Battle+of+Guadalcanal

=Guadalcanal Campaign= //"A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week." **-George Patton**//

Leading up to the Battle
After the battle of Midway, the Japanese decided they needed to reinforce the islands they had already captured and capture a few more. Meanwhile, the Americans built up the confidence to take back some of the islands the Japanese had conquered. The Japanese focused on the island of Guadalcanal. Guadalcanal, at the time, was a vital island to control for both sides as it enabled Japan to cut communications between Australia and the States but the States could use it to protect Australia. In early May, Japan invaded the island and the Australians evacuated. The Japanese immediately began construction on an airbase and sent reinforcements to guard the island. On July 4, American B-17s discovered the airbase that the Japanese were building and sent information to Australia. Days later, the United States began plans to invade Guadalcanal.

May 1-2 1942: Australians evacuate Tulagi when Japanese occupies the island. May 28 - July 8: Japanese construct airbase in Guadalcanal July 4: Americans discover Japanese presence in Guadalcanal July 6: Australian Allied Headquarters receives confirmation of airbase construction July 10: Orders to invade and capture Guadalcanal are given.

The Battle
The first US strike on Guadalcanal came on August 7. 10,000 Marines landed to push the Japanese out. By the next day they had taken the Japanese airfield and renamed it after a fallen pilot "Henderson". On August 9, fearing an air attack, the United States pulled out the carriers ported near Savo Island. The carriers were only partially unloaded which left the Marines with limited supplies. The Japanese seeing an easy battle sent only half a Detachment to deal with the stranded Marines. However, the Marines were completely underestimated as they put up a tough defense and killed 900 Japanese. This battle became known as the Battle of Tenaru River. Both sides kept trying to reinforce and support their team and ended up having critical naval battles. They were fighting for land supremacy. The Eastern Solomons battle was a tactical win for the Japanese, though the Americans delayed the landing of the Kawaguchi Brigade and the balance of the Ichiki Detachment.

The Sendai division landed west of the airstrip. From here the Japanese bombed Henderson Field nearly obliterating it. The Marines repulsed the attack.

The Japanese commander Hyakutake's final effort to take the land from the American's was a 3 day sea battle. This battle is what is known as the actual battle of Guadalcanal. The first day of battle lasted only 24 minutes but was the fiercest part of the whole campaign. The American's lost 6 ships and the Japanese 3 ships. The next day the Japanese bombed Henderson Field again, but the American airforce was still functional and counter attacked again. They sunk one cruiser, damaged 3, and sunk 7 transports. Then another clash at sea took place. The Japanese lost one battleship and one destroyer while American's lost 3 destroyers and one battleship severely damaged. The four main transports meant to reinforce the troops were destroyed leaving the Marines with limited resources. The Japanese's plan was to continue to send in supplies and at the same time cut off American reinforcements all while bombing Henderson Field. This, however, wasn't accomplished. In fact the opposite happened. The Americans cut of Japanese supplies and reinforcements. By January, America had 50,000 soldiers on the island and went on the offensive. The Japanese put up a good fight, but they lost miserably. By the end of the month the Japanese were cornered and one night all 13,000 Japanese soldiers sneaked off the island without the Americans knowing.

There were 6,111 US casualties, but the campaign was still thought to have been a success. The Japanese never recovered from the battles and it played a great role in winning WWII in the pacific.

August 7: 10,000 Marines land on Guadalcanal to take on 2,200 Japanese defenders August 8: Americans capture the airfield and rename it "Henderson Field" August 9: Battle of Savo Island August 21: Battle of Tenaru River August 24: Eastern Solomons battle September 12-14: Battle of Edson's Ridge October 11-12: Battle of Cape Esperance October 13: Japanese shell Marine positions October 24-25: Battle of Henderson Field November 12-15: Naval battle February 1-7: Japanese evacuate Guadalcanal February 9: Guadalcanal campaign ends. Americans take full control of the island



Review Questions
1. Who did the American's face in Guadalcanal? 2. Which pilot was the airbase named after? 3. How many Japanese soldiers sneaked away from the island at the end of the campaign? 4. Why was the Guadalcanal campaign such an impact on the outcome of the war in the Pacific?

Bibliography/Links
Guadalcanal . N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2012. . Path: http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/72-8/72-8.htm.

I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. " [|__Guadalcanal campaign.__] " __The Oxford Companion to World War II__. 2001. Encyclopedia.com.28 Feb. 2012 <[|__http://www.encyclopedia.com__] >.

Guadalcanal Campaign. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. [].

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