The Guadalcanal Campaign (aka Battle for Guadalcanal) in the Solomon Islands was a series of land, air, and sea battles between US and Japanese forces in the Pacific War of WWII. Lasting from August 1942 to February 1943, the campaign was a titanic struggle for control of Guadalcanal Island and its vital airstrip. The landing of tens of thousands of US Marines aimed to stop further Japanese expansion into the South Pacific and follow up the US victory at the Battle of Midway, but a large amphibious landing of Japanese forces and tit-for-tat naval encounters meant the final US victory came at a cost of over 6,000 US casualties and the loss of 24 ships, including the aircraft carrier Hornet.
More about: Guadalcanal CampaignDefinition
Timeline
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May 1942Japanese forces begin constructing an airstrip on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.
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Aug 1942 - Feb 1943Us forces defeat those of Japan in the Guadalcanal Campaign in the Solomon Islands.
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7 Aug 1942Us forces conduct amphibious landings in the Solomon Islands, ousting a small Japanese force from Guadalcanal.
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9 Aug 1942The naval battle of Savo Island in the Guadalcanal Campaign. Four Allied ships are sunk.
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20 Aug 1942The US airstrip on Guadalcanal becomes operational, a crucial factor in the outcome of the Guadalcanal Campaign.
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24 Aug 1942US aircraft sink the Japanese carrier Ryujo in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
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31 Aug 1942The US aircraft carrier Saratoga is badly damaged in a Japanese torpedo attack in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
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12 Sep 1942The battle of Bloody Ridge (aka Edson’s Ridge). A major Japanese push to grab the US-held airfield on Guadalcanal fails.
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15 Sep 1942The US carrier Wasp is sunk in the Guadalcanal Campaign.
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11 Oct 1942 - 12 Oct 1942In the naval battle of Cape Esperance off Guadalcanal, the US forces gain victory thanks to air superiority.
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13 Oct 1942Two Japanese battleships bombard the US airstrip on Guadalcanal.
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23 Oct 1942A combined Japanese army and naval attack fails once again to take over the US-held airstrip on Guadalcanal.
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24 Oct 1942 - 26 Oct 1942The Battle of Santa Cruz between Japanese and US carriers in the Guadalcanal Campaign. US carrier Hornet is sunk and Enterprise damaged. Two Japanese carriers are damaged.
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12 Nov 1942 - 14 Nov 1942Major naval clashes off the coast of Guadalcanal result in both US and Japanese sinkings.
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30 Nov 1942Battle of Tasafaronga in the Guadalcanal Campaign. Final attempt by the Japanese to resupply their land forces fails.
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Jan 1943Major-General Alexander Patch leads a major US offensive agianst Japanese forces on Guadalcanal.
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1 Feb 1943 - 7 Feb 1943Japanese forces evacuate Guadalcanal.
