South Pacific Area

South Pacific Area, from 1 August 1942 that part of Admiral Nimitz's Pacific Ocean Areas which lay south of the equator between longitude 159° East and 110° West. It included New Zealand, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Fiji, and some of the Solomon Islands, and was commanded first by Vice-Admiral Ghormley and, from October 1942, by Vice-Admiral Halsey. Though Nimitz was his superior, Halsey, after March 1943, was also responsible to the commander of the South-West Pacific Area (SWPA), General MacArthur, for the strategic direction of the war in the Solomons. His naval forces, designated Third US Fleet (Fifth Fleet when commanded by Admiral Spruance) from March 1943, were mostly drawn from the US and New Zealand navies, but no warships, apart from the New Zealand ones, were permanently assigned to him, Nimitz allotting them to him as the need arose. Halsey's principal permanent forces comprised: the South Pacific Amphibious Force, commanded by Rear-Admiral Kelly Turner, to which landing forces were attached for amphibious warfare operations; land-based Allied air units commanded by Vice-Admiral Aubrey Fitch; and two ground forces. One of the ground forces was commanded by an airman, Lt-General Millard Harmon, who had overall command of four infantry divisions as well as Thirteenth USAAF (later transferred to SWPA), and these normally fought under the tactical command of 14th US Corps. The other was Maj-General Clayton Vogel's 1st Marine Amphibious Corps which comprised two marine divisions and ancilliary units.