Riding a wave of victory after the Battle of Midway in June 1942, the Allies set their crosshairs on a tropical island in the southwestern Pacific, intent on sinking the hostile global expansion of Imperial Japan. The largest of the Solomon Islands, stretching some 60 miles long and 30 miles wide, Guadalcanal became the site of a grueling six-month campaign that resulted in blood shed, lives lost, and a turning point in World War II. In the end, victory resulted thanks to a united front. Massive in scope and volume, the operation called on the Navy, Army, Air Force, and Marines to attack the Japanese from the hulls of tanks, the decks of destroyers, and the cockpits of dive bombers. Every branch synchronized their efforts—a feat of collaboration that was inspiring and healing for a nation still processing the attack on Pearl Harbor months earlier. History remembers Guadalcanal as the battle in which the U.S. first gained a foothold in the Pacific. This led to the defeat of Japan and—eventually—the end of the war. This is the incredible story of Guadalcanal.
UNITED WE STAND • THE BATTLE OF GUADALCANAL BROUGHT ALL THE BRANCHES OF THE U.S. ARMED FORCES TOGETHER FOR SUCCESS
ENTERING THE CONFLICT • THE U.S. WAS RELUCTANT TO ENTER WORLD WAR II, THEN CAME THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR
POWER PLAY • JAPAN WAS BENT ON DOMINATING THE PACIFIC REGARDLESS OF WHO MIGHT BE IN THE WAY
OPERATION WATCH TOWER • TO THE MILITARY, THE GUADALCANAL CAMPAIGN HAD ONE OBJECTIVE: STOPPING JAPAN
BY LAND • THE GROUND STRATEGY AT GUADALCANAL
BY SEA • THE NAVAL STRATEGY AT GUADALCANAL
BY AIR • THE FIGHT IN THE SKIES OVER GUADALCANAL
THE LEADERS • CENTRAL FIGURES AT THE BATTLE OF GUADALCANAL
THE BATTLES • TEN PIVOTAL MOMENTS IN THE BATTLE OF GUADALCANAL
THE IMPACT • THE BATTLE OF GUADALCANAL WAS VITAL TO ALLIED VICTORY
The Battle of Guadalcanal
PHOTO CREDITS