The Solomon Islands Campaign: Guadalcanal
After the strategic victories of the United States at the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 7-8, 1942) and the Battle of Midway (June 4-7, 1942), the Imperial Japanese Navy was no longer able to launch a large-scale offensive, allowing the Allies to launch an offensive in the Pacific.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941), the Imperial Japanese Navy occupied a number of islands in the western Pacific. Japan’s goal was to create a defensive barrier to resist attacks by the United States and its allies and to ensure Japan’s control of East Asia and the southwest Pacific. After the strategic victories of the United States at the Battle of the Coral Sea (May 7-8, 1942) and the Battle of Midway (June 4-7, 1942), the Imperial Japanese Navy was no longer able to launch a large-scale offensive, allowing the Allies to launch an offensive in the Pacific.
In August 1942, the United States launched the first large-scale amphibious landing since World War II on Guadalcanal Island, using innovative landing craft built by Higgins Industries of New Orleans. The United States seized a strategic airfield on the island, thwarting Japanese attempts to disrupt supply routes to Australia and New Zealand. The invasion set off a fierce conflict that included seven major naval battles, numerous shore battles, and nearly constant air warfare. The Americans fought for six months to control the island. Ultimately, they were victorious, and the Allies took the decisive first step toward defeating the Japanese in the Pacific theater.
Battles fought
On the morning of August 7, 1942, the first U.S. landings took place on the Solomon Islands of Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida. After fierce fighting, the U.S. Marines took control of Tulagi and Florida on August 9. The main force on Guadalcanal encountered little resistance as it pushed inland, attempting to seize Lunga Point Airfield. The airfield was soon renamed Henderson Field in honor of pilot Louis Henderson, who was killed in the Battle of Midway. However, Japanese naval aircraft attacked the transports and escorts almost immediately, and Japanese reinforcements arrived in the area.
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In the days that followed, the first deadly naval battle, the Battle of Savo Island, took place. The struggle for control of Guadalcanal, its vital airfield, and the surrounding waters lasted for months, with both sides losing men, ships, and aircraft but failing to dislodge the other from the island.
In its first amphibious invasion of the Pacific, the United States made several initial mistakes, including a lack of sufficient shore resources to ferry men and supplies inland. The logistical challenges of shipping and resupplying across the Pacific were also enormous. Rugged jungle terrain, harsh climate, poor infrastructure, and a determined opponent gave the United States its first glimpse of what could happen in the Pacific War. It seemed that every time the United States came close to victory, the Japanese would resupply Guadalcanal at night to prepare for the next day’s battle.
Determined to achieve a decisive victory, the Japanese mobilized in October 1942 and launched a full-scale offensive. Meanwhile, the Marines finally began to receive new reinforcements, including U.S. Army soldiers. The U.S. military strengthened the defenses of Henderson Field and launched offensive strikes to disrupt the Japanese operations. On October 23, 1942, the Japanese 17th Army launched an offensive, attacking multiple strongholds around the airport within four days. The tenacious resistance of the Marines and American soldiers eventually repelled the Japanese attack. The U.S. losses were heavy, and the Japanese losses were even more severe.
In the fall of 1942, the naval battle also intensified. On October 26, the U.S. and Japanese navies exchanged fire near the Santa Cruz Islands. The Japanese sank the aircraft carrier “Hornet” and won a tactical victory, but also paid a heavy price, losing aircraft and experienced crews. Then, in the fierce Guadalcanal naval battle from November 12 to 15, American sailors and pilots repelled the Japanese’s last attempt to destroy Henderson Naval Base at a huge cost. As one Japanese officer put it, “This is a crossroads.” As fighting continued on the island, the Japanese withdrew their last troops and surrendered the island to the Allies in February 1943.
The results after battles
The Allied losses in the Solomon Islands campaign were approximately 7,100 men, 29 ships, and 615 aircraft. The Japanese lost 31,000 men, 38 ships, and 683 aircraft. Over the next two and a half years, the U.S. military captured the Gilbert Islands (Tarawa and Makin), the Marshall Islands (Kwajalein and Enewetak), the Marianas (Saipan, Guam, and Tinian), Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. As the U.S. military captured each island from the Japanese, it got closer and closer to the Japanese. The increased advantages in sea, air, and manpower gave the U.S. military an ever-increasing advantage. However, whenever the U.S. military encountered Japanese defenders, the enemy put up a fierce and stubborn resistance until they were completely defeated.
