Who was the Supreme Commander of the Pacific Allied Forces?

Answer 1

There were three theaters in the war against Japan - the Central Pacific, the Southwest Pacific, and the China-Burma-India Theaters of Operations.

The Pacific was divided largely to carve out a command for General Douglas MacArthur, who had enormous prestige and was a former Chief of Staff (commanding general) of the US Army. When MacArthur escaped from the Philippines the Southwest Pacific was created to make an appropriate command for him. He was based in Australia at first, and fought his way through New Guinea and neighboring island chains, and the Philippines. The Central Pacific Theater was under the command of US Admiral Chester Nimitz, who also commanded the US Pacific Fleet, and was based in Hawaii. Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten commanded the CBI. He was an uncle of Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. Mountbatten was murdered by the IRA in 1979.

Though Eisenhower was the "Supreme Allied Commander" in the European Theater of Operations, there was also a Mediterranean Theater of Operations, which directed the fighting in Italy. Eisenhower commanded the MTO before moving to England to ready for the invasion of France, after which the MTO command passed to British General Harold Alexander. There was no single supreme commander of allied forces in the Pacific Theater.

General MacArthur was the commander for the South West Pacific Area, while Admiral Nimitz was commander of the Pacific Ocean Area.

See the related question for more information.