USMC 2571
08-07-16, 05:52 AM
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and code-named (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code-name) Operation Watchtower, originally applying only to an operation to take the island of Tulagi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulagi), by Allied (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II) forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guadalcanal) in the Pacific theater (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_War) of World War II (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II). It was the first major offensive by Allied (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II) forces against the Empire of Japan (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Japan).
On 7 August 1942, Allied forces, predominantly United States (US) Marines, landed on the islands of Guadalcanal, Tulagi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulagi), and Florida (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Island) in the southern Solomon Islands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Islands), with the objective of denying their use by the Japanese to threaten Allied supply and communication routes between the US, Australia, and New Zealand. The Allies also intended to use Guadalcanal and Tulagi as bases to support a campaign to eventually capture or neutralize the major Japanese base at Rabaul (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabaul) on New Britain (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Britain). The Allies overwhelmed the outnumbered Japanese defenders, who had occupied the islands since May 1942, and captured Tulagi and Florida, as well as an airfield (later named Henderson Field (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honiara_International_Airport)) that was under construction on Guadalcanal. Powerful American naval forces supported the landings.
Surprised by the Allied offensive, the Japanese made several attempts between August and November to retake Henderson Field. Three major land battles, seven large naval battles (five nighttime surface actions and two carrier battles), and continual, almost daily, aerial battles culminated in the decisive Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Battle_of_Guadalcanal) in early November, in which the last Japanese attempt to bombard Henderson Field from the sea and land with enough troops to retake it, was defeated. In December, the Japanese abandoned their efforts to retake Guadalcanal and evacuated their remaining forces (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ke) by 7 February 1943, in the face of an offensive by the US Army's XIV Corps (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XIV_Corps_(United_States)).
The Guadalcanal campaign was a significant strategic combined arms (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_arms) Allied victory in the Pacific theater. The Japanese had reached the peak of their conquests in the Pacific. The victories at Milne Bay (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Milne_Bay), Buna-Gona (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Buna-Gona), and Guadalcanal marked the Allied transition from defensive operations to the strategic initiative in the theater, leading to offensive operations such as the Solomon Islands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Islands_campaign), New Guinea (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Guinea_campaign), and Central Pacific (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ocean_theater_of_World_War_II) campaigns, that eventually resulted in Japan's eventual surrender (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_of_Japan) and the end of World War II.
On 7 August 1942, Allied forces, predominantly United States (US) Marines, landed on the islands of Guadalcanal, Tulagi (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulagi), and Florida (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Island) in the southern Solomon Islands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Islands), with the objective of denying their use by the Japanese to threaten Allied supply and communication routes between the US, Australia, and New Zealand. The Allies also intended to use Guadalcanal and Tulagi as bases to support a campaign to eventually capture or neutralize the major Japanese base at Rabaul (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabaul) on New Britain (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Britain). The Allies overwhelmed the outnumbered Japanese defenders, who had occupied the islands since May 1942, and captured Tulagi and Florida, as well as an airfield (later named Henderson Field (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honiara_International_Airport)) that was under construction on Guadalcanal. Powerful American naval forces supported the landings.
Surprised by the Allied offensive, the Japanese made several attempts between August and November to retake Henderson Field. Three major land battles, seven large naval battles (five nighttime surface actions and two carrier battles), and continual, almost daily, aerial battles culminated in the decisive Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Battle_of_Guadalcanal) in early November, in which the last Japanese attempt to bombard Henderson Field from the sea and land with enough troops to retake it, was defeated. In December, the Japanese abandoned their efforts to retake Guadalcanal and evacuated their remaining forces (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ke) by 7 February 1943, in the face of an offensive by the US Army's XIV Corps (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XIV_Corps_(United_States)).
The Guadalcanal campaign was a significant strategic combined arms (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_arms) Allied victory in the Pacific theater. The Japanese had reached the peak of their conquests in the Pacific. The victories at Milne Bay (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Milne_Bay), Buna-Gona (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Buna-Gona), and Guadalcanal marked the Allied transition from defensive operations to the strategic initiative in the theater, leading to offensive operations such as the Solomon Islands (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Islands_campaign), New Guinea (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Guinea_campaign), and Central Pacific (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ocean_theater_of_World_War_II) campaigns, that eventually resulted in Japan's eventual surrender (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_of_Japan) and the end of World War II.