Battle of Guadalcanal

About the Battle

The first major American ground offensive of the Pacific war, six months after Pearl Harbor. A six-month attritional struggle centered on Henderson Field. Seven major naval battles churned the waters nearby, called Ironbottom Sound for the wrecks. Starvation, malaria, and night naval bombardments tormented both sides. The Japanese evacuation in February 1943 began the long island road to Tokyo.