The Old Breed

The 1st Marine Division was stocked with many long serving Marines. Many had experience in Central American dust ups, but this was different. As the defensive perimeter was set up around Henderson airfield, US manpower was stretched thin. Too thin …

1942-09-11

P05

The 1st Marine Division was stocked with many long serving Marines. Many had experience in Central American dust ups, but this was different. As the defensive perimeter was set up around Henderson airfield, US manpower was stretched thin. Too thin in a lot of places. In one such section of this perimeter, a small group of ’old timers’ would have to fight for survival. The small Marine listening post tempted the Japanese soldiers probing the line. They chose to push hard and overrun the Americans.

Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands

The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by American forces, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theater of World War II. It was the first major land offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan. On 7 August 1942, Allied forces, predominantly United States Marines, landed on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida in the southern Solomon Islands, with the objective of using Guadalcanal and Tulagi as bases in supporting a campaign to eventually capture or neutralize the major Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain. The Japanese defenders, who had occupied those islands since May 1942, were outnumbered and overwhelmed by the Allies, who captured Tulagi and Florida, as well as the airfield, later named Henderson Field, that was under construction on Guadalcanal. Surprised by the Allied offensive, the Japanese made several attempts between August and November to retake Henderson Field. Three major land battles, seven large naval battles (five nighttime surface actions and two carrier battles), and almost daily aerial battles culminated in the decisive Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in early November, with the defeat of the last Japanese attempt to bombard Henderson Field from the sea and to land enough troops to retake it. In December, the Japanese abandoned their efforts to retake Guadalcanal, and evacuated their remaining forces by 7 February 1943, in the face of an offensive by the U.S. Army's XIV Corps, with the Battle of Rennell Island, the last major naval engagement, serving to secure protection for the Japanese troops to evacuate safely.

Wikipedia: Guadalcanal campaign

Japanese

American