Island-Hopping

The Invisible Army ← Series Home Key Takeaways Two different concepts: The Army built forward bases and pulled supplies toward the front. The Navy created mobile logistics that moved with the fleet. Both worked�for different purposes. The fleet train revolution: The U.S. Navy developed underway replenishment�refueling and rearming ships at sea without returning to port. This multiplied combat power by keeping the fleet in action. Island hopping was logistics strategy: Bypassing strongholds and seizing key islands wasn't just tactical cleverness�it minimized the logistics burden of capturing and holding territory. Distance dominated everything: The vast Pacific distances forced innovations that shaped naval logistics for the next 80 years. The Tyranny of Pacific Distance The Pacific Theater presented logistics challenges unlike anything in Military and Logistics. The distances were almost incomprehensible: ...

The Kinetic Chain 1 Part 1: Alexander's Invisible Army 2 Part 2: Napoleon's Fatal Calculation 3 Part 3: The Railroad Revolution 4 Part 4: The Crimean Catastrophe 5 Part 5: Barbarossa and the Battle of the Gauges 6 Part 6: The Battle of the Bulge and the Tyranny of Fuel 7 Part 7: Wholesale Distribution and the American Way of 8 Part 8: The Pacific Logistics Challenge 9 Part 9: Victory Through Logistics 10 Part 10: Vietnam and the Tyranny of Terrain 11 Part 11: Giap's Bicycle Brigades 12 Part 12: The Ho Chi Minh Trail 13 Part 13: American Largesse in Vietnam 14 Part 14: The M16 Debacle and Logistics Failure 15 Part 15: The Falklands Logistics Miracle 16 Part 16: Desert Storm and the Logistics Miracle 17 Part 17: The Future of Contested Logistics ← Series Home Key Takeaways Two different concepts: The Army built forward bases and pulled supplies toward the front. The Navy created mobile logistics that moved with the fleet. Both worked—for different purposes. The fleet train revolution: The U.S. Navy developed underway replenishment—refueling and rearming ships at sea without returning to port. This multiplied combat power by keeping the fleet in action. Island hopping was logistics strategy: Bypassing strongholds and seizing key islands wasn't just tactical cleverness—it minimized the logistics burden of capturing and holding territory. Distance dominated everything: The vast Pacific distances forced innovations that shaped naval logistics for the next 80 years. The Tyranny of Pacific Distance The Pacific Theater presented logistics challenges unlike anything in Military and Logistics. The distances were almost incomprehensible: ...