Guadacanal

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*Guadalcanal Battle
*Guadalcanal Naval Battles
*Guadalcanal Map
*Guadalcanal Diary Book
Guadalcanal Diary Walking In The Shadow Of The Big Man Vinyl Record DB Vintage 1984 New Wave Indie Garage Band Trail Of Tears Mohawk Music MohawkMusic. From shop MohawkMusic. 5 out of 5 stars (1,560) 1,560 reviews. The remaining carriers, Hornet (CV8) and Wasp (CV7), patrolled off Guadalcanal, their captains and admirals decidedly uneasy about exposing the last American flattops in the Pacific as meaty targets to the numerically superior Japanese ships and aircraft. Wasp took a lurking Japanese submarine’s torpedoes on 15 September while covering a convoy.
TIME OF THE ACES: Marine Pilots in the Solomons
by Commander Peter B. Mersky, U.S. Naval Reserve
Guadalcanal: The Beginning of the Long Road Back
The Aircraft in the ConflictThe U.S. Navy and Marine Corps were definitely at adisadvantage when America entered World War II in December 1941. Besidesother areas, their frontline aircraft were well behind worldstandards.The Japanese did not suffer similarly, however, forthey were busy building up their arsenal as they sought sources of rawmaterials they needed and were prepared to go to war to acquire. Besidespossessing what was the finest aerial torpedo in the world — theLong Lance — they had the aircraft to deliver it. And they hadfighters to protect the bombers. Although the world initially refused tobelieve how good Japanese aircraft and their pilots were, it wasn’t longafter the attack on Pearl Harbor that reality seeped in.Thefirst production model of Grumman’s stubby, little Wildcat was theF4F-3, which carried four .50-caliber machine guns in the wings. Itswings did not fold, unlike the -4 which added two more machine guns andfolding wings. These F4F-3s of VMF-121 carry prewar exercisemarkings.Author’s CollectionIn many respects, the U.S. Army Air Force — ithad been the U.S. Army Air Corps until 20 June 1941 — and the Navyand Marine Corps had the same problems in the first two years of thewar. The Army’s top fighters were the Bell P-39 Airacobra and theCurtiss P-40B/E Tomahawk/Kittyhawk. The Navy and Marine Corps’ twofrontline fighters were the Brewster F2A-3 Buffalo and the GrummanF4F-3/4 Wildcat during 1942.Of these single-seaters, only the Army’s P-40 and theNavy’s F4F achieved any measure of success against the Japanese in 1942.The P-40’s main attributes were its diving speed, which let it disengagefrom a fight, and its ability to absorb punishment and still fly, aconfidence builder for its hard-pressed pilots. The Wildcat was also atough little fighter (’built like Grumman iron’ was a popularcatch-phrase of the period), and had a devastating battery of four (forthe F4F-3) or six .50-caliber machine guns (for the F4F-4) and a fairdegree of maneuverability.Both the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy also hadoutstanding aircraft. The Army’s primary fighter of the early war wasthe Nakajima K.43 Hayabusa (Peregrine Falcon), a light, little aircraft,with a slim, tapered fuselage and a bubble canopy.The Navy’s fighter came to symbolize the Japanese aireffort, even for the Japanese, themselves. The Mitsubishi Type ’O’Carrier Fighter (its official designation) was as much a trend-settingdesign as was Britain’s Spitfire or the American Corsair.The Wildcat was a relatively small aircraft, aswere most of the pre war fighters throughout the world. The aircraft’snarrow gear track is shown to advantage in this ground view of a VMF-121F4F-3.However, as author Norman Franks wrote, the Alliedcrews found that ’the Japanese airmen were..far superior to the crudestereotypes so disparaged by the popular press and cartoonists. And in aZero they were highly dangerous.’The hallmark of Japanese fighters had always beensuperb maneuverability. Early biplanes — which had been developedfrom British and French designs — set the pace. By the mid-1930s,the Army and Navy had two world-class fighters, the Nakajima Ki.27 andthe Mitsubishi A5M series, respectively, both low-wing, fixed-gearaircraft. The Ki.27 did have a modern enclosed cockpit, while the A5M’scockpit was open (except for one variant that experimented with a canopywhich was soon discarded in service.) A major and fatal disadvantage ofmost Japanese fighters was their light armament — usually a pair of.30-caliber machine guns — and lack of armor, as well as theirgreat flammability.When the Type ’0’ first flew in 1939, most Japanesepilots were enthusiastic about the new fighter. It was fast, hadretractable landing gear and an enclosed cock pit, and carried two 20mmcannon besides the two machine guns. Initial operational evaluation inChina in 1940 confirmed the aircraft’s potential.By the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,the A6M2 was the Imperial Navy’s standard carrier fighter, and rapidlyreplaced the older A5Ms still in service. As the A6M2 proved successfulin combat, it acquired its wartime nickname, ’Zero,’ although theJapanese rarely referred to it as such. The evocative name came from thecustom of designating aircraft in reference to the Japanese calendar.Thus, since 1940 corresponded to the year 2600 in Japan, the fighter wasthe Type ’00’ fighter, which was shortened to ’0.’ The western presspicked up the designation and the name ’Zero’ was born.ThisA6M3 is taking off from Rabaul in 1943.Author’s Collection
TheZero’s incredible maneuverability came at some expense from its topspeed. In an effort to increase the speed, the designers clipped thefolding wingtips from the carrier-based A6M2 and evolved the land-basedA6M3, Model 32. The pilots were not impressed with the speed increaseand the production run was short, the A6M3 reverting back to its span asthe Model 22. The type was originally called ’Hap,’ after Gen Henry’Hap’ Arnold, Chief of the Army Air Force. Arnold was so angry at thedubious honor that the name was quickly changed to Hamp. This Hamp isshown in the Solomons during theGuadalcanal campaign.Author’s CollectionThe fighter received another name in 1943 which wasalmost as popular, especially among the American flight crews. A systemof first names referred to various enemy aircraft, in much the same waythat the postwar NATO system referred to Soviet and Chinese aircraft.The Zero was tagged ’Zeke,’ and the names were used interchangeably byeveryone, from flight crews to intelligence officers. (Other examples ofthe system included ’Claude’ [A5M], ’Betty’ [Mitsubishi G4M bomber], and’Oscar’ [Ki.43].)As discussed in the main text, the Navy and MarineCorps Wildcats were sometimes initially hard-pressed to defend theirships and fields against the large forces of Betty bombers and theirZero escorts, which had ranges of 800 miles or more through the use ofdrop tanks.The Brewster Buffalo had little to show for its fewencounters with the Japanese, which is difficult to understand given thetype’s early success during the Russo-Finnish War. The F2A-1, a lighter,earlier model of the -3 which served with the Marines, was the standardFinnish fighter plane. In its short combat career in American service,the Brewster failed miserably.Thus, the only fighter capable of meeting theJapanese on anything approaching equal terms was the F4F, which wasfortunate because the Wildcat was really all that was available in thosedark days following Pearl Harbor. Retired Brigadier General Robert E.Galer described the Wildcat as ’very rugged and very mistreated (atGuadalcanal).’ He added:Brewster’s fat little F2A Buffalo is credited with adismal performance in American and British service, although the Finnsracked up a fine score against the Russians. This view of a MarineBrewster shows the aptness of its popular name, which actually came fromthe British. Its characteristic greenhouse canopy and main wheels tuckedsnugly into its belly are also well shown.Author’s Collection
TheA6M2-N float plane version of the Zero did fairly well, suffering only asmall loss in its legendary maneuverability. Top speed was somewhataffected, however, and the aircraft’s relatively light armament was adetriment.Photo courtesy of Robert MikeshFull throttle, very few replacement parts, muddylanding strips, battle damage, roughly repaired. We loved them. We didnot worry about flight characteristics except when senior officerswanted to make them bombers as well as fighters.The Japanese also operated a unique form of fighter.Other combatants had tried to make seaplanes of existing designs. TheU.S. Navy had even hung floats on the Wildcat, which quickly became the’Wildcatfish.’ The British had done it with the Spitfire. But theresulting combination left much to be desired and sapped the originaldesign of much of its speed and maneuverability.The Japanese, however, seeing the need for awater-based fighter in the expanses of the Pacific, modified the A6M2Zero, and came up with what was arguably the most successful water-basedfighter of the war, the A6M2-N, which was allocated the Allied codename’Rufe.’Agood view of an early F4U-1 under construction in 1942. The massiveamount of wiring and piping for the aircraft’s huge Pratt & Whitneyengine shows up here, as do the Corsair’s gull wings.Author’sCollectionManufactured by Mitsubishi’s competitor, Nakajima,float-Zeros served in such disparate climates as the Aleutians and theSolomons. Although the floats bled off at least 40 mph from theland-based version’s top speed, they seemed to have had only a minoreffect on its original maneuverability; the Rule acquired the samerespect as its sire.While the F4F and P-40 (along with the luckless P-39)held the line in the Pacific, other, newer designs were leavingproduction lines, and none too soon. The two best newcomers were theArmy’s Lockheed P-38 Lightning and the Navy’s Vought F4U Corsair. TheP-38 quickly captured the headlines and public interest with its uniquetwin-boomed, twin-engine layout. It soon developed into a long-rangeescort, and served in the Pacific as well as Europe.TheMarine pilot of this F4U-1, Lt Donald Balch, contemplates his goodfortune by the damaged tail of his fighter. The Corsair was a relativelytough aircraft, but like any plane, damage to vital portions of itscontrols or powerplant could prove fatal.Author’s CollectionThe Corsair was originally intended to fly from aircraft carriers, but its high landing speed, long nose that obliteratedthe pilot’s view forward during the landing approach, and its tendencyto bounce, banished the big fighter from American flight decks for awhile. The British, however, modified the aircraft, mainly by clip pingits wings, and flew it from their small decks.Deprived of its new carrier fighter — havingsettled on the new Grumman F6F Hellcat as its main carrier fighter— the Navy offered the F4U to the Marines. They took the firstsquadrons to the Solomons, and after a few disappointing first missions,they made the gull-winged fighter their own, eventually even flying itfrom the small decks of Navy escort carriers in the later stages of thewar.This’bird-cage’ Corsair is landing at Espiritu Santo in September 1943. Theaircraft’s paint is well-weathered and its main gear tires are ’dusty’from the coral runways of the area.National Archives 80G-54284
1stLt Rolland N. Rinabarger of VMF-214 in his earlyF4U-1 Corsair at Espiritu Santo in September 1943. Badly shot up byZeros during an early mission to Kahili only two weeks after this photowas taken, Lt Rinabarger returned to the States for lengthy treatment.He was still in California when the war ended. The national insignia onhis Corsair is outlined in red, a short-lived attempt to regain thatcolor from the prewar marking after the red circle was deleted followingPearl Harbor to avoid confusion with the Japanese ’meatball.’ Even thissmall amount of red was deceptive, however, and by mid-1944, it was gonefrom the insignia again. Note the large mud spray on the aft underfuselage.National Archives 80G-54279Besides the two main fighters, the Army’s Oscar andthe Navy’s Zeke and its floatplane derivative, the Rufe, the Japaneseflew a wide assortment of aircraft, including land-based bombers, suchas the Mitsubishi G4M (codenamed Betty) and Ki.21 (Sally). Carrier-basedbombers included the Aichi D3A divebomber (the Val) which sawconsiderable service during the first three years of the war, and itsstablemate, the torpedo bomber from Nakajima, the B5N (Kate), one of themost capable torpedo-carriers of the first half of the war. The MarineCorps squadrons in the Solomons regularly encountered these aircraft.First Lieutenant James Swett’s two engagements on 7 April 1943 nettedthe young Wildcat pilot seven Vals, and the Medal of Honor.Although early wartime propaganda ridiculed Japaneseaircraft and their pilots, returning Allied aviators told differentstories, although the details of their experiences were kept classified.Each side’s culture provided the basis for their aircraft designphilosophies. Eventually, the Japanese were overwhelmed by Americantechnology and numerical superiority. However, for the important first18 months of the Pacific war, they had the best. But, as was also thecase in the European theaters, a series of misfortunes, coincidences, alack of understanding by leaders, as well as the drain of prolongedcombat, finally allowed the Americans and their Allies to overcome theenemy’s initial edge.Mitsubishi G4M Betty bombers, perhaps during theSolomons campaign. Probably the best Japanese land-based bomber in thewar’s first two years, the G4M series enjoyed a long range, but couldburst into flames under attack, much to the chagrin of its crews. Thetype flew as a suicide aircraft, and finally, painted white with greencrosses, carried surrender teams to various sites.Photo courtesy RobertMikesh
Galer would also be shot down three more times duringhis flying career — twice more during World War II and once duringa tour in Korea.The last half of September 1942 was a time of extremetrial for the Cactus Air Force (Cactus was the codename forGuadalcanal). Some relief for the Marine squadrons came in the form ofbad weather and the arrival of disjointed contingents of Navy aircraftand crews who were displaced from carriers which were either sunk, ordamaged. Saratoga (CV3) and Enterprise (CV6) had beentorpedoed or bombed and sent back to rear area repair stations. Theremaining carriers, Hornet (CV8) and Wasp (CV7), patrolledoff Guadalcanal, their captains and admirals decidedly uneasy aboutexposing the last American flattops in the Pacific as meaty targets tothe numerically superior Japanese ships and aircraft.Wasp took a lurking Japanese submarine’storpedoes on 15 September while covering a convoy. Now onlyHornet remained. Navy planes and crews from Enterprise,Saratoga, and now Wasp flew into Henderson Field tosupplement the hard-pressed Marine fighter and bomber squadrons there.It was still a meager force of 63 barely operational aircraft, acollection of Navy and Marine F4Fs and SBDs, Navy Grumann TBF Avengertorpedo bombers, and a few forlorn Army P-400s. A few new Marine pilotsfrom VMF-121 filtered in on 25 September. However, two days later, thecrews from Enterprise’s contingent took their planes out to meettheir carrier steaming in to arrive on station off Guadalcanal. As theweather broke on the 27th, the Enterprise crews took their leaveof Guadalcanal.The next day, the Japanese mounted their first raidin nearly two weeks. Warned by the coastwatchers, Navy and Marinefighters rose to intercept the 70-plane force. Now a lieutenant colonel,Harold ’Indian Joe’ Bauer was making one of his periodic visits fromEfate, and scored a kill, a Zero, before landing.A native of North Platte, Nebraska, Bauer waspart-Indian (as was Major Gregory ’Pappy’ Boyington). Coaching sticks. A veteran of 10years as a Marine aviator, he watched the progress of the campaign atGuadalcanal from his rear-area base on Efate. He would come north, usingas an excuse the need to check on those members of his squadron who hadbeen sent to Henderson and would occasionally fly with the Cactusfighters.His victory on the 28th was his first, and soon,Bauer was a familiar face to the Henderson crews. Bauer was visitingVMF-224 on 3 October when a coastwatcher reported a large group ofJapanese bombers in bound for Henderson. VMF-223 and -224 took off tointercept the raiders. The Marine Wildcats accounted for 11 enemyaircraft; Lieutenant Colonel Bauer claimed four, making him an ace.On 30 September, Admiral Chester Nimitz,Commander-in-Chief, Pacific, braved a heavy rain storm to fly in toHenderson for an awards ceremony. John Smith, Marion Carl, and BobGaler, as well as some 1st Marine Division personnel, received the NavyCross. Other members of the Cactus Air Force, Navy and Marine, weredecorated with Distinguished Flying Crosses. Nimitz departed in ablinding rain after presenting a total of 27 medals to the men of theCactus Air Force.

On August 7, 1942 mostly American allied forces landed on the Island of Guadalcanal and soon after on Tulagi and Florida. The first objective of what would become the Battle of Guadalcanal was to prevent the Japanese from interrupting the communication and supply transport between the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, with the secondary objective being the capture of a major Japanese military base at Rabul, New Britain. The Battle of Guadalcanal Campaign would result in a significant strategic, combined arms victories by the Allied Forces over the Japanese in the Pacific Theater of World War 2. This campaign would also mark the change of Allied Operations from defense to offense during this phase of the war. The Battle of Guadalcanal Campaign would last from August 7th, 1942 to February 9th, 1943. The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal would primarily take place between November 12th and 15th of 1942.
ContentsBattle of Guadalcanal Commanders
Allied Powers (United States)
Robert L. Ghormley
William Halsey, Jr.
Richmond K. Turner
Alexander A. Vandegrift
Alexander Patch
Empire of Japan
Isoroku Yamamoto
Nishizo Tsukahara
Jinichi Kusaka
Hitoshi Imamura
Harukichi HyakutakeGuadalcanal Order of Battle
Empire of Japan
36,200
2 battleships
6 heavy cruisers
4 light cruisers
16 destroyers
11 transports
Allied Powers (United States Marine Corps, United States Army)
60,000
1 carrier
2 battleships
2 heavy cruisers
3 light cruisers
12 destroyers
Specific Units serving in the battleGuadalcanal Casualties
Allied Powers
7,100 dead
4 captured
29 ships lost
615 aircraft lost
Empire of Japan
31,000 dead
1,000 captured
38 ships lost
683–880 aircraft lostGuadalcanal BattleBattle of Guadalcanal MapBattle of Guadalcanal VideoBattle of Guadalcanal Summary
When the Allied forces landed on Guadalcanal and the other islands they quickly overwhelmed the Japanese forces and captured the islands of Tulagi and Florida together with an airport that the Japanese had under construction. The landing was supported by considerable U.S. naval forces.
Taken by surprise by this offensive the Japanese tried to retake the airport that was now ren

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