinea is located off the northern coast of Australia and is part of the Solomon Islands. New Guinea is the second-largest island in the world, but the vast block of land in the middle of the Pacific isn't the only reason Japan wanted to take control of it. The Japanese wanted New Guinea for several reasons. For example, in Papua, the Japanese wanted to use this side of the island as a first step to defend Rabaul. The Japanese had a military base in Rabaul, a town in the Gulf of New Guinea, and needed a place on the island to protect it, which is why they wanted Papua. The Battle of New Guinea was actually a series of battles on several different islands surrounding the largest one. The Allied forces, made up of the Americans and Australians, wanted New Guinea because of its size. It was perfect for a military base and created the ideal place to install a landing strip for airplanes. The Allies would use this airstrip and military base to eliminate the Japanese at Rabaul. Port Moresby, Milne Bay, Kokoda and Buna were also places where the Allies wanted to build an airfield. These places were strategic for both sides, so it was the main objective of the battle. Another thing that made New Gu...... middle of paper ...... control of the Huon Peninsula on April 24, 1944. The Huon Peninsula Campaign was a series of battles in which the Australian forces attacked Japanese bases along the Huon Peninsula. Some of the battles include Finschhafen, Scarlet Beach, Sattleberg and Sio. This campaign began with an amphibious landing on Scarlet Beach on September 22, 1943. An amphibious landing occurs when air, land, and sea forces land at the same time for an invasion. As the Allies moved north and attempted to secure Finschhafen, Japanese troops attacked Scarlet Beach. This battle lasted about a week and forced the Australian lines to divide their forces. However, the Australians pressed on and set about controlling Sattleberg. This was particularly important to the Australians as it was good for observing the coast and if the Japanese took control they could disrupt Australian lines of communication..