Guadalcanal campaign
| U.S. Marines rest in the field on Guadalcanal, circa August-December 1942 | |||||||||||||||||
| Battle of Guadalcanal | |||||||||||||||||
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| Conflict | World War II - Pacific War | ||||||||||||||||
| Date | August 7, 1942 - February 9, 1943 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place | Guadalcanal | ||||||||||||||||
| Result | American victory | ||||||||||||||||
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The invasion of Guadalcanal by sixteen thousand United States troops began on 7 August, 1942 and was the first American offensive of the Pacific Campaign. Additional amphibious attacks simultaneously assaulted the islands of Florida, Tulagi, Gavutu and Tanambogo.
Background
Guadalcanal is situated in the middle of the long Solomon Islands chain, north-east of Australia. The location of the Solomon Islands made it ideal for cutting off shipping from the US to Australia - to avoid being spotted from the air, shipping would be forced to take long detours to the south. The Japanese had long held a major base on the northern end of the chain at Rabaul, but the length of the Solomons was so long that aircraft from Rabaul could not patrol the entirety of the island chain.
The Imperial Japanese Navy intended to turn the Solomons into a major strategic base to cut off Australia, and in 1942 started a program of taking over islands all along the chain and building airbases for land-based patrol bombers. Guadalcanal was to be the major base in the middle of the chain, just within ferry range of Rabaul.
The US, aware of their plans, decided that Guadalcanal would serve just as well as a US base for operations against Rabaul, and in their first offensive operation of the war, formed up an invasion fleet.
Operation Watchtower
On August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division performed an amphibious landing east of the Tenaru River. Initially, only unarmed Japanese construction and support personnel occupied Guadalcanal itself, allowing the Americans to come ashore almost unhindered. A nearby muddy airstrip was captured and renamed to Henderson Field.
In response to the invasion, Japanese reinforcements were dispatched to the island from Rabaul to destroy the Americans (Operation Ka-Go). The Japanese build-up would be under the command of the Japanese 17th Army, led by Lieutenant-General Hyakutake Haruyoshi.
The first significant battle occured at the Tenaru River on August 20th when a battalion-sized force of Japanese named the Ichiki Detachment attacked the Marines across the river sand bars. The attackers were decimated, being killed to the last man.
At this time the first American aircraft began operating from Henderson Field, dubbed "an unsinkable aircraft carrier". As "Cactus" was the Allied code-name for the island, they quickly became known as the "Cactus Air Force". The aviators provided air cover for the island and played a significant role in actions against the Japanese Navy. Much of the land combat to follow hinged on control of this strategic airfield.
The following month, 6,000 Japanese troops mounted a night assault from the south with the goal of taking back the airfield. The "Battle of Edson's Ridge" began on September 11th and continued until the 14th before the attack was finally beaten back by the Marines.
A lull in the fighting occured as the Japanese prepared for a new attack. The Japanese navy shelled the airfield on October 13th and 14th in an attempt to suppress the aircraft operating from the base. The airfield suffered heavy damage, but was returned to service. Finally on October 23, with the addition of more troops, the Japanese made another attempt to capture Henderson Field from the south of the salient at Matanikau River. The newly arrived U.S. 164th Army Infantry Regiment was defending part of this position, and although inexperienced they repulsed the attack.
In November the Japanese sent reinforcements in the form of the 38th Infantry Division. In the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, however, the transports carrying this reinforcement were badly damaged and the division was reduced to the strength of a regiment. Through November offensive actions were continued by the American forces in an attempt to push the perimeter out beyond artillery range of the airfield.
By December the 1st Marine Division was withdrawn for recuperation, and over the course of the next month the U.S. XIV Corps took over operastions on the island. This force consisted of the 2nd Marine Division, the 25th Infantry Division, and the Americal Division.
Japanese strength on the island was on the wane due to attrition and shortages of supplies brought on by the build-up of Allied ships and aircraft. The U.S. XIV Corps began offensive operations on January 10th, 1943, and by February 8th they had forced the remaining Japanese to be evacuated from Cape Esperance. American authorities declared Guadalcanal secure on 9 February, 1943, after more than six months of combat.
The near parity of the forces involved, both on land and at sea meant that combat was especially intense and characterized by extreme desperation. Disease also played a significant role in the ground campaign, as both the Japanese and American forces were weakened by malaria in the insect-infested jungles. Both sides had difficulty maintaining their supplies to the island, and in some cases Japanese army units suffered from starvation.
See also Operation Ke, and Operation Shoestring.
Naval Battles
These convoys and the land battle on Guadalcanal became magnets for naval activity on both sides. This resulted in seven naval battles:
- Savo Island on 9 August
- Battle of the Eastern Solomons on 24 August
- Battle of Cape Esperance on 11 & 12 October
- Battle of Santa Cruz Island on 26 & 27 October
- Naval Battle of Guadalcanal - two separate naval engagements fought on the nights of 11 November-12 November and 14 November-15 November
- Battle of Tassafaronga on 30 November.
Due to the significant number of vessels sunk in the approaches to Guadalcanal island, the stretch of water between Guadalcanal and Florida Island to the north became known as Ironbottom Sound. These naval battles did not produce a victor, but the Japanese were unable to replace their losses.
Aftermath & historical significance
Although the Battle of Midway is widely considered to be the turning point in the Pacific theater, it was really only a naval defeat. When the U.S. finally captured Guadalcanal, it was the first step in a long string of invasions that would eventually lead to Japan and victory. The capture of the island was the first breach of the perimeter Japan established during the first 6 months of the Pacific war. In this way Guadalcanal is considered the turning point for the Imperial Japanese Army.
Movies
The following movies have been based on the Battle of Guadalcanal.