Battle of Guadalcanal

[Jim O]

The Battle of Guadalcanal (Operation Watchtower) marked the first time that Allied (primarily US) forces had won a land battle against the Imperial Japanese Army. Though many historians list Midway as the "turning point" of the war in the Pacific, that was a pure naval battle and the US victory there was as much due to luck as anything. This was the real "turning point" in my opinion. The initial landing was at an almost completed landing field which the Allies renamed Henderson Field. They fought for every inch of that island.

Guadalcanal is approximately 90 x 25 miles (150 x 40 km) in size and the terrain rather harsh. The battle commenced on August 7, 1942 and lasted 6 months. At the end there were nearly 25,000 Japanese KIA on the ground with only 1000 taken prisoner. Allied fatalities on the grond were under 2000. Both sides lost dozens of ships and many hundreds of planes in the naval and air components of the battle.

Order of Battle, Guadalcanal Japanese On August 10th, 1942, the Japanese 17th Army under Lieutenant General Harukichi Hyakutake assumed command of the Japanese efforts to retake Guadalcanal. The General arrived on the island to take direct command on October 10th. * 2nd Infantry Division (Note 1) 4th Infantry Regiment 16th Infantry Regiment 29th Infantry Regiment 2nd Artillery Regiment 2nd Engineer Battalion * 38th Infantry Division (Note 2) 228th Infantry Regiment 229th Infantry Regiment 230th Infantry Regiment 38th Mountain Gun Regiment 38th Engineer Battalion * 35th Brigade (Note 3) 124th Infantry Regiment Kitao Battalion/Ichiki Detachment 4th Artillery Regiment 10th Mountain Gun Battalion 20th Mountain Gun Battalion * 28th Infantry Regiment (Note 4) * 11th Construction Unit5 * 13th Construction Unit5 Notes: 1. The Sendai division arrived between September 5th and October 4th under the command of Lieutenant General Masao Maruyama. 2. The depleted 38th division arrived November 5th-15th under the command of Lieutenant General Tadayoshi Sano. 3. The 35th Brigade arrived August 29th-September 5th, under the command of Major General Kiyotaki Kawaguchi. It included a late-arriving battalion of the 28th Infantry Regiment. 4. The Ichiki detachment arrived August 18th-24th. 5. These units arrived on Guadalcanal July 6 to begin construction of an airstrip. United States The US landing force on Guadalcanal was under the command of Marine Major General Alexander Archer Vandegrift. On December 8th he was replaced by Army Major General Alexander McCarrell Patch, who took command of the U.S. XIV Army Corps on January 2nd. Army * 25th Infantry Division (Note 1) 27th Infantry Regiment 35th Infantry Regiment 161st Infantry Regiment 8th Field Artillery Battalion 64th Field Artillery Battaltion 89th Field Artillery Battalion 90th Field Artillery Battalion 65th Engineer Combat Battalion * Americal Division (Note 2) 132nd Infantry Regiment 164th Infantry Regiment 182nd Infantry Regiment 221st Field Artillery Battalion 245th Field Artillery Battalion 246th Field Artillery Battalion 247th Field Artillery Battalion 57th Engineer Combat Battalion * 147th Independent Infantry Regiment (Note 3) * 97th Field Artillery Battalion * 214th Coast Artillery Regiment * 244th Coast Artillery Regiment Notes: 1. The 25th division arrived by January 4th, 1943, under the command of Major General Joseph Lawton Collins. 2. The 164th arrived October 13th; the 182nd on November 12th, and the division HQ and 132nd on December 8th. The division was under the command of Major General Alexander McCarrell Patch. 3. Arrived November 4th. Marines * 1st Marine Division (Note 1) 1st Marine Regiment 5th Marine Regiment 7th Marine Regiment 11th Marine Regiment 1st Amphibian Tractor Battalion 1st Aviation Engineer Battalion 1st Parachute Battalion (Note 2) 1st Pioneer Battalion 1st Raider Battalion 1st Special Weapons Battalion 1st Tank Battalion * 2nd Marine Division (Note 3) 2nd Marine Regiment 6th Marine Regiment 8th Marine Regiment 10th Marine Regiment 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion 3rd Defense Battalion 9th Defense Battalion 2nd Raider Battalion 2nd Special Weapons Battalion 2nd Tank Battalion Notes: 1. The 1st Marine Division was commanded by Major General Alexander Archer Vandegrift. The majority of the division arrived on Guadalcanal August 7th. 2nd Battalion 5th Marines and the 1st Pioneer Battalion arrived later in August. 7th Marines and 1st battalion/11th Marines arrived September 18th. The division began withdrawal from the island December 12th. 2. Arrived September 8th; departed September 18th. 3. The 2nd Marines were attached to the 1st Marine Division for the initial landing on August 7th, although the 1st and 3rd battalions were initially employed on Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo islands. The entire regiment was on Guadalcanal by November. On November 4th the 8th Marines landed, and the remainder of the division followed in December. The division came under the command of Brigadier General Alphonse De Carre. Source: Wikipedia

The following photos, including those in the next two posts, aew courtesy of the US National Archives.

aerial_henderson_300.jpg
August 1942: Henderson Field, photographed from a USS Saratoga plane. By this point, the U.S. had seized the airfield from the Japanese and put it into operation. The Lunga River runs across the upper portion of the picture, and Ironbottom Sound is just out of view at the top. The airfield was named after Major Lofton Henderson, a Marine squadron commander who died a few months earlier at the Battle of Midway

bomb_enterprise_300.jpg
Aug. 24, 1942: A Japanese bomb explodes aboard the flight deck of USS Enterprise. According to History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II, the bomb inflicted minor damage

fourbombers_300.jpg
Aug. 8, 1942: Japanese Navy bombers, nicknamed "Betty" by the Allies, fly low through a sky filled with anti-aircraft fire during a torpedo attack on U.S. Navy ships maneuvering between Guadalcanal and Tulagi.

Further reading:

• Operation Watchtower: The Battle for Guadalcanal (August 1942-February 1943)
• Guadalcanal Campaign, August 1942 - February 1943
• Guadalcanal

[Jim O]

Some more photos:

henderson_crash_300.jpg
1942: Wreckage of a U.S. scout-bomber, still burning after it was destroyed by a Japanese air attack on Henderson Field, Guadalcanal.

injured_man_300.jpg
Dec. 1, 1942: An injured man in a stretcher on board USS Minneapolis, the day after the ship was damaged by torpedoes in the Battle of Tassafaronga.

marinesfield_300.jpg
U.S. Marines rest in the field on Guadalcanal, circa August-December 1942.

[Jim O]

More photos:

minneapolis_300.jpg
Dec. 1, 1942: Work begins to cut away the damage received by the USS Minneapolis when her bow was struck by a torpedo during the Battle of Tassafaronga.


santacruz_300.jpg
Oct. 26, 1942: U.S. Navy ships fire at attacking Japanese carrier aircraft during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. The USS Enterprise is at left.

tulagi_smoke_300.jpg
Aug. 7, 1942. Smoke rises from Tulagi after bombing by U.S. aircraft, the day U.S. Marines landed to capture the island.

[Jim O]

Maps of Guadalcanal and surrounding area:


800px-Guadalcanal.jpg

GuadalcanalMap.jpg

[Lancer44]

Almost unknown book about Guadalcanal vet can be downloaded here:

The Tiger is Dead

Enjoy,

Lancer44

[Jim O]

Originally Posted by Lancer44

Almost unknown book about Guadalcanal vet can be downloaded here:

The Tiger is Dead

Enjoy,

Lancer44

Excellent source and sleuthing. Thanks.

[Hobilar]

The 10th and 11th Marine Regiments were actually the respective Marine Division's Artillery Regiments. For the Guadacanal landings the Regiments' Heavy Battalions (105mm howitzers) were left behind along with the Divisions' MT Battalions through lack of sufficient shipping space.

Each Marine Artillery Regiment prior to 1943 consisted of three battalions of 75mm Howitzers and one of 105mm Howitzers. For the Guadacanal landings each of the assaulting Marine Infantry Battalion was assigned a battery of six guns (N.B. The Heavy Batteries having just four guns ).

Sources:

• First Offensive-The Marine Campign for Guadacanal by Henry I Shaw Jr (Marine Corps Historical Centre, 1992)
• US Marine Corps 1941-45 by Gordon Rottman (Osprey Publishing, 1995)

[Jack]

Quote
"The Battle of Guadalcanal (Operation Watchtower) marked the first time that Allied (primarily US) forces had won a land battle against the Imperial Japanese Army."
With all due respect to our Great and Powerful friends:
By September 1942, unaided Australian troops had already forced the Japs into retreat on the Kokoda Track in New Guinea. The turning point of that battle was at Imita Ridge on Setember 15th, within sight of Port Moresby.
The first land victories were won by Aussies, not US troops.

(Oops, meant to insert this link as evidence
The Battle for New Guinea

[Jim O]

Originally Posted by Jack

Quote
"The Battle of Guadalcanal (Operation Watchtower) marked the first time that Allied (primarily US) forces had won a land battle against the Imperial Japanese Army."
With all due respect to our Great and Powerful friends:
By September 1942, unaided Australian troops had already forced the Japs into retreat on the Kokoda Track in New Guinea. The turning point of that battle was at Imita Ridge on Setember 15th, within sight of Port Moresby.
The first land victories were won by Aussies, not US troops.

(Oops, meant to insert this link as evidence
The Battle for New Guinea

Jack,

Warm welcome to the site.

This thread referenced the first concluded land battle in which the Japanese were clearly and thoroughly defeated. The New Guinea campaign (in which US troops also participated and which the actions that you referenced were a part) was not concluded until 1945. Either way, the original post was not in any way meant to slight the achievement that you referenced or those of Australian troops throughout the war.


On another matter, please take note of the site rules. I don't imagine that you meant to offend, and while "Jap" was an "acceptable" term in the 1940's, I believe that our Japanese friends take offense to it nowadays, as do the majority of site users.

[temujin77]

Originally Posted by Jim O

The Battle of Guadalcanal (Operation Watchtower) marked the first time that Allied (primarily US) forces had won a land battle against the Imperial Japanese Army.... This was the real "turning point" in my opinion.

Hm, if we only compare Midway and Guadalcanal, I would still consider Midway the "turning point". As things turned out, Japan lost four out of six fleet carriers at Midway. Had that not have happened, Guadalcanal operation would have been delayed, and when it would take place, it would have been very different with the Kido Butai still as strong as pre-Midway strength.

Put it this way: Imagine Americans trying to hold on to Henderson Field without definite air superiority during the day. That would've been very difficult at best.

Guadalcanal was indeed one of the most critical campaigns without a doubt, but I don't think it was "the" turning point. Perhaps the series of events combining Midway-New Guinea-Solomons/Guadalcanal together makes up "the turning point" of the Pacific War?

I might be saying that just because I'm much more so a navy buff than a land-war one...