At 09:10 on 7 August, Vandegrift and 11,000 U.S. Marines came ashore on Guadalcanal between Koli Point and Lunga Point. This naval engagement, fought mostly at night, will be Japan's final attempt to dislodge the Americans from Guadalcanal. [104], Despite the U.S. victory off Cape Esperance, the Japanese continued with plans and preparations for their large offensive scheduled for later in October. 224, 251–254, 266; Jersey, pp. The Japanese naval construction units and combat troops, under the command of Captain Kanae Monzen, panicked by the warship bombardment and aerial bombing, had abandoned the airfield area and fled about 3 miles (5 km) west to the Matanikau River and Point Cruz area, leaving behind food, supplies, intact construction equipment and vehicles, and 13 dead. The hardest fighting occurred on October 24–25, when a single Marine battalion was all that stood between Henderson Field and two Japanese regiments. On 11 September, the 840 men of Edson's battalion were deployed onto and around the ridge. 132, 158. Figures for other the Allies are not included. At the start of 1943, Allied combat strength on Guadalcanal stood at two U.S. Army divisions and a Marine regiment, totaling some 44,000 troops. The runs became known as the "Tokyo Express" to Allied forces and were labeled "rat transportation" by the Japanese. The Japanese had two fleet carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku and the light carrier Ryūjō,[59] with 177 carrier-based aircraft. Advancing towards Lunga Point, they encountered little resistance and secured the airfield by 16:00 on 8 August. [29] The troops sent to Guadalcanal were fresh from military training and armed with bolt-action M1903 Springfield rifles and a meager 10-day supply of ammunition. [175] Hanson Baldwin, a Navy correspondent, filed stories for The New York Times and won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the early days of World War II. Japan secured a tactical victory, sinking the carrier Hornet, but paid a severe price in aircraft and skilled aircrew. Rottman, p. 61; Frank, pp. On 22 August five U.S. Army Bell P-400 Airacobras and their pilots arrived at Henderson Field. 248–249; and Smith, pp. However, Admiral King's argument for the Guadalcanal invasion, as well as its successful implementation, convinced Roosevelt that the Pacific Theater could be pursued offensively as well. The Marines were impeded by difficult terrain, hot sun, and well-emplaced Japanese defenses. At the same time, but in a separate operation, three heavy cruisers and two destroyers under the command of Rear Admiral Aritomo Gotō were to bombard Henderson Field with special explosive shells with the object of destroying the CAF and the airfield's facilities. Almost as soon as the U.S. Marines landed on Guadalcanal, Japanese commanders began making preparations for the retaking of the island. And with the help of the naval stations in Guam, the Americans were able to … On 7 August 1942, Allied forces, predominantly United States Marines, landed on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida in the southern Solomon Islands, with the objective of using Guadalcanal and Tulagi as bases in supporting a campaign to eventually capture or neutralize the major Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain. [145], By 7 December 1942, Hyakutake's forces were losing about 50 men each day from malnutrition, disease, and Allied ground or air attacks. Besides Henderson Field, two additional fighter runways were constructed at Lunga Point and a bomber airfield was built at Koli Point. As many as three-quarters of the deaths were from non-combat causes such as starvation and various tropical diseases. Hayashi, pp. The Japanese estimated that there were 10,000 American troops on the island, when in fact there were about 23,000. By the time Shōji's forces reached the Lunga River in mid-November, about halfway to the Matanikau, only 1,300 men remained with the main body. Between 16 and 18 October, the 2nd Division began their march along the Maruyama Road. [107], The Japanese convoy reached Tassafaronga on Guadalcanal at midnight on 14 October and began unloading. Allied naval carrier forces in the area, now under the overall command of William Halsey, Jr., also hoped to meet the Japanese naval forces in battle. Hough, p. 372; Miller, p. 350; Zimmerman, p. 166. By the end of August, 64 aircraft of various types were stationed at Henderson Field. 420–421, 424–25, 493–497; Anderson; Hough, pp. About 30 survived the battle and joined Ichiki's rear guard of about 100, and these 128 Japanese returned to Taivu Point, notified 17th Army headquarters of their defeat and awaited further reinforcements and orders from Rabaul. During the action three Marine companies were surrounded by Japanese forces near Point Cruz west of the Matanikau, took heavy losses, and barely escaped with assistance from the destroyer USS Monssen and landing craft manned by U.S. Coast Guard personnel. Although U.S. losses were heavy in both the naval and ground campaigns, the Battle of Guadalcanal was decisive in that U.S. positions in the southern Solomons were never again seriously threatened. 187–188. In an emergency session the top Japanese IJA and IJN command staffs concluded that "Guadalcanal might develop into the decisive battle of the war". The Japanese destroyers were usually able to make round trips down "The Slot" (New Georgia Sound) to Guadalcanal and back in a single night throughout the campaign, minimizing their exposure to Allied air attack. The second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. [162] The drain on resources directly contributed to Japan's failure to achieve its objectives in the New Guinea campaign. Tropical diseases and a lack of food felled many more of Shōji's men. Upon the delegation's return to Tokyo, Sanada recommended that Guadalcanal be abandoned. Thus, as the campaign wore on the Japanese were losing irreplaceable units while the Americans were rapidly replacing and even augmenting their forces. 534–539; Toland, pp. Beyond Kawaguchi, several Japanese political and military leaders, including Naoki Hoshino, Nagano, and Torashirō Kawabe, stated shortly after the war that Guadalcanal was the decisive turning point in the conflict. Today in 1942, the naval battle of Guadalcanal ended. The outcome of the Battle at Guadalcanal was the retreat of the Japanese. During the first week of February, light surface craft began evacuating the 12,000 remaining Japanese troops from Guadalcanal. 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