Guadalcanal Battles

The Battles of Guam and Guadalcanal

Many people are familiar with the attack on Pearl Harbor, but not many people know of the smaller battles that took place soon afterwards. These such battles include the Battle of Guadalcanal and the Battles of Guam. The Battles of Guadalcanal and Guam were two battles that took place in the Pacific during World War II in the early 1940s. They were both very important battles between the Allied and Japanese forces (Battle of Guadalcanal) (Battle of Guam).

The Battle of Guadalcanal

The Battle of Guadalcanal lasted from August of 1942 to February of 1943. This battle took place on the island of Guadalcanal, located in the southern Solomon Islands, and was fought between the Allied and Japanese forces (Battle

The Allies sent naval forces and Marines led by Frank Fletcher and Alexander Vandegrift (Mann, 117) to carry out a surprise attack on the island (History.com). The amphibious force they sent was the most powerful ever assembled (Trueman). Other similar forces were also sent to capture Tulagi and other smaller islands (Mann, 118). The Allies advanced inland. The bad climate made the journey very difficult for the soldiers, especially those carrying supplies. The Allied troops arrived at the Japanese airfield on August 8, 1942 and the Japanese troops fled, abandoning the airfield. This led to fierce naval fighting (Trueman). The Allies finished building the abandoned airfield and named it Henderson’s Field (Mann, 118). Japanese troops were landed on the island (Trueman). Japan wanted the Allies off the island, so they fought hard and hit the island often with air attacks (Mann, 118). By a system called the Tokyo Express, Japanese cruisers and destroyers came by night and landed men and supplies on the island. This allowed them to run thousands of men to the island and build up a good attack force (Mann, 119). Further attempted attacks by the Japanese failed and were pushed back. Soon the Allies began using an offensive strategy, pushing the enemy away (Mann, 121). The Japanese refused defeat, but the emperor ordered a withdrawal from the island

It took place on the island of Guam, located in the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean (Battle of Guam).

The first battle lasted only two days. It started on December 8, 1941 and ended December 10, 1941 (Orzechowski). The battles were fought between the Allied and Japanese forces (Guam). Tomitaro Horii led the Japanese in 1941 and the Allied leader was George J. McMillin (Battle of Guam). There were 547 Marine soldiers and sailors fighting for the Allies. They had one minesweeper, two patrol boats, and one freighter engaged. The Japanese had 5,900 infantry soldiers and Marines using warcraft including four heavy cruisers, four destroyers, two gunboats, six submarine chasers, two minesweepers, two tenders, and unknown aircraft (First). The first battle was a Japanese victory (Battle of Guam). The Allies lost 17 men, one minesweeper, two patrol boats, and one freighter. Thirty five were wounded and 406 were captured. The Japanese only suffered one death while six were wounded, and one aircraft was lost