Guadalcanal 1942-43: America's first victory on the road to Tokyo

by Mark Stille, Peter Dennis (Illustrator)

Overview

The Guadalcanal campaign began with an amphibious assault in August 1942 – the US's first attempt to take the fight to the Japanese. It escalated into a desperate attritional battle on land, air, and sea, and by the time the Japanese had evacuated the last of their forces from the island in 1943, it was clear that the tide of the war had turned. The inexorable Japanese advance and the myth of Japanese invincibility shattered. In this new study of the campaign, Pacific War expert Mark Stille draws on both US and Japanese sources to give a balanced and comprehensive account of a crucial, brutal conflict. Analyzing the three Japanese attempts to retake the island in the face of ferocious American resistance, this book shows how the battle was won and lost, and how it affected the outcome of the Pacific War as a whole.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472806956
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	08/20/2015
Series:	Campaign , #284
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	96
File size:	50 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Mark E. Stille (Commander, United States Navy, retired) received his BA in History from the University of Maryland and also holds an MA from the Naval War College. He has worked in the intelligence community for 35 years including tours on the faculty of the Naval War College, on the Joint Staff and on US Navy ships. He is currently a senior analyst working in the Washington DC area. He is the author of numerous Osprey titles, focusing on naval history in the Pacific.

Peter Dennis was born in 1950. Inspired by contemporary magazines such as Look and Learn he studied illustration at Liverpool Art College. Peter has since contributed to hundreds of books, predominantly on historical subjects, including many Osprey titles.
Mark Stille is the author of numerous Osprey titles focusing on naval history in the Pacific. He recently concluded a nearly 40-year career in the intelligence community, including tours on the faculty of the Naval War College, on the Joint Staff and on US Navy ships. He received his BA in History from the University of Maryland and also holds an MA from the Naval War College.
Peter Dennis was inspired by contemporary magazines such as Look and Learn, leading him to study Illustration at Liverpool Art College. Peter has since contributed to hundreds of books, predominantly on historical subjects, including many Osprey titles. A keen wargamer and modelmaker, he is based in Nottinghamshire, UK.

Table of Contents

Origins of the Campaign 4

Admiral King and the South Pacific

Chronology 8

Opposing Commanders 11

American commanders

Imperial Japanese Army commanders

Opposing Forces 17

US Forces

The Imperial Japanese Army

Opposing Plans 35

Terrain

The American plan

The Japanese plan

The Battle 39

The landings

Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo

The Japanese response

Ichiki attacks

The Japanese reaction

The battle for Bloody Ridge

The impact of Kawaguchi's failure

The Japanese build-up

The October battle for Henderson Field

The Japanese approach

The battle opens

The attack on the ridge

November skirmishing

The Japanese November offensive

December lull

The Japanese evacuation decision

The American January offensive

The Japanese evacuation

The Aftermath 90

The Battlefield Today 92

Bibliography 94

Index 95