The Battle for Guadalcanal
Copyright © 2005-6, Henry J. Sage

The first U.S. ground offensive of World War II

Believing that Germany was a greater threat to the future of the Western world than Japan, the British and American Joint Staff adopted a policy of “Germany first” in early 1942.  Although Hitler's armies were already deeply engaged in the Soviet Union, Germany still had powerful armies available in Italy and France for the defense of the Western front.  But even as plans were underway for the invasion of North Africa, a dangerous situation arose in the Pacific.

Hawaii was clearly needed as a staging base for American forces making their way into the South Pacific to attack the Japanese.  General MacArthur had evacuated from the Philippines to  Australia, and the forward location for a force buildup closer to the Japanese defenses was thereby on that continent.  But along the sea lane from Hawaii to southern Australia lay the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Island chain.  In the summer of 1942 American intelligence discovered that the Japanese were preparing an airfield on the Guadalcanal Island from which they could easily attack American shipping en route to Australia.

The island was lightly defended, and the decision was made to land the 1st Marine Division under General A.A. Vandegrift on Guadalcanal and hold that vital spot against further Japanese development.  In August 1942 the Marines went ashore against light resistance.  But the Japanese were not willing to give up Guadalcanal without a fight, and Japanese air attacks hindered the landing of equipment and materiel. By August 20 Marines had completed the construction of the airfield, renamed Henderson Field, which gave the troops close air support.

The Japanese fleet, skilled at night warfare, cruised up and down the island chain wreaking havoc on the American troops ashore with heavy bombardments and driving off the American fleet, leaving the Marines short of supplies.  Japanese infantry repeatedly attacked the Marine positions, and an extensive battle involving the Marines and a Japanese division raged during October, 1942. Reinforced by units from the Second Marine Division, General Vandegrift expanded the Marines' perimeter, pushing the Japanese out of artillery range of the airfield. The bloody struggle went on until February 1943 when Guadalcanal was finally secured, though the Japanese were able to evacuate 13,000 troops from the island.

The fighting on Guadalcanal was a new experience for the Marines, who were not as familiar with jungle warfare as their Japanese opponents. They quickly became acquainted with Japanese tactics, their ferocity, their use of stealth in probing and raiding defensive positions and their grim determination to fight to the death.  The battle for Guadalcanal went down in the annals of the Marine Corps's most famous battles as it became the first stepping stone in the march across the Central Pacific toward the Japanese homelands.

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