Guadalcanal Campaign , also known as Battle of Guadalcanal and named Operation Watchtower by American troops, was a military campaign that took place between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 in and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theater of World War II. It was the first major attack by the Allied forces against the Japanese Empire.
On September 7, Allied forces, notably US Marines, landed in Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida in the southern Solomon Islands, with the aim of refusing their use by the Japanese to threaten Allied supplies and communication routes between the United States, Australia and New Zealand; strong US and Australian naval forces support this landing.
The Allies also intend to use Guadalcanal and Tulagi as a base in support of the campaign to finally capture or neutralize the main Japanese base at Rabaul in New Britain. The Japanese defenders, who occupied the islands since May 1942, were outnumbered and overwhelmed by the Allies, who captured Tulagi and Florida, as well as the airfield - later named Henderson Field - under construction at Guadalcanal.
Shocked by Allied attacks, Japan made several attempts between August and November to reclaim Henderson Field. Three major land battles, seven major sea battles (five night surface action and two carrier battles), and almost daily air combat mounted at the decisive Guadalcanal Sea Battle in early November, with the defeat of the last Japanese attempt to bombard Henderson Field from the sea and landed with enough troops to regain it. In December, the Japanese abandoned their efforts to reclaim Guadalcanal, and evacuated their remaining troops on 7 February 1943, in the face of an attack by the US Army XIV Corps.
The Guadalcanal campaign was a significant strategic Allied armament victory in the Pacific theater. While the Battle of Midway was a crushing defeat of the Imperial Japanese Navy, it did not stop the Japanese attack, which continued both on the sea and on the ground. The victories at Milne Bay, Buna-Gona and Guadalcanal did mark the Allied transition from defense operations to strategic initiatives in the theater, leading to an offensive campaign in the Solomon Islands, New Guinea and the Central Pacific, resulting in the Japanese Deliveries, ending World War II.
Video Guadalcanal Campaign
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Strategic considerations
On December 7, 1941, Japanese troops attacked the US Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack paralyzed many of U.S. fleet warships. and trigger a state of open and formal war between the two countries. The original aim of the Japanese leaders was to neutralize the US Navy, seize natural resource assets, and build strategic military bases to defend the Japanese empire in the Pacific and Asian Oceans. To achieve this goal, the Japanese troops captured the Philippines, Thailand, Malaya, Singapore, Burma, the Netherlands Indies, Wake Island, Gilbert Islands, New Britain and Guam. Joining the US in the war against Japan is the remaining Allied forces, some of which, including Britain, Australia and the Netherlands, have also been attacked by the Japanese.
Japan made two attempts to continue their strategic initiatives, and aggressively expanded their outer defenses in the southern and central Pacific to where they could threaten Australia and Hawaii or the US West Coast. Those efforts were thwarted in the Coral Sea and Midway sea battles respectively. The Coral Sea is a tactical dead end, but a strategic Allied victory that became clear only moments later. Midway was not only the first clear first victory for the Allies against Japan, it significantly reduced the offensive capability of the Japanese carrier force, but did not change their offensive mindset for several crucial months where they added to the error by moving forward with a brash, even brash decision , like an attempt to attack Port Moresby on Kokoda's trail. Up to this point, the Allies have been in a defensive position in the Pacific but this strategic victory gives them a chance to take the initiative from Japan.
The Allies chose the Solomon Islands (the Protectorate of the United Kingdom), especially the southern Solomon Islands of Guadalcanal, Tulagi and Florida Island, as the first target, designating the One (with the password name Pestilence), with three specific objects. Originally, its destination was the occupation of the Santa Cruz Islands (the Huddle code name), Tulagi (password name Watch Tower), and "adjacent positions". Guadalcanal (code name Cactus ), which eventually became the focus of operations, not even mentioned in the initial and new commands and then took the operating name The Watchtower .
The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) had occupied Tulagi in May 1942 and had built an amphibious seaplane nearby. Allied concerns grew when, in early July 1942, the IJN began building large airfields at Lunga Point near Guadalcanal - from long-range bombers such as Japan would threaten the marine communications routes from the West Coast of America to the densely populated East Coast of Australia. In August 1942, Japan had about 900 marine forces in Tulagi and its nearby islands and 2,800 personnel (2,200 were Korean forced laborers and supervisors as well as Japanese construction specialists) in Guadalcanal. These bases will protect Japan's main base at Rabaul, threatening Allied supplies and communications lines and setting up staging areas for planned attacks against Fiji, New Caledonia and Samoa ( FS Operations ). Japan plans to deploy 45 fighters and 60 bombers to Guadalcanal. In the overall strategy for 1942, the aircraft could provide air cover for Japanese naval forces moving further into the South Pacific.
Allied plan to attack southern Solomons was conceived by Admiral Ernest King AS, Commander of the United States Armed Forces. He proposed an attack to deny the use of the islands by Japan as a base to threaten the supply routes between the United States and Australia and use them as a starting point. With the tacit approval of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the King also supported the invasion of Guadalcanal. Because the United States supports the UK proposal that priority is given to defeating Germany before Japan, the Pacific theater must compete for personnel and resources with European theater.
The initial obstacle was the desire by the army and Roosevelt to start action in Europe. In addition, there is a commando issue in which Tulagi is in the area under the command of General Douglas MacArthur while the Santa Cruz Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Area which will also supply almost any offensive forces that will prepare and be provided and covered from the area that. Both were overcome and the US Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall gave full support to the operation, even if MacArthur's command was unable to provide support, and the navy had to take full responsibility. As a result, and to maintain command unity, the boundary between the Western Pacific MacArthur region and the Pacific Ocean region of Nimitz shifted 60 miles (97 km) to 360 miles (580 km) westward effective August 1, 1942.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff set the following goals for 1942-1943: that Guadalcanal will be taken, along with Allied attacks in New Guinea under Douglas MacArthur, to capture the Admiralty Islands and Bismarck Islands, including the main Japanese base at Rabaul. The directive stated that the ultimate goal was the American conquest of the Philippines. The US Joint Chiefs of Staff created the South Pacific theater, with Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley taking command on June 19, 1942, to direct the attack on Solomonon. Admiral Chester Nimitz, based in Pearl Harbor, is designated as the overall Allied commander for Pacific forces.
Duty unit
In preparation for the offensive in the Pacific in May 1942, US Marine Major General Alexander Vandegrift was ordered to move the 1st Marine Division from the United States to New Zealand. Other ground units, navies and other Allied air forces were sent to establish or strengthen bases in Fiji, Samoa, New Hebrides and New Caledonia.
The Watchtower forced, with a total of 75 warships and transportation (ships from the US and Australia), gathered near Fiji on July 26, 1942 and engaged in a landing exercise before leaving for Guadalcanal on July 31. The commander of the Allied expeditionary force was US Vice Admiral Frank Fletcher (whose flag was on the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga ). Ordered the amphibious troops was US Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner. Vandegrift leads 16,000 Allied (mainly US) infantry dedicated to landing.
Troops sent to Guadalcanal were refreshed from military training and armed with M1903 Springfield rifles, and ammunition supplies for 10 days. Due to the need to take them to the battlefield quickly, the operating planners have reduced their inventory from 90 days to just 60. The men from the Marine Division 1 begin to refer to the upcoming battle as "Operation Bersaing".
Maps Guadalcanal Campaign
Events
Landing
The bad weather allowed Allied expedition forces to arrive unseen by the Japanese on the night of August 6 and the morning of 7 August, leaving the defenders in shock. This is sometimes called "Midnight Raid on Guadalcanal". A Japanese patrol aircraft from Tulagi had searched the common area of ​​the Allied invasion fleet moving through, but lost sight of Allied ships due to severe storms and thick clouds. The landing forces were divided into two groups, with one group attacking Guadalcanal, and the other Tulagi, Florida, and nearby islands. Allied warships bombarded coastal raids while US aircraft bombed Japanese positions on the target islands and destroyed 15 Japanese seaplanes at their base near Tulagi.
Tulagi and two nearby small islands, Gavutu and Tanambogo, were attacked by 3,000 US Marines. The 886 IJN personnel who escorted naval and amphibious bases on three islets ferociously deflected Marines. With great difficulty, the Marines secured the three islands; Tulagi on August 8, and Gavutu and Tanambogo on August 9th. The Japanese defenders were killed almost to the last, while the Marines suffered 122 deaths.
Unlike Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tanambogo, landings in Guadalcanal face less resistance. At 9:10 on August 7, Vandegrift and 11,000 US Marines landed at Guadalcanal between Koli Point and Lunga Point. Advancing towards Lunga Point, they face little resistance and secure the airfield at 16:00 on August 8th. Japanese naval construction units and combat troops, under the command of Captain Kanae Monzen, who was panicked by bombing warships and aerial bombings, have left the airstrip area and flew about 3 miles (4.8 km) west to the Matanikau River and the area Point Cruz, leaving food, supplies, construction equipment and intact vehicles, and 13 dead.
During the landing operations on 7 and 8 August, the Rabaul-based Japanese naval aircraft, under the command of Sadayoshi Yamada, attacked the Allied amphibians several times, causing the fire of USS transport George F. Elliot (who drowned two days later) and severely damages the destroyer USSÃ, Jarvis . In a two-day air strike, Japan lost 36 aircraft, while the US lost 19, both in combat and crash, including 14 aircraft carrier fighters.
After these clashes, Fletcher is concerned about the loss of his fighter's fighting power, fearing threats to his aircraft carrier from further Japanese airstrikes, and worrying about the fuel levels of his ship. Fletcher resigned from the Solomon Islands area with his troop duty on the night of 8 August. As a result of the loss of the introductory air cover, Turner decided to withdraw his ships from Guadalcanal, although less than half the supplies and heavy equipment needed by ground forces had been lowered. Turner planned, however, to reduce as much inventory as possible at Guadalcanal and Tulagi during the night of August 8 and then depart with his ship early on August 9th.
Battle of Savo Island
As the transport was lowered on the night of August 8-9, two groups of Allied cruiser and destroyer filtering, under the command of British Rear Admiral Victor Crutchley VC, were shocked and defeated by Japanese troops of seven cruisers and one destroyer from the 8th Armada based in Rabaul and Kavieng and commanded by Vice Admiral Young Japan Gunichi Mikawa. In the Battle of Savo Island, an Australian cruiser and three American explorers drowned and an American cruiser and two destroyers were damaged. Japan suffered moderate damage to one cruiser. Mikawa, unaware that Fletcher was preparing to retreat with US carriers, immediately retreated to Rabaul without attempting to attack the transport. Mikawa worries about the daylight air strikes if he stays in the area. Under his air cover, Turner decided to withdraw his remaining naval force on the night of August 9 and thus leave the Marines on land without much heavy equipment, supplies and troops still aboard. Mikawa's decision not to try to destroy Allied transport vessels when he had a chance proved to be an important strategic mistake.
Initial landline
The 11,000 Marines in Guadalcanal initially concentrated on forming a loose perimeter of defense around Lunga Point and the airfield, moving inventory landed on the perimeter and completing the airfield. Within four days of intense effort, inventories were moved from landing beaches to dumps scattered within the perimeter. Work begins at the airport immediately, primarily using the Japanese equipment taken. On August 12 the airstrip was named Henderson Field after Lofton R. Henderson, a Marine aviator who was killed in the Battle of Midway. On August 18, the airfield is ready for operation. Five days worth of food has been landed from transportation, which, along with the arrested Japanese provisions, gives the Marines a total of 14 days worth of food. To save inventory, troops are limited to two meals per day.
Allied troops face severe dysentery strains immediately after the landing, with one in five Marines suffering in mid-August. Tropical disease will affect the fighting power of both parties throughout the campaign.
Although some Korean construction workers surrendered to the Marines, most of the remaining Japanese and Korean personnel gathered on the western perimeter of Lunga on the western bank of the Matanikau River and mostly lived in coconuts. A Japanese sea post is also located at Taivu Point, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) east of the perimeter of Lunga. On August 8, a Japanese destroyer from Rabaul dispatched 113 naval forces to Matanikau.
Goettge Patrol
On the night of August 12, a 25-person US Marines patrol led by D-2 Division Lieutenant Colonel Frank Goettge and mainly composed of intelligence personnel, landed by boat to the west of the perimeter of Marine Lunga, east of Point Cruz and west of the perimeter Japan on the Matanikau River, on a reconnaissance mission with a secondary purpose to contact a group of Japanese troops believed to be US troops might be willing to surrender. As soon as the patrol landed, a platoon near the Japanese naval forces attacked and almost completely wiped out the Marines patrol.
In response, on August 19, Vandegrift sent three companies from the 5th US Marine Regiment to attack the concentration of Japanese troops west of Matanikau. One company attacked on a sandbar at the mouth of the Matanikau River while the other crossed the 1,000-meter (1,100 km) river inland and attacked Japanese troops located in the village of Matanikau. The third landed by boat over to the west and attacked the village of Kokumbuna. After occupying both villages, three Marine companies returned to Lunga's perimeter, after killing about 65 Japanese soldiers while losing four marines. This act, sometimes referred to as the "First Battle of Matanikau", was the first of several major acts around the Matanikau River during the campaign.
On August 20, the aircraft carrier USS Long Island sent two squadrons of Marine aircraft to Henderson Field, a squadron of 19 Grumman F4F Wildcats and the other a squadron of 12 Douglas SBD Dauntlesses. The aircraft at Henderson is known as "Cactus Air Force" (CAF) after the codename Allied for Guadalcanal. The Marine fighters reacted the following day to the Japanese air strikes on an almost daily basis. On August 22, five US Air Force P-400 helicopters and their pilots arrived at Henderson Field.
Tenaru Battle
In response to the Allied landings in Guadalcanal, the General Headquarters of the Japanese Empire commissioned the 17th Army of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), a Rabaul-based corps command and under the command of Lieutenant General Harukichi Hyakutake, the task of retaking Guadalcanal. The army will be supported by a Japanese naval unit, including the Combined Fleet under the command of Isoroku Yamamoto, who is headquartered in Truk. The 17th Army, at that time heavily involved in the Japanese campaign in New Guinea, has only a few units available. Of these, the 35th Infantry Brigade under Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi is in Palau, the 4th Infantry Regiment (Aoba) is in the Philippines and the 28th Infantry Regiment (Ichiki), under the command of Colonel Kiyonao Ichiki, is on board ship transportation near Guam. Different units begin moving towards Guadalcanal via Truck and Rabaul soon, but the closest Ichiki regiment, arrives in the area first. A "First Element" of the Ichiki unit, consisting of about 917 soldiers, landed from a destroyer in Taivu Point, east of the perimeter of Lunga, after midnight on August 19, then performs 9 miles (14 km) of nights marching west to the perimeter Sea.
Underestimating the forces of the Allied forces in Guadalcanal, the Ichiki unit performs a frontal attack at night in the Marines position at Alligator Creek (often called "Ilu River" on the US Marines map) on the east side of the perimeter of Lunga in the morning hours of 21 August. The Ichiki attack was defeated by Japan's massive loss in what is known as the Tenaru Battle. After dawn, the Marines attacked the surviving Ichiki troops, killing more of them. The dead include Ichiki, though he has claimed that he committed seppuku after realizing the magnitude of his defeat, rather than die in battle. In total, 789 of the original 917 members of the Ichiki Regiment's First Element died in battle. About 30 survived the fighting and joined Ichiki's rear guard by about 100, and the 128 Japanese returned to Taivu Point, notifying the 17th Army headquarters of their defeat and awaiting reinforcements and further orders from Rabaul.
East Solomons Battle
When Tenaru's battle is over, more Japanese reinforcements are on their way. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto garnered the power of a very powerful expedition. Their goal is to destroy every unit of the American fleet in the area, and then eliminate Henderson Field. These troops are sorted from Trucks on August 23. Some reinforcements, support, and other bombarding groups sort from Trucks and Rabaul. Three slow transport ships departing from Truk on August 16 brought the remaining 1,400 troops from the Ichiki Infantry Regiment (28) plus 500 marines from the Navy Special Force 5 Yokosuka. The transport is guarded by 13 warships commanded by Raiz's Rear Admiral Japan? Tanaka, who plans to land troops in Guadalcanal on August 24. To cover the landing of these troops and provide support for operations to reclaim Henderson Field from the Allied forces, Yamamoto directs ChÃ…ichi Nagumo to sort with the carrier forces from Truk on 21 August and heads to the southern Solomon Islands. Nagumo's forces include three aircraft carriers and 30 other warships. Yamamoto will send a light carrier Ry? J? on the possible role of bait in front of the rest of the fleet, and attacking Guadalcanal to attract the attention of American pilots. Meanwhile, aircraft from two aircraft carriers will serve to attack America.
Simultaneously, three task forces of US carriers under Fletcher approached Guadalcanal to counter Japan's offensive efforts; one diverted to refuel.
On August 24, two carrier troops fought. Japan has two aircraft carriers Sh? Kaku and Zuikaku and the light carrier Ry? J? . Japan has 177 aircraft operator-based. American forces have only two operators, the Saratoga and Enterprise , and their 176 aircraft. Feed carrier Ry? J? overwhelmed. He was hit by several 1,000-pound bombs then hit by an air torpedo. The ship was abandoned and finally drowned on the same night. The two Japanese carriers were not attacked. Enterprise attacked and destroyed. Both fleets then retreated from the area. The Japanese lost Ry? J? and dozens of aircraft and most of their aircrew; America lost several planes and Enterprise is being repaired for two months.
On August 25, Tanaka's convoy was attacked by CAF aircraft from Henderson Field. After suffering heavy damage during the fighting including the sinking of one of the transportation, the convoy was forced to divert to the Shortland Islands in northern Solomons to transfer the surviving troops to a destroyer and then sent to Guadalcanal. Japan has launched an air raid on Guadalcanal, causing havoc and catastrophe, while the American Marines have involved a convoy of Tanaka headed by a Jints warship? near Taivu Point. Japanese transport sank. The older destroyer Mutsuki is so damaged that it must be eliminated. Several other warships were damaged including Tanaka himself Jints? . At this point, Tanaka resigned and rescheduled the supplies for the evening of August 28 through the destroyer.
Meanwhile, on August 25, the US aircraft carrier Wasp , after refueling, positioned itself east of Guadalcanal expecting Japanese movement there. However, nothing can be found.
Strategically, Japan has a chance here for a decisive victory. However, they failed to achieve it. They allow the Americans to walk away with a winning glance. In addition, the strengthening of Henderson Field of Guadalcanal by Enterprise ' s plane formed a precedent. This makes the daylight supply to get to Guadalcanal which is impossible for Japanese delivery. Just a few weeks before this, Japan had full control over the sea in the region; now they are forced to make supplies run only under the shadow of darkness.
Battle of air above Henderson Field and Lunga defense strengthening
Throughout August, a small number of US aircraft and their crew continue to reach Guadalcanal. At the end of August, 64 aircraft of various types were stationed at Henderson Field. On September 3, the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing commander, US Marine Brigadier Roy S. Geiger, arrived with his staff and took command of all air operations at Henderson Field. Air battles between Allied aircraft in Henderson and Japanese bombers as well as fighters from Rabaul continued almost daily. Between August 26 and September 5, the US lost about 15 aircraft while Japan lost about 19 aircraft. More than half of the fallen US aircraft were saved while most of the Japanese crew were never found. The eight hour round-trip from Rabaul to Guadalcanal, about 1,120 miles (1,800 km), severely hampered Japan's efforts to build air superiority over Henderson Field. Australian coast watchers in Bougainville and the islands of New Georgia can often provide Allied forces in Guadalcanal with prior notice of incoming Japanese airstrikes, allowing US fighters time to take off and position themselves to attack Japanese bombers and fighters as they approach the island. Thus, the Japanese air forces slowly lost the friction war in the sky above Guadalcanal.
During this time, Vandegrift continued to direct efforts to strengthen and improve Lunga's perimeter defenses. Between August 21 and September 3 he relocated three Marine battalions, including the First Raider Battalion, under Merritt A. Edson (Edson's Raiders), and First Parachute Battalions from Tulagi and Gavutu to Guadalcanal. These units added about 1,500 troops to the original Vandegrift's 11,000 people defending Henderson Field. The First Parachute Battalion, which had suffered many casualties in the Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo in August, was placed under Edson's command.
Another relocated Battalion, Battalion 1, 5th Marine Regiment (1/5), landed by boat west of Matanikau near Kokumbuna village on 27 August with a mission to attack Japanese units in the area, just as in the first Matanikau August 19th. In this case the Marines are hindered by the difficult terrain, the hot sun, and good Japanese defense. The next morning, the Marines discovered that Japanese defenders had departed at night, so the Marines returned to Lunga's perimeter by boat. Losses in this action were 20 Japanese and 3 marines were killed.
A small Allied naval convoy arrived at Guadalcanal on August 23, August 29, September 1, and September 8 to provide the Marines at Lunga with more food, ammunition, aircraft fuel and aircraft engineers. The convoy on September 1 also brought 392 construction engineers to maintain and upgrade Henderson Field. In addition, on September 3 Marine Aircraft Group 25 began transporting high-priority cargoes, including personnel, aviation fuel, ammunition, and other supplies, to Henderson Field.
Tokyo Express
On August 23, the 35th Kawaguchi Infantry Brigade reached the Truck and loaded onto a slow transport ship for the rest of the trip to Guadalcanal. The damage that occurred to the Tanaka convoy during the East Solomon Battle caused the Japanese to consider trying to send more troops to Guadalcanal with slow transportation. Instead, the ship carrying Kawaguchi's army was sent to Rabaul. From there, Japan plans to send Kawaguchi troops to Guadalcanal on a destroyer through a Japanese naval base in the Shortland Islands. Japanese destroyers can usually travel down "The Slot" (New Georgia Voice) to Guadalcanal and return within one night throughout the campaign, minimizing their exposure to Allied air raids. This trip is known as "Tokyo Express" for Allied forces and is labeled "Rat Transportation" by Japan. Giving troops in this way, however, prevented most of the heavy equipment and supplies, such as heavy artillery, vehicles, and lots of food and ammunition, from being transported to Guadalcanal with them. In addition, this activity binds the IJN destroyer badly needed for trade defense. Either the inability or unwillingness prevented the Allied naval commander from the challenging Japanese naval forces at night, so the Japanese controlled the sea around the Solomon Islands at night. However, any Japanese vessels left during the day in the range of aircraft at Henderson Field, about 200 miles (320 km), are in grave danger of air strikes. This tactical situation exists for the next few months of the campaign.
Between August 29 and September 4, Japanese light cruisers, destroyers and patrol boats were able to land nearly 5,000 troops at Taivu Point, including most of the 35th Infantry Brigade, mostly Aoba Regiment (4th), and other Ichiki regiments. General Kawaguchi, who landed at Taivu Point on 31 August Express, was placed in command of all Japanese troops in Guadalcanal. A barge convoy picked up another 1,000 Kawaguchi brigade troops, under the command of Colonel Akinosuke Oka, to Kamimbo, west of the perimeter of Lunga.
Battle of Edson's Ridge
On September 7th, Kawaguchi issued his attack plan to "defeat and annihilate enemies around the Guadalcanal Island airfield". Kawaguchi's attack plan called for his troops, divided into three divisions, to approach the perimeter of Lunga in the interior, culminating with a surprise night attack. Oka forces will attack the perimeter from the west while the Second Echelon Ichiki, now renamed Kuma Battalion, will attack from the east. The main attack will be conducted by Kawaguchi's "Body Center", which is 3,000 people in three battalions, from the forest just south of the perimeter of Lunga. On September 7, most of Kawaguchi's troops had left Taivu to begin marching to Lunga Point along the coastline. About 250 Japanese troops remain behind to guard the brigade supply base in Taivu.
Meanwhile, the native scouts under the direction of Martin Clemens, a Coast Guard officer in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate Defense Force and British district officials for Guadalcanal, brought a report to the US Marines of Japanese troops in Taivu near the village of Tasimboko. Edson planned an attack on the concentration of Japanese troops in Taivu. On September 8, after being dropped near Taivu by boat, Edson's men captured Tasimboko as Japanese defenders retreated to the forest. In Tasimboko, Edson's troops found Kawaguchi's main supply depot, including food supplies, ammunition, medical supplies, and powerful shortwave radios. After destroying everything in sight, except for some documents and equipment brought back with them, the Marines return to Lunga's perimeter. The joint supply mounds with intelligence collected from captured documents informed the Marines that at least 3,000 Japanese soldiers were on the island and apparently planning attacks.
Edson, along with Colonel Gerald C. Thomas, the Vandegrift operations officer, truly believed that the Japanese attack would come on a narrow, grassy, ​​1,000-yard (910 m) ridge that stretched parallel to the Lunga River which lies just south Henderson. Field. The ridge, called Lunga Ridge, offers a natural way to approach the airstrip, command the surrounding area and, at that moment, is barely guarded. On September 11, 840 members of Edson's battalion were deployed to and around the ridge.
On the night of 12 September, Kawaguchi's 1st Battalion attacked the Raiders between the Lunga River and the ridge, forcing a Marine company to fall back into the ridge before the Japanese halted their attack for the night. The next night Kawaguchi faced Edson's 830 Raiders with 3,000 brigade troops plus various light artillery. The Japanese attack started right after nightfall with Kawaguchi's first battalion attacking Edson's right-hand side just west of the ridge. After breaking through the Marines, the battalion's attack was eventually stopped by the Marine units guarding the northern part of the ridge.
Two companies from Battalion 2 Kawaguchi were headquartered on the ridge's southern edge and pushed Edson's army back to Hill 123 in the center of the ridge. Throughout the night the Marines in this position, supported by artillery, defeated wave after wave of Japanese frontal attacks, some of which resulted in hand-to-hand combat. Japanese units infiltrated through the ridge to the edge of the airfield were also beaten back. Attacks by the Kuma battalion and Oka units at other locations on the perimeter of Lunga were also defeated. On September 14 Kawaguchi leads survivors from his destroyed brigade on a five-day march west to the Matanikau Valley to join the Oka unit. In total Kawaguchi troops lost about 850 dead and 104 Marines.
On September 15th, Hyakutake in Rabaul learned of Kawaguchi's defeat and forwarded the news to Japan's Imperial Headquarters in Japan. In an emergency session, the top IJA and IJN command staff concluded that "Guadalcanal may develop into a decisive battle of war". The results of the battle now begin to have a strategic impact on Japanese operations in other Pacific regions. Hyakutake realizes that to send troops and mattresses enough to defeat Allied forces in Guadalcanal, he can not at the same time support the ongoing onslaught of Japanese on Kokoda Line in New Guinea. Hyakutake, with the approval of the General Headquarters, ordered his troops in New Guinea within 30 miles (48 km) of their destination from Port Moresby to retreat until the "Guadalcanal problem" was resolved. Hyakutake prepares to send more troops to Guadalcanal for another attempt to reclaim Henderson Field.
Reinforcement
When Japan reassembled in western Matanikau, US forces concentrated to shore up and strengthen their Lunga defenses. On September 14, Vandegrift moved another battalion, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Sea Regiment (3/2), from Tulagi to Guadalcanal. On September 18, an Allied naval convoy sent 4,157 people from the Third Provisional Marine Brigade (7th Marine Regiment plus one battalion of the 11th Marine Regiment and several additional support units), 137 vehicles, tents, aviation fuel, ammunition, ration, and engineering. equipment to Guadalcanal. This important reinforcement allows Vandegrift, beginning on September 19, to form an unbroken line of defense around the perimeter of Lunga. While covering this convoy, the aircraft carrier USS Wasp was drowned by a Japanese submarine I-19 in southeast Guadalcanal, leaving only one Allied aircraft carrier (USS Hornet i>) operates in the South Pacific region. Vandegrift also made some changes in the senior leadership of his combat units, transferring some officers to the island who did not meet the standard of performance and promoted junior officers who had proven themselves to take their place. One of them was the recently promoted Colonel Merritt Edson stationed at the command of the 5th Marine Regiment.
A pause occurred in the air war over Guadalcanal, with no Japanese air strikes occurring between September 14 and 27 due to bad weather, where both sides strengthened their respective air units. Japan sent 85 warplanes and bombers to their air units in Rabaul while the US brought 23 fighters and attacked the aircraft to Henderson Field. On September 20, Japan counted 117 total planes at Rabaul while the Allies counted 71 aircraft at Henderson Field. The air war returned with a Japanese air strike on Guadalcanal on September 27, which was opposed by US Navy and Marine fighters from Henderson Field.
Japan immediately began preparing for their next attempt to reclaim Henderson Field. The 3rd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment (Aoba) landed in Kamimbo Bay on the western end of Guadalcanal on September 11, late to join the Kawaguchi attack. But now, the battalion has joined Oka's forces near Matanikau. Tokyo Express is run by destroyers on September 14, 20, 21 and 24 carrying food and ammunition and 280 people from Battalion 1, Aoba Regiment, to Kamimbo in Guadalcanal. Meanwhile, the 2nd and 38th Infantry Divisions of Japan were transported from the Dutch East Indies to Rabaul starting on 13 September. Japan plans to transport a total of 17,500 troops from these two divisions to Guadalcanal to take part in the next major attack on Perimeter Lunga set for October 20, 1942.
Action along Matanikau
Vandegrift and his staff are aware that Kawaguchi's forces have retreated to the area west of Matanikau and that many Japanese groups are scattered throughout the area between Perimeter Lunga and Matanikau River. Vandegrift, therefore, decided to conduct a series of small unit operations around the Matanikau Valley. The purpose of this operation was to clean up the group of Japanese troops scattered east of Matanikau and to keep the main body of the Japanese army from consolidating their position so close to the main Marines defense at Lunga Point.
The first US Marine operations were conducted between September 23 and 27 by elements of three US Marine battalions, an attack on Japanese forces west of Matanikau, beaten back by Kawaguchi forces under local command Akinosuke Oka. During the action, three Marine companies were besieged by Japanese troops near Point Cruz west of Matanikau, suffered heavy losses, and almost escaped with help from the destructive USS Monssen and landing aircraft manned by US Coast Guard personnel.
In the second action between October 6 and 9, the larger Marines managed to cross the Matanikau River, attacking Japanese troops who had just landed from the 2nd Infantry Division under the command of general Masao Maruyama and Yumio Nasu, and inflicted heavy losses on the 4th Infantry Japan. Regiment. The second act forced the Japanese to withdraw from their position in eastern Matanikau and block the Japanese preparations for their planned big attack on the US Lunga defense.
Between 9 and 11 October, the 2nd US Marines Battalion stormed two small Japanese posts about 30 miles (48 km) east of the Lunga perimeter in Gurabusu and Koilotumaria near Aola Bay. The raid killed 35 Japanese at a cost of 17 marines and three US Navy personnel were killed.
Battle of Cape Esperance
Throughout the last week of September and the first week of October, Tokyo Express runs troop deliveries from the 2nd Japanese Infantry Division to Guadalcanal. The Japanese Navy promised to support the Army's planned attack by not only sending needed troops, equipment and supplies to the island, but by increasing air strikes at Henderson Field and sending battleships to bombard the airfield.
Meanwhile, Millard F. Harmon, commander of US Army troops in the South Pacific, assured Ghormley that US Marines in Guadalcanal needed to be strengthened immediately if the Allies managed to defend the island from subsequent Japanese attacks, which were expected. Thus, on October 8, 2,837 people from the 164th Infantry Regiment from the US Army's Army Division boarded a ship in New Caledonia for a trip to Guadalcanal with an expected October 13 arrival date. To protect the transport that took the 164 aircraft to Guadalcanal, Ghormley ordered Task Force 64, consisting of four cruisers and five destroyers under Rear Admiral Norman Scott, to intercept and fight any Japanese ship approaching Guadalcanal and threatening the arrival of a transport convoy.
Mikawa's 8th Fleet staff schedules a major and important execution for the night of October 11th. Two seaplane tickets and six destroyers were to send 728 troops plus artillery and ammunition to Guadalcanal. At the same time, but in separate operations, three heavy cruisers and two destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Aritomo Got? is to bombard Henderson Field with a special explosive shell with the aim of destroying CAF and airfield facilities. Since the US Navy warships have not tried to block the Tokyo Express mission to Guadalcanal, Japan does not expect any controversy from the Allied ground forces that night.
Just before midnight, Scott's warship detected the power of Got on the radar near the entrance to the strait between Savo and Guadalcanal Islands. Scott's strength was in a position to cross the unpredictable T-formation of Got. While firing a shot, Scott's warship drowned one of Got's cruisers and one of his destroyers, destroying another cruiser, Got who was badly wounded, and forced the rest of Got's warship to abandon the bombing mission and retreat. During the firefight, one of Scott's destroyers sank and one cruiser and another destroyer severely damaged. Meanwhile, the Japanese supply convoy successfully completed the demolition at Guadalcanal and embarked on a journey back unearthed by Scott's army. Then on the morning of October 12, four Japanese destroyers from the supply convoy returned to help Got's warship retreated and damaged. Air strikes by CAF aircraft from Henderson Field drowned two of these destroyers that day. The convoy of US Army troops reached Guadalcanal on schedule the next day and managed to send the cargo and passengers to the island.
Henderson Field
Battleship bombardment
Despite the US victory over Cape Esperance, Japan continues with plans and preparations for their major offensive scheduled for October. Japan decided to risk a one-off departure from their usual habits using only speedboats to send troops and mattresses to the island. On October 13, a convoy of six cargo ships with eight destroyer vessels left the Shortland Islands for Guadalcanal. The convoy carried 4,500 troops from 16 and 230 Infantry Regiments, several marine navies, two heavy artillery batteries, and one tank company.
To protect the approaching convoy from attack by CAF aircraft, Yamamoto sent two warships from Trucks to bombard Henderson Field. At 01:33 on October 14th, Kong? and Haruna , escorted by a light cruiser and nine destroyers, reached Guadalcanal and fired on Henderson Field from a distance of 16,000 meters (17,500 yd). Over the next hour and 23 minutes, both combat ships fired 973 14 inch (356 mm) bullets into the perimeter of Lunga, most of which fell at and about 2,200 meters (2,400 cm) of square-footed airfield. Many of the clamshells are fragmented, specially designed to destroy land targets. The bombing severely damaged both runways, burning almost all available aviation fuel, destroying 48 of the CAF's 90 aircraft, killing 41 people, including six CAF pilots. The war troops soon returned to Truk.
Regardless of the heavy damage, Henderson personnel were able to return one of the runways to operational conditions within hours. Seventeen SBDs and 20 Wildcats in Espiritu Santo were quickly flown to Henderson and US Army and Naval transport aircraft began transporting gasoline flights from Espiritu Santo to Guadalcanal. Now conscious of Japan's big strengthening convoy approach, the US is desperately seeking ways to block the convoy before it can reach Guadalcanal. Using fuel depleted from the crushed plane and from a stop in the nearby forest, CAF attacks the convoy twice on the 14th, but does not cause damage.
The Japanese convoy reached Tassafaronga in Guadalcanal at midnight on October 14 and began to lower the load. Throughout the day of October 15, a series of CAF planes from Henderson bombed and fired on a convoy dismantling, destroying three cargo ships. The rest of the convoy left that night, having dropped all the troops and about two-thirds of the supplies and equipment. Several heavy Japanese cruisers also bombarded Henderson on the night of 14 and 15 October, destroying some additional CAF planes, but failed to cause any further significant damage to the airfield.
Battle for Henderson Field
Between 1 and 17 October, Japan sent 15,000 troops to Guadalcanal, giving 20,000 Hyakutake soldiers to use because of its planned attack. Due to losing their position on the eastern side of Matanikau, Japan decided that attacks on US defense along the coast would be very difficult. Therefore, Hyakutake decided that the main push of his planned attack was from the south of Henderson Field. His 2nd division (added by troops from the 38th Division), under Lieutenant General Masao Maruyama and made up of 7,000 troops in three infantry regiments of three battalions each were ordered to march through the forest and attack the American defenses from the nearby south east bank of the Lunga River. The date of the attack was set 22 October, then changed to 23 October. To distract America from planned attacks from the south, heavy artillery Hyakutake plus five infantry battalions (about 2,900 people) under Major General Tadashi Sumiyoshi will attack American defenses from the west along the coastal corridors. Japan estimates that there are 10,000 American troops on the island, when in fact there are about 23,000.
On October 12, a Japanese engineer company began to stop the trail, called "Jalan Maruyama", from Matanikau to the southern part of the US Lunga perimeter. The 15-mile (24 km) path crosses some of the most difficult terrain in Guadalcanal, including rivers and streams, deep, muddy cliffs, steep mountains and dense forests. Between 16 and 18 October, the 2nd Division began their journey along Maruyama Road.
On October 23, Maruyama's troops still struggling through the woods to reach the American line. That night, after learning that his troops had not reached their attack position, Hyakutake postponed the attack until 19:00 on 24 October. America remained unaware of Maruyama's troop approach.
Sumiyoshi was told by Hyakutake staff about the postponement of the attack until October 24, but was unable to contact his troops to inform them of the delay. Thus, at dusk on October 23, two battalions of the 4th Infantry Regiment and nine tanks from the 1st Independent Tank Company launched an attack on the US Marines defense at Matanikau's mouth. US Artillery marines, cannons, and small arms fire disown attacks, destroy all tanks and kill many Japanese soldiers while suffering only minor casualties.
Finally, on October 24 Maruyama's army reached the perimeter of Lunga AS. More than two nights in a row the Maruyama troops made numerous frontal assaults on the position held by the 1st Battalion, the 7th Marines under Lieutenant Colonel Chesty Puller and the 3rd US Army Battalion, 164 Infantry Regiment, ordered by Lieutenant Colonel Robert Hall. US Navy and Army units armed with rifles, machine guns, mortars, and artillery, including direct tube fire from 37 mm anti-tank rifles, "committed horrific massacres" against Japan. A small group of Japanese broke through the American defense but was hunted down and killed over the next few days. More than 1,500 Maruyama troops were killed in the attack while US troops lost about 60 dead. During the same two days the American aircraft from Henderson Field defended against attacks by Japanese planes and aircraft, destroying 14 aircraft and sinking light vessels.
Further Japanese attacks near Matanikau on October 26 were also beaten back with huge losses for Japan. As a result, at 08:00 on October 26, Hyakutake canceled further attacks and ordered his troops to withdraw. About half of Maruyama's victims were ordered to retreat back to the Matanikau Valley over while the 230th Infantry Regiment under Colonel Toshinari Shiji was ordered to head to Koli Point, east of the perimeter of Lunga. Leading elements from the 2nd Division reached the 17th Army headquarters area in Kokumbona, west of Matanikau on 4 November. On the same day, unit Sh? Ji reaches Koli Point and camps. Canceled by combat deaths, combat injuries, malnutrition, and tropical diseases, the 2nd Division was unable to take further offensive action and fought as a defense force along the coast for the remainder of the campaign. In total, Japan lost 2,200-3,000 troops in combat while the Americans lost about 80 dead.
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
At the same time the Hyakutake forces attacked the perimeter of Lunga, the Japanese aircraft carrier and other large warships under the direction of Isoroku Yamamoto's overall move to a position near the southern Solomon Islands. From this location, the Japanese naval forces hope to engage and convincingly defeat Allied naval forces (mainly the US), especially the carrier forces, who respond to the Hyakutake ground attack. The allied naval forces in the area, now under the overall command of William Halsey, Jr., also hoped to meet with the Japanese naval forces in battle. Nimitz had replaced Ghormley with Halsey on October 18 after concluding that Ghormley had become too pessimistic and nearsighted to effectively continue to lead Allied forces in the South Pacific region.
Two rival troops facing each other on the morning of October 26, in what is known as the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. After the exchange of aerial attack, the Allied surface ships were forced to withdraw from the battle area by the loss of one sinking carrier ( Hornet ) and the other ( Enterprise ) severely damaged.. However, participating Japanese troop carriers also retired due to the high plane and lost crew and significant damage to the two carriers. Despite a clear tactical victory for Japan in terms of drowned and damaged vessels, the losses by Japan from many of its irreplaceable crew, veterans provide long-term strategic advantages for the Allies, who lost the aircraft in relatively low battles. Japanese carriers do not play a further significant role in the campaign.
November ground action
To exploit the victory in the Battle for Henderson Field, Vandegrift sent six Marine battalions, who later joined a US Army battalion, west of the Matanikau attack. This operation was ordered by Merritt Edson and his goal was to capture Kokumbona, the 17th army headquarters, west of Point Cruz. Defending the Point Cruz area is a Japanese army troop of the 4th Infantry Regiment ordered by Nomasu Nakaguma. The 4th Infantry is not in strength because of the destruction of combat, tropical diseases, and malnutrition.
The US attack began on November 1 and, after some difficulties, succeeded in destroying the Japanese troops defending the Point Cruz area on November 3, including the rear echelons sent to reinforce the battered Nakaguma regiment. The Americans seem to be on the verge of breaking through the Japanese defense and catching Kokumbona. However, at present, other American troops find and involve the newly landed Japanese troops near Koli Point on the east side of the perimeter of Lunga. To counter this new threat, Vandegrift suspended Matanikau's attack on November 4th. America suffered 71 and Japan killed about 400 killed in the attack.
At Koli Point in the early hours of November 3, five Japanese destroyers sent 300 troops to support ShÃ… ji and his troops on their way to Koli Point after the Battle of Henderson Field. After knowing the landing plan, Vandegrift sent a Marine battalion under Herman H. Hanneken to intercept the Japanese in Koli. Immediately upon landing, the Japanese soldiers met and pushed the Hannek battalion back to Lunga's perimeter. In response, Vandegrift ordered the Marine Battalion Puller plus two of the 164 infantry battalions, along with the Hanneken battalion, to move towards Koli Point to attack Japanese troops there.
As American troops began to move, Shu ji and his army began arriving at Koli Point. Beginning on November 8th, American forces attempted to besiege Sh'Ji's forces at Gavaga Creek near Koli Point. Meanwhile, Hyakutake orders Sh? Ji to leave his position in Koli and rejoin the Japanese troops at Kokumbona in the Matanikau area. There is a gap with swampy roads on the south side of the American line. Between 9 and 11 November, Sh? Ji and between 2,000 and 3,000 of his men fled to the forest in the south. On November 12th, America completely invaded and killed all the remaining Japanese soldiers in the pockets. Americans count the bodies of 450-475 Japanese who died in the Koli Point area and captured most of Shahifa's heavy weapons and supplies. American forces suffered 40 dead and 120 injured in operation.
Meanwhile, on November 4, two companies from 2nd Raider Marine Battalion, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson landed by boat in Aola Bay, 40 miles (64 km) east of Lunga Point. Drivers Carlson, along with troops from the US Army's 147th Infantry Regiment, will provide security for 500 Seabees as they attempt to build an airfield at the site. Halsey, acting on Turner's recommendation, has approved the Aola Bay air development effort. The Aola airfield development effort was abandoned in late November due to unsuitable terrain.
On November 5, Vandegrift ordered Carlson to carry his robber, to march ashore from Aola, and to attack one of the Shia troops who had escaped from Koli Point. With the rest of the company from his battalion, which arrived a few days later, Carlson and his troops departed with a 29 day patrol from Aola to the perimeter of Lunga. During the patrol, rioters fought several battles with the retreating Shia troops, killing nearly 500 of them, while those who suffered 16 committed suicide. In addition to the losses he suffered from attacks by robbers Carlson, tropical diseases and lack of food cut down more Shi'ites. By the time the Sh'Ji forces reached the Lunga River in mid-November, about halfway to Matanikau, only 1300 men remained with the main body. When Shiji reached the 17th position of the Army west of Matanikau, only 700 to 800 survivors remained with him. Most of the survivors of the Shiahi forces were joined by other Japanese units defending Mount Austen and the Matanikau River area.
Tokyo Express operates on November 5, 7, and 9 sending additional troops from Japan's 38th Infantry Division, including most of the 228th Infantry Regiment to Guadalcanal. The new troops were quickly deployed at Point Cruz and the Matanikau area and helped successfully resist further attacks by American troops on November 10 and 18. Americans and Japanese remain facing each other along the line west of Point Cruz over the next six weeks.
After the defeat in the Battle for Henderson Field, IJA planned to try again to retake the airfield in November 1942, but further assistance was needed before the operation could proceed. IJA requested help from Yamamoto to deliver the needed aid to the island and to support the next attack. Yamamoto provided 11 large transports to carry the remaining 7,000 troops from their 38th Infantry Division, ammunition, food and heavy equipment from Rabaul to Guadalcanal. He also provided the support of warships that included two warships. Both warships, Hiei and Kirishima , fitted with special fragmentation shells, were to bombard Henderson Field on the night of November 12-13 and destroy it and the aircraft placed there in to allow slow and heavy transportation to reach Guadalcanal and safely lower the load the next day. The power of the warship was ordered from Hiei by the recently promoted Admiral Hiroaki Abe Deputy.
In early November, Allied intelligence learned that Japan was preparing again to try to reclaim Henderson Field. Therefore, the United States sent the Task Force 67, a large reinforcement and delivery convoy carrying Marines, two US Army infantry battalions, and ammunition and food, ordered by Turner, to Guadalcanal on November 11. The supply ships are protected by two task groups, commanded by Rear Admiral Daniel J. Callaghan and Norman Scott, and aircraft from Henderson Field. The ships were attacked several times on November 11 and 12 by Japanese aircraft from Rabaul staging via airbase at Buin, Bougainville, but most were dismantled without serious damage.
The US reconnaissance aircraft saw the approach of Abe's bombing force and gave warning to the Allied command. Thus warned, Turner separated all the used combat ships under Callaghan to protect troops ashore from expected Japanese naval attacks and landing forces and ordered supply ships in Guadalcanal to depart on the afternoon of 12 November. The Callaghan force consisted of two heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, and eight destroyers.
Around 1:30 am on November 13, Callaghan's troops intercepted the Abe bombing group between Guadalcanal and Savo Island. In addition to the two warships, Abe's forces included one light cruiser and 11 destroyers. In the dense darkness, two warships mingle before shooting in a very close place. In the resulting mÃÆ'ªlÃÆ' Â © e, the Abe warship sank or severely damaged all but one cruiser and one destroyer in the power of Callaghan and Callaghan and Scott was killed. Two Japanese destroyers drowned and other destroyers and Hiei were heavily damaged. Despite the defeat of Callaghan's forces, Abe ordered his warship to retire without bombarding Henderson Field. The Hiei sank later that day after a recurrent air raid by CAF aircraft and aircraft from the US operator Enterprise . Since Abe failed to neutralize Henderson Field, Yamamoto ordered a troop transport convoy, under Raiz's command? Tanaka and located near the Shortland Islands, to wait an extra day before heading to Guadalcanal. Yamamoto ordered Nobutake Kond? to gather other bombardment forces using warships from Trucks and Abe forces to attack Henderson Field on Nov. 15.
Meanwhile, at about 2am on November 14th, the explorers and destroyers under Gunichi Mikawa from Rabaul did an unbearable bombardment of Henderson Field. The bombings caused some damage but failed to place the airfield or most of the aircraft out of operation. When Mikawa's troops retreated to Rabaul, Tanaka's transport convoy, believing that Henderson Field was now destroyed or heavily damaged, began running down the gap to Guadalcanal. Throughout the day of November 14, aircraft from Henderson Field and Enterprise attacked the ships of Mikawa and Tanaka, drowning a heavy cruiser and seven trucks. Most of the troops were rescued from transport by destroyer Tanaka and returned to Shortlands. After dark, Tanaka and four other shuttles continue toward Guadalcanal as Kondo's forces approach to bombard Henderson Field.
To intercept Kondo's forces, Halsey, who is low on an undamaged ship, separates two warships, Washington and South Dakota , and four destroyers from Enterprise i> task force. US forces, under the command of Willis A. Lee aboard Washington, reached Guadalcanal and Savo Island just before midnight on November 14, shortly before Kondo bombing troops arrived. The strength of the Kondo consists of Kirishima plus two heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and nine destroyers. After the two forces made contact, Kondo's forces quickly drowned three of the US destroyers and destroyed the fourth. The Japanese warship was later seen, fired, and damaged South Dakota. When the Kondo battles were concentrated in South Dakota, Washington approached unobserved Japanese ships and fired at Kirishima, crashing into Japanese warships repeatedly. with both primary and secondary battery shells, and causing fatal damage. After vainly pursuing Washington to the Russell Islands, Kondo ordered his warship to retire without bombarding Henderson Field. One of the Kondo destroyers also drowned during the engagement.
As Kondo's ship retired, the four Japanese vehicles headed to the beach near Tassafaronga in Guadalcanal at 4:00 am and quickly began to lower the load. At 5:55 pm, US aircraft and artillery began attacking transport that washed up on shore, destroying all four transportations along with most of the supplies they were carrying. Only 2,000-3,000 troops took him ashore. Due to the failure to send the bulk of the troops and supplies, the Japanese were forced to cancel the November attacks they had planned on Henderson Field, making has
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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