The battle for the Guadalcanal island has lasted 6 months as much on water, on air as on land. The waters North of the island are so much littered with sunk ships that the bay is named the Iron Bottom Bay.
May 3rd the Japaneses take over Tulagi in front of Guadalcanal and then travel down to Guadalcanal where they see the possibility of building a runway. With that future runway the Japaneses could bomb the Estafe and Espiritu-Santo's docking in the New-Hebrids. Thus this position could eventually be a threat to the communication line Hawaii-Australia and so the Americans have to react. But the means by which they could do so are lean because MacArthur think that the Japaneses will try attacking Port Moresby and so he refuses to let go its 3 new divisions. Also the Torch operation (landing in Africa) is holding most of the american troops.
August 7th, 80 american and australian ships are sent to Guadalcanal for Watchtower operation. The ship group is composed of the carrier Saratoga, Enterprise (which is coming back from Midway) and Wasp (which is coming back from Malte in the Mediterranean) under the orders of counter-admiral Fletcher. Also in the group is 8 cruisers, 17 transports and 6 cargos with aboard the 1st Marine division -this is 11 000 Marines leaded by the major-general Alexander A. Vandegrift- all those ships are under he orders of australian counter-admiral V.A.C. Crutchley.
The first attack occurs with the Marines landing at Tulagi, Gavutu and Guadalcanal. At the end of the day all seemed over: 108 Americans were dead and 150 others injured to conquer the three islands and most importantly the Guadalcanal's airport along with eliminating 1500 Japaneses. But they don't follow the retreating enemy in the jungle and in the night of August 9th vice-admiral Mikawa and his 7 cruisers (Chokai, Aoba, Kako, Kinugasa, Furutaka, Tenryu and Yubari) and one destroyer catch off-guard the americans ships even if an australian bomber had spot them earlier (the radio-warning had been cut and so only three cruisers were expected). Before they had time to react the Americans had lost 4 cruisers (Vincennes and Quincy sunk at once while Astoria and Canberra had to be sunk later). The only american victory of the day is when the american submarine S-44 sunk the Kako after the attack. The american soldiers rename the airport Henderson Field, after the name of one of Midway's hero.
After the Japaneses send the 17th army of general Yakutake through the jungle. They underestimate the numbers and firepower of the Marines and so the 17th army is completly decimated in small attacks against the american defenses.
August 20th colonel Ichiki launches a night attack on an american position: 900 Japaneses die on the Tenaru river's banks East of the airport. The colonel then kills himself.
September 12th an other japanese attack leaded by commander Kawaguchi throw 8 000 Japaneses against the american defenses: 40 Americans die and 400 are injured against losses of 1200 dead for the Japaneses. This is the Bloody Ridge Battle since it happened on the hills South of Henderson Field.
October 23rd general Hyukatake takes control of the japanese troops and receive in reenforcement the 2nd Japanese division from Java. For the next three nights he will attacks Henderson Field on the three sides and he even one night attain the runway with his men before being fought back. 500 Americans and 3000 Japaneses dies. After that the 38th Japanese division is sent in reenforcement but of the 10 000 men sent only 2000 will get to the Japanese camp in the jungle; the others died in the naval battles (12 to 16 of November). To increase the difficulty the Japaneses are sick with many diseases, of which most are deadly and so 9000 Japaneses will die without fighting (against 15 000 who die from bullet wounds).
On the ocean things are not easier. After covering their operations with aircrafts: the american carriers Saratoga, Wasp and Enterprise are there under the orders of Fletcher while the japaneses carriers Ryujo, Shokaku and Zuikaku are on the other side of the island and under the orders of admiral Kondo; the Japaneses send submarines patrols to disturb the american supply line. By that way the carrier Saratoga is hit by a torpedo from the japanese submarine I-26 and is disabled for 3 months. September 15th the carrier Wasp is hit by 3 torpedos from the submarine I-19 and it sink. The battleship North Carolina is disabled by the same way on the same day and thus when the day is over only one battleship (the Washington) and one carrier (the Enterprise) are available. The Japaneses create the Tokyo Express (leaded by admiral Tanaka) which is formed of destroyers which supply their troops by night when they can ignore the bad american aircrafts.
The Oriental Solomon Battle happens on August 24 when the Wasp is away to gas. The airplanes of Fletcher attack and sink the Ryujo which was escorted by two other carriers, two battleships, 5 cruisers and 17 destroyers. The Japaneses' revenge is to attack the Enterprise which is highly covered by the DCA from the new battleship North Carolina (not disabled yet). Even so the carrier is hit by three bombs and has to retreat.
The Esperance Cape Battle. All begins in the night from 11 to 12 of October when admiral Scott spots a small japanese group and sink one cruiser and one destroyer while having one less destroyer. In the night of October 14th the Japaneses send two battleships (Kongo and Haruna) along Guadalcanal's coasts to bomb the airport. After this easy bombing the Japaneses send another bombing group but larger then the first but on their side the Americans have changed their leader (who is now Halsey ) and warned by last night they send a group of ships including the carriers Hornet and Enterprise under the orders of Kinkaid to meet the Japaneses. Then is the great classic naval battle: The Santa Cruz Islands Battle -carriers against carriers. October 26th the japanese airplanes attack the Hornet and hit it with 4 bombs, 2 torpedos and 2 airplanes and so the carrier sink. The Enterprise escapes the same fate only because the South Dakota is giving it a good DCA cover. At the same time the american aircrafts attack the japanese carriers Shokaku and Zuiho, both are severely damaged and so the Japaneses retreat with losses of about a hundred pilots and the Zuiho which will later sink.
October 20th the Japaneses have 22 000 soldiers on the island. From November 12th to 14th the Japaneses try to send ships and troops (38th Japanese division) but the Americans are guarding the place well and they intercept the Japaneses. In the night of 12th the Americans spots two japanese battleships that attack first and sink two cruisers with their admirals Callaghan and Scott, South-East of Savo. The next morning the battleship Hiei is spotted by american airplanes from Henderson Field and they sink the ship along with the 14 transports that were following it. In the night of November 13th 8 american destroyers and 5 cruisers fire at point blank on the 18 enemy ships that they see and sink 2 destroyers and one cruiser. The battleships are fighting for each other for the first time: the Washington sinks the battleship Kirishima with one salvo of 406mm targeted by radar. The South Dakota is also there but an electric problem shut it down a few minutes while which it is slightly damaged. That battle is afterward named the Guadalcanal Night Battle.
The japanese soldiers on the islands are so efficiently isolated that they have no more food nor supply and thus they can't fight anymore. November 30th the Tokyo Express (8 destroyers) tries a last time to supply the japanese troops. The Americans spot them and sink one of the destroyer before Tanaka retreats while launching a torpedo screen that will hit 4 cruisers, of which the Northampthon will sink.This last battle is named the Tassafaronga Battle. By December 9th 6000 american soldiers are positioned on the island and have pushed back the 15 000 Japaneses toward the Esperance Cape while attacking their back with small landing further. The Japaneses then receive only small supply by submarines. In the night of February 8th the last Japaneses leave the island.
After their defeat on the water the Japaneses are also defeated on land. This is the first step back for the Japaneses and thus the first reconquest by the Americans. The Guadalcanal operation has costed 24 000 men to the Japaneses against only 1600 men for the Americans. Even if both side have suffered about equal losses (600 planes and 24 ships, even if the Japaneses have lost heavier ships: 136 000 tons against 124 000 tons),the Japaneses can't build back their losses. The Americans have only one carrier left, the Enterprise; this is their lowest period and admiral King is obliged to ask the British if they could borrow one of their carrier. So for a few months the carrier Victorious will be assimilated to the US navy but it will never take part in some great battle. Also, after these long and tough fights the Marines get some self-confidence. The success of Guadalcanal combined with the success of the Torch operation (landing in Africa) yield a new part of the war: the Allied can reconquer.
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