Marsh Is.#473 Landing at Bougainville - 1993 Imperforate Mint Issue
November 1, 1943 Bougainville, the largest island in the Solomon chain, was less than 200 miles from the Japanese stronghold at Rabaul. The objective of this daring amphibious assault was to establish an air base capable of neutralizing the Japanese at Rabaul and move a step closer to Japan. In preparation for the landing, U.S. Admiral Halsey ordered the attack of two small islands to the south, thus deceiving the enemy into reinforcing the southern tip of the island. Halsey then attacked on the western shore at Cape Torokina — guarded by fewer than 300 Japanese troops. Despite this huge advantage, the landing was still treacherous because of rough seas and fierce resistance. By nightfall, however, almost 14,000 marines had firmly dug in and the airfield was fully operational by December. Rather than trying to eliminate the estimated 35,000 Japanese on the island, the marines focused on establishing a large defense perimeter around the airfield protected by more than 60,000 soldiers. The cost for this blood-soaked island was steep: 1,000 American and 7,000 Japanese lives were lost.
