The Battle of Guadalcanal - Term Paper Example

The Battle of Guadalcanal Guadalcanal, an island in the Pacific is eminent for its pivotal role it played in the World War II. The “Battle of Guadalcanal” has ever been immortalized in several books and films since it spun the tide in favour of the Allies- with America being at the centre, in the Pacific “auditorium” during the early 1940s (Braun and Alexander 245). In the Solomon’s Islands- Guadalcanal which was under the Japanese invasion by 1942 served to be one of the most essential Japanese strangleholds owing to its contiguity to Australia. Japanesemilitary constructed an airfield and artillery positions at Lunga Point and nearby hills. However, by August 1942, the American marines landed on the Guadalcanal’s northern beaches after the firing of Navy ships ahead of them. About three months later, the Marine managed to secure the airfield, as well as about six miles wide on the beach section (Braun and Alexander 232). This paper thereby drills deep into the Battle of Guadalcanal, its operations, and scrutinizes the Allied and Japanese leadership during the war. Allied forces, predominantly from America, landed on Guadalcanal by 7th August 1942, seizing an airfield that had been under construction by the Japanese military- the airfield was later named as Henderson Field (Coggan 162). Subsequently, several attempts and efforts made by the Japanese Imperial Navy and Army tremendously failed as they used ships to deliver reinforcements to Guadalcanal, with a sole aim of recapturing the airfield. By early November, 1942, Japanese military organized a transport convoy that would take about seven thousand infantry troops and equipment to the island of Guadalcanal- their core intent being to make an attempt once again, which would aid their struggle to retake the airfield. According to Braun and Alexander, lots of Japanese warships and forces were allotted to attack the Henderson Field with a central aim of destroying Allied aircrafts, which posed threats to their convoy (248). After observing and learning the Japanese efforts of reinforcement and retake, the United States military forces launched warship and aircraft combats in order to defend the Henderson Fields, and hence prevent or bar the Japanese navy and ground troops from nearing the Guadalcanal area. Braun and Alexander reveals that for strategic purposes, the possession of an airfield or airbase within Guadalcanal was vital to the control of sea-line-communications between Australia and the United States (241). Operationally, the “Battle of Guadalcanal” was important for a complex series of inter-relationships and engagements at the sea, air, and on the ground. Tactically, whatever stood out as the outcome was the resourcefulness and resolve of the U.S. Marine, whose resolute defence of the airfield named Henderson Field empowered the Allied forces to secure air superiority (Braun and Alexander 237). By 13th October, Allied army units arrived with a central aim of reinforcing the Marines. Jointly, the Army and Marine soldiers managed to repel an attack by the Japanese forces on 23rd, imposing hefty losses on the Japanese, thereby pushing them away for the rest of the month. On the 4th of November, the American infantry fought approximately 1,600 Japanese troops at the beach of Koli Point, killing about half of their forces while the remaining half escaped into the “wilderness.” By mid-November, 1942, the American Navy fought the Japanese forces at the “Battle of Guadalcanal” as the Japanese troops attempted their major reinforcement via the “Tokyo Express,” a move of supply-laden destroyers. During this four-day combat battle, the Allied Navy managed to foil the Japanese reinforcement efforts, and out of the 10,000 Japanese troops who left for the battle, only about 4,000 came back to land. After winning this great battle, the U.S. troops further pushed in for an effort to seize Mount Austen, thrashing and facing heavy fire from the Japanese troops via the jungle. By early November, 1942, the Japanese troops had resolved to two final and vital realizations: one was that the American troops were far much more on Guadalcanal than the number they had estimated earlier. The second realization was that there was a need to neutralize Henderson Field in order to gain control over the seas around the island. As a result, the Japanese troops assembled a vast merchant vessels’ convoy, loaded with sufficient ammunitions and supplies worth fighting for a month. Additionally, in order to be assured of the delivery of those supplies, they gathered a powerful force, which centred at the battleships- Karishima and Hiei. The main job and target of the battleships was to bombard Henderson Field into feebleness. Waiting on the other extreme end was the American forces of hefty destroyers and light cruisers- this would be a bloody night combat (Braun and Alexander 292). Japanese force fell into dismay during their night-steaming due to rain squalls. On the other hand, the American force under Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan got troubled by poor radio signals from the inferior sensors. Consequently, even if they detected the Japanese forces on radar, Rear Admiral got challenged by a murky perception of the course, speed, and composition of the Japanese force. Each force moved closer to each other and the outcome of their “collision point” was in monstrous proportions- there was severe damages on both sides. Nevertheless, none of the opponent was willing to give up over the struggle. Practically, having lost every cruiser as the American forces either sunk or damaged their warships, the Japanese’s ability and dream of reinforcing Guadalcanal was running thinner and gradually getting into disputes. As the survivors of the 13th Friday battle withdrew, the American force new that the Japanese were assembling another force to come for another attack. William Halsey- the American theatre commander thereby responded by separating the fast battleships of “Enterprise’s screen” into the constricted waters (Braun and Alexander 249). Under the command of Willis Lee, Washington and the South Dakota alongside an insignificant screen of destroyers arrived from Savo on 14th November. For the Japanese forces, this was the dawn of despair for the recapture of Guadalcanal from the American forces. On the course of about four days of relentless fighting within and around the Guadalcanal area, one hefty cruiser, eleven combat transports, three destroyers (Coggan 156), and two Japanese battleships had vanished; not mentioning the massive number of the Guadalcanal casualties alongside 5000 drowned infantrymen. This war would later mark the era from which Japan would hurriedly be willing to retreat in the Pacific (Coggan 147). Japanese leaders had often anticipated a negotiated or discussed settlement to the Guadalcanal Battle. Their prior plans to the war expected a swift consolidation and expansion, an eventual battle with the U.S. and lastly a settlement in which Japan would be capable of retaining at least some of her newly conquered territories. Braun and Alexander affirms that the primary goals of the Japanese leaders included the neutralization of U.S. Navy, seizure of natural resource-rich possessions, and establishment of strategic military bases in order to guard the power of Japan’s Empire in Asia and in the Pacific Ocean (238). In order to further her goals and witness her dreams become true, Japan through its forces had captured Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Malaya, Burma, Wake Island, the Dutch East Indies, New Britain, Guam, and the Gilbert Island. Joining America in the war against Japan were the other Allied forces, several of whom came from the powers such as the United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Australia. Directly or indirectly, all these powers had also been attacked by Japan (Coggan 151). During the Battle of Guadalcanal, Japan was an Empire under the leadership of Emperor Hirohito, while the United States was a nation headed by President Franklin Roosevelt, and his Vice Henry Wallace. Both Japanese and American military were headed by commanders and leaders who had the obligations of strategic planning, control, and the war tactics of the military. Japanese military leaders and commanders during the Battle of Guadalcanal included Hiroaki Abe, Isoroku Yamamoto, Nobutake Kondo, GunichiMikawa, JinichiKusaka, NishizoTsukaharaHarukichiHyakutakeand Raizo Tanaka among others. The U.S. commanders and leaders were Daniel Callaghan, William Halsey, Norman Scott, Robert Ghormley, Alexander Vandegrit, Richmond Turner, Alexander Patch, and Willis Lee among others (Braun and Alexander 233). However, the U.S. on the Allied side was supported by other Allied forces including Australia, Britain (British Solomon Is.), Tonga, and New Zealand. Works cited Braun,Saul M. and Alexander, Garrison.The Struggle for Guadalcanal: American Battles and Campaigns. New York, NY: Putnam, 1969. Print Coggan, Jack. The Campaign for Guadalcanal: A battle That Made History. Garden City, NY: Doubleday Inc., 1972. Print Read More