Marines guadalcanal land offensive theater world war august 1942

Battles of Guadalcanal

  • Landings

    The united states marines landed at Guadalcanal 8 months after the Pearl Harbor attack, the 1st Marine Division, supported by naval air and gunnery support, landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the eastern Solomons.
  • Battle of Savo island

    Japanese navy a night surface attack on the ships screening the allied landing force. This battle was one of the worst defeats taken by the US Navy in a single fleet of action.
  • Battle of eastern Solomons

    Battle of eastern Solomons
    Japanese ships never sited each other during the course of engagement having all attacks carried out by carrier-based or shore-based aircraft. This was fought during operation Ka.
  • Battle of Cape Esperance

    Japanese dispatched a major supply and reinforcement convoy to their ground forces engaged on Guadalcanal. Three Japanese heavy cruisers and two destroyers were to bombard Henderson Field on Guadalcanal and defeated by the US
  • Battle of Santa Cruz islands

    Battle of Santa Cruz islands
    Japanese carriers and other large warships were positioned near the southern Solomon's in the hope of drawing out, engaging, and decisively defeating Allied naval forces. Japanese ships and aircraft confronted each other on the morning of 26 October, just north of the Santa Cruz Islands.
  • Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

    Consisted of a series of destructive air and sea engagements closely related to the continuing Japanese effort to reinforce their ground forces on the island. Embarking 7,000 troops and their equipment, in another attempt to retake Henderson Field.
  • Battle of Tassafaronga

    Battle of Tassafaronga
    U.S. Navy task force attempted to surprise and destroy Japanese destroyers dispatched to resupply Japanese ground forces on Guadalcanal
  • Forces on Guadalcanal

    The Japanese Imperial High Command had reluctantly evaluated and accepted recommendations for the evacuation of Japanese forces on Guadalcanal
  • Japanese withdrawal

    The last Japanese were evacuated by a destroyer task force during the night of 7 February. Coupled with the Battle of Midway, the Allied victory on Guadalcanal was likely the turning point of the Pacific War. Japan was now on the defensive.