Leapfrogging (strategy)

This article is about the World War II strategy. For the tactical counterpart, see Leapfrogging (infantry). For the biological migration movement of island hopping, see Oceanic dispersal. For other uses of "Island hopping", see Island hopping (disambiguation).
Allied island-hopping campaign 1943–1945:
Blue – Japanese-held territory Aug. 1945
Dark red – Allied territory
Red – Occupied Nov. 1943
Dark pink – Occupied Apr. 1944
Pink – Occupied Oct. 1944
Light pink – Occupied Aug. 1945

Leapfrogging, also known as island hopping, was an amphibious military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan during World War II. The key idea was to bypass heavily fortified enemy islands instead of trying to capture every island in sequence en route to a final target. The reasoning was that those islands could simply be cut off from their supply chains (leading to their eventual capitulation) rather than needing to be overwhelmed by superior force, thus speeding up progress and reducing losses of troops and materiel. The strategy did not prove very successful, as many Japanese garrisons survived longer than the Allies expected.