Guadalcanal Secured: Japan's Pacific Expansion Halted
Japanese forces on Guadalcanal secretly evacuated 10,652 soldiers over three nights in early February 1943, abandoning the island after six months of brutal fighting that had cost both sides dearly. The Americans did not realize the Japanese were leaving until they found empty camps. The battle had begun in August 1942 when the 1st Marine Division landed to capture a partially completed Japanese airfield, later named Henderson Field. The fighting was some of the most savage of the Pacific War, with jungle combat, night banzai charges, and naval engagements that sank so many ships the surrounding waters became known as Ironbottom Sound. Japan lost roughly 31,000 men, the US about 7,100. More critically, Japan lost hundreds of experienced pilots and irreplaceable aircraft that could not be replaced. Guadalcanal proved that Japan's expansion could be reversed and gave the Allies their first major land victory in the Pacific.
February 9, 1943
83 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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