Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands

At the same time that Hyakutake's troops were attacking the Lunga perimeter, Japanese warships under the overall direction of Isoroku Yamamoto moved into a position near the southern Solomon Islands. From this location, the Japanese naval forces hoped to engage and decisively defeat any Allied (primarily U.S.) naval forces, especially carrier forces, that responded to Hyakutake's ground offensive. Allied naval carrier forces in the area, now under the command of William Halsey, Jr. who had replaced Ghormley, also hoped to meet the Japanese naval forces in battle. [55]
The two opposing carrier forces confronted each other on the morning of October 26, in what became known as the
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands . After an exchange of carrier air attacks, Allied surface ships retreated from the battle area with the loss of one carrier sunk and another heavily damaged. The participating Japanese carrier forces, however, also retreated because of high aircraft and aircrew losses and significant damage to two carriers. This was a tactical victory for the Japanese in terms of ships sunk and damaged, but the loss of veteran aircrews was a long-term strategic advantage for the Allies, whose aircrew losses in the battle were relatively low. [56]
Later events
Boeing B-17 E 41-9122 (Eager Beavers), 11th Bomb Group, 42d Bomb Squadron, taxiing on two engines at Henderson Field, Guadalcanal in 1943. Captain Frank L. Houx and his crew were lost on 1 February 1943 along with two other 42nd B-17Es: 41-9151 (Captain Earl O. Hall) and 41-2442 "Yokohama Express" (Captain Harold P. Hensley). These were the last three B-17s of the 42nd BS.
Although the Japanese Army's attack on the Allied Lunga perimeter was decisively defeated in this battle, the Japanese were not yet ready to give up the struggle for Guadalcanal. The Japanese Army and navy made immediate plans to move the rest of the 38th Division to the island, along with the 51st Infantry Division, to try a further offensive against Henderson Field in November 1942. [57]
Henderson Field in August 1944 after further development into a major air base
The Japanese again planned to bombard Henderson Field with battleships in order to allow a convoy of transport ships to deliver the 38th's troops and heavy equipment. In contrast, however, to what occurred on 14 October, this time the U.S. Navy moved to intercept the battleship forces sent by Yamamoto from Truk to shell the airfield. During the ensuing
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal from 13–15 November, Allied naval and air forces turned back two Japanese attempts to bombard Henderson Field and almost completely destroyed the transport convoy carrying the remainder of the 38th Division. After this failure to deliver significant additional troops to the island, the Japanese commanders finally conceded defeat in the battle for Guadalcanal and evacuated most of their surviving troops by the first week of February 1943. Building on their success at Guadalcanal and elsewhere, the Allies continued their island-hopping campaign against Japan, culminating in Japan's surrender and the end of World War II. [58]
Notes
1. ^ Miller, Guadalcanal: The First Offensive , p. 143; Frank, Guadalcanal, p. 338. Number reflects total Allied forces on Guadalcanal, not necessarily the number directly involved in the battle. 4,500 more American troops defended Tulagi.
2. ^ Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, p. 323; Miller, Guadalcanal: The First Offensive , p. 139. 5,000 were present on the island after the Battle of Edson's Ridge and 15,000 more were delivered between that time and October 17.
3. ^ a b c Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, p. 337.
4. ^ Frank, Guadalcanal , pp. 364–65. About 200 U.S. troops were wounded. Casualty figures from various official U.S. military records differ somewhat from each other.
5. ^ Frank, Guadalcanal , p. 365. U.S. 1st Marine Division official history estimates 2,200 Japanese were killed but Frank states that that number, "is probably below the actual total." Rottman,
Japanese Army , p. 63, says 3,000 Japanese were killed.
6. ^ Hogue, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, pp. 235–36.
7. ^ Morison, Struggle for Guadalcanal , pp. 14–15; Shaw, First Offensive , p. 18.
8. ^ Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal , pp. 96–99, Dull, Imperial Japanese Navy , p. 225; Miller, Guadalcanal: The First Offensive , pp. 137–38.
9. ^ Frank, Guadalcanal , pp. 202, 210–211.
10. ^ Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 141–43, 156–58, 228–46, 681.
11. ^ Smith, Bloody Ridge , pp. 132, 158; Rottman, Japanese Army , p. 61; Griffith,
Battle for Guadalcanal, p. 152; Frank,
Guadalcanal, pp. 224, 251–54, 266–68, 289–90; and Dull, Imperial Japanese Navy , pp. 225–26.
12. ^ Rottman, US Marine Corps , p. 71.
13. ^ Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, p. 156; Smith, Bloody Ridge , pp. 198–200.
14. ^ Smith, Bloody Ridge , p. 204; Frank,
Guadalcanal, p. 270.
15. ^ Zimmerman, The Guadalcanal Campaign, pp. 96–101, Smith, Bloody Ridge , pp. 204–15; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 269–90; Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, pp. 169–76; and Hough,
Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, pp. 318–22. The 2nd Infantry was called Sendai because most of its soldiers were from
Miyagi Prefecture.
16. ^ Cook, Cape Esperance , pp. 16, 19–20; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 293–97, Morison, Struggle for Guadalcanal, pp. 147–49, Miller, Guadalcanal: The First Offensive , pp. 140–42, and Dull, Imperial Japanese Navy , p. 225.
17. ^ Dull, Imperial Japanese Navy , pp. 226–30; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 289–330; Morison, Struggle for Guadalcanal, pp. 149–71; Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, p. 322; and Rottman,
Japanese Army , p. 61. The Japanese troops delivered to Guadalcanal during this time comprised the entire 2nd (Sendai ) Infantry Division, two battalions from the 38th Infantry Division, and various artillery, tank, engineer, and other support units.
18. ^ Morison, Struggle for Guadalcanal[ page needed ]; Frank,
Guadalcanal, pp. 315–20, 171–75; Hough,
Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, pp. 326–27.
19. ^ Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal , pp. 328–29; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 319–21.
20. ^ Shaw, First Offensive , p. 34; Rottman, Japanese Army , p. 63.
21. ^ Rottman, Japanese Army , p. 61; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 328–40; Hough,
Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, pp. 329–30; Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, pp. 186–87. Kawaguchi's forces also included what remained of the 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment which was originally part of the 35th Infantry Brigade commanded by Kawaguchi during the
Battle of Edson's Ridge .
22. ^ Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, pp. 186–90; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 343–44; Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal , pp. 328–29; Miller, Guadalcanal: The First Offensive , pp. 144–46.
23. ^ Miller, Guadalcanal: The First Offensive , p. 155; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 339–41; Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, p. 330; Rottman, Japanese Army , p. 62; Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, pp. 187–88; Jersey, Hell's Islands, p. 267, 274. Only one Japanese gun, a 75 mm mountain gun, actually reached a firing position to support the attack and only fired 20 rounds. Hyakutake sent a member of his staff, Colonel Masanobu Tsuji to monitor the 2nd Division's progress along the trail and to report to him on whether the attack could begin on 22 October as scheduled. Masanobu Tsuji has been identified by some historians as the most likely culprit behind the Bataan death march.
24. ^ Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal , pp. 330–32; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 342–45; Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, p. 193; Jersey, Hell's Islands, p. 283.
25. ^ Rottman, Japanese Army , p. 62; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 342–44; Hough,
Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, pp. 330–32; Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, pp. 186–93; Miller, Guadalcanal: The First Offensive , pp. 159–60.
26. ^ Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, p. 193; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 346–48; Rottman, Japanese Army , p. 62.
27. ^ Miller, Cactus Air Force , pp. 143–44.
28. ^ Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal , pp. 332–33; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 349–50; Rottman, Japanese Army , pp. 62–63; Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, pp. 195–96. Twelve tanks were originally landed by the Japanese. Two were damaged during the landing and one was later destroyed during a feint at the mouth of the Matanikau Gilbert, Marine Tank Battles , pp. 48–49.
29. ^ Gilbert, Marine Tank Battles , p. 49, Miller, Guadalcanal: The First Offensive , pp. 157–58; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 349–50; Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal , p. 332; Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, pp. 195–96. The Marines lost 2 killed in the action. Nakaguma's infantry losses are not recorded but were, according to Frank, "unquestionably severe." Griffith says that 600 of Nakaguma's men were killed. Only 17 of the 44 members of the 1st Independent Tank Company survived the battle.
30. ^ Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, p. 196; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 351–52; Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal , p. 333.
31. ^ Shaw, First Offensive , p. 37; Frank,
Guadalcanal, pp. 348–52; Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal , p. 333.
32. ^ a b Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 353–4.
33. ^ Miller, Guadalcanal: The First Offensive , pp. 160–62.
34. ^ Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, pp. 197–98.
35. ^ Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 354–55; Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal , p. 334.
36. ^ Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal , pp. 334–35; Frank, Guadalcanal, p. 355.
37. ^ Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, p. 198; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 355–56; Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal , pp. 334–35; Miller, Guadalcanal: The First Offensive , pp. 160–63.
38. ^ Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal , pp. 334–35; Frank, Guadalcanal, p. 356.
39. ^ Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 356–58.
40. ^ Miller, Cactus Air Force , pp. 145–46; Frank, Guadalcanal, p. 357; Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, pp. 201–02.
41. ^ Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, pp. 201–02; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 357–59; Miller Cactus Air Force , p. 147.
42. ^ Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 360–61; Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, pp. 201–02; Miller, Cactus Air Force , pp. 147–49.
43. ^ Lundstrom, Guadalcanal Campaign , pp. 343–52; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 359–61; Miller, Cactus Air Force , pp. 146–51; Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal , pp. 335–36. The aircraft from Hiyō were based at Rabaul and Buin. The reconnaissance aircraft was from the Japanese Army Air Force's 76th Independent Air Squadron.
44. ^ Miller, Guadalcanal: The First Offensive , p. 164; Frank, Guadalcanal, p. 361; Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal, p. 336.
45. ^ a b Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 361–62.
46. ^ Hough, Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal , p. 336.
47. ^ Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, pp. 203–04.
48. ^ a b Zimmerman, Guadalcanal Campaign, pp. 122–23.
49. ^ a b Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 363–64.
50. ^ a b Griffith, Battle for Guadalcanal, p. 204.
51. ^ Jersey, Hell's Islands, p. 292; Miller,
Guadalcanal: The First Offensive , p. 166; Frank, Guadalcanal, p. 364.
52. ^ Frank, Guadalcanal, p. 406.
53. ^ Frank, Guadalcanal, p. 407.
54. ^ Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 418, 424, 553.
55. ^ Morison, Struggle for Guadalcanal, pp. 199–207; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 368–78; Dull, Imperial Japanese Navy , pp. 235–37. Admiral Chester Nimitz, Allied Commander in Chief of Pacific Forces, replaced Ghormley with Halsey on October 18.
56. ^ Dull, Imperial Japanese Navy , pp. 237–44; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 379–03; Morison, Struggle for Guadalcanal, pp. 207–24.
57. ^ Rottman, Japanese Army , pp. 63–64; Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 404–06.
58. ^ Frank, Guadalcanal, pp. 428–92; Rottman, Japanese Army , p. 64; Dull,
Imperial Japanese Navy , pp. 245–69.
References
Print
Dull, Paul S. (1978). A Battle History of the Imperial Japanese Navy, 1941–1945 . Naval Institute Press.
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Frank, Richard (1990). Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle. New York: Random House.
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Gilbert, Oscar E. (2001). Marine Tank Battles in the Pacific. Da Capo.
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Griffith, Samuel B. (1963). The Battle for Guadalcanal. Champaign, Illinois: University of Illinois Press.
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Jersey, Stanley Coleman (2008). Hell's Islands: The Untold Story of Guadalcanal.
College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press.
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Lundstrom, John B. (2005). First Team And the Guadalcanal Campaign: Naval Fighter Combat from August to November 1942 (New ed.). Naval Institute Press.
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Miller, Thomas G. (1969). Cactus Air Force . Admiral Nimitz Foundation.
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Morison, Samuel Eliot (1958). The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943 , vol. 5 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II . Boston: Little, Brown and Company .
ISBN 978-0-316-58305-3 .
Rottman, Gordon L. (2004). US Marine Corps Pacific Theatre of Operations 1941–43 . Dr. Duncan Anderson (consultant editor). Oxford: Osprey.
ISBN 978-1-84176-518-1 .
Rottman, Gordon L. (2005). Japanese Army in World War II: The South Pacific and New Guinea, 1942–43 . Dr. Duncan Anderson (consultant editor). Oxford and New York: Osprey.
ISBN 978-1-84176-870-0 .
Smith, Michael T. (2000). Bloody Ridge: The Battle That Saved Guadalcanal. New York: Pocket. ISBN 978-0-7434-6321-8 .
Web
Anderson, Charles R. (1993).
Guadalcanal . The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II. United States Army Center of Military History . CMH Pub 72-8. Retrieved 2006-07-09.
Cagney, James (2005). "The Battle for Guadalcanal" (javascript).
HistoryAnimated.com . Retrieved
2006-05-17. – Interactive animation of the battle
Chen, C. Peter (2004–2006). "Guadalcanal Campaign" . World War II Database. Retrieved 2006-05-17.
Flahavin, Peter (2004). "Guadalcanal Battle Sites, 1942–2004 " . Retrieved
2006-08-02. – Web site with many pictures of Guadalcanal battle sites from 1942 and how they look now.
Hackett, Bob; Sander Kingsepp. "HIJMS Yura: Tabular Record of Movement" .
Imperial Japanese Navy Page (CombinedFleet.com) . Archived from the original on 14 May 2006. Retrieved
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Hough, Frank O.; Ludwig, Verle E.; Shaw, Henry I., Jr. "Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal" . History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II .
Archived from the original on 27 June 2006. Retrieved 2006-05-16.
Miller, John Jr. (1949). Guadalcanal: The First Offensive . United States Army in World War II. Washington, DC: United States Army Center of Military History . CMH Pub 5-3. Retrieved 2006-07-04.
Shaw, Henry I. (1992). "First Offensive: The Marine Campaign For Guadalcanal" .
Marines in World War II Commemorative Series. Archived from the original on 14 June 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-25.
Zimmerman, John L. (1949). "The Guadalcanal Campaign " . Marines in World War II Historical Monograph .
Archived from the original on 19 June 2006. Retrieved 2006-07-04.
Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Battle for Henderson Field.
Brady, James (2010). Hero of the Pacific: The Life of Marine Legend John Basilone . Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-37941-7 .
Proser, Jim; Jerry Cutter (2004). I'm Staying with My Boys..." The Heroic Life of Sgt. John Basilone, USMC. Lightbearer Communications Company.
ISBN 978-0-9755461-0-9 .
Twining, Merrill B. (1996). No Bended Knee: The Battle for Guadalcanal . Novato, CA: Presidio Press.
ISBN 978-0-89141-826-9 .
Walker, Charles H. (2004). Combat Officer: A Memoir of War in the South Pacific. New York: Presidio Press.
ISBN 978-0-345-46385-2 .