Guadalcanal is a ten square mile island
in the Soloman Island chain, and largely jungle. It was discovered in 1568
by the Spanish but it was part of the British Empire when the Japanese
occupied it early in WWII. The U.S. forces chose this as their first major
large-scale invasion of a Japanese held island. Guadalcanal was a major
turning point in the war. Many ships were sunk (on both sides), but Japan
was forced to retreat. It is said that prior to Guadalcanal, the Japanese
had always advanced against the US, yet following the battle, they always
retreated.
The battle hinged around the airfield which the Americans named Henderson
Field, a muddy airstrip hanging onto the edge of the island. It was considered
"an unsinkable aircraft carrier". Fighting started on August 7, 1942 when
11,000 Marines landed at Lunga Point and ended in U.S. victory on February
8, 1943. There were 24,000 Japanese casualties and 6,000 American.
There were six major naval battles around the island - Savo on August
99, Eastern Solomons on August 24, Cape of Hope/Esperance on 11th-12th
Sepetember, Santa Cruz Island on 26th and 28th October, Guadalcanal on
12th-13th November and Tassafaronga on November 30. The Americans lost
two aircraft carriers, eight cruisers and fourteen destroyers.
