August 7, 1942: The Battle of Guadalcanal Begins

by "ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
Published 08/07/2017 at 17:04

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Though often overshadowed by the more famous battles for Iwo Jima and Okinawa , the battle for the strategic island of Guadalcanal began 75 years ago when US Marines splashed ashore in the early morning hours of August 7, 1942. Coming nine months after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor , the Battle of Guadalcanal marked the first major land battle of the Pacific War as US Marines spearheaded the invasions of Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida Islands in the southern Solomons, the first of nearly 60,000 troops to face 36,000 entrenched Japanese soldiers. After six months of brutal fighting, much of it in close quarters and hand-to-hand, the Japanese finally abandoned Guadalcanal and the strategic airfield they had built, which was renamed Henderson Field in honor of Marine Major Lofton Henderson , commanding officer of VMSB-241 , and the first Marine aviator killed in action at the Battle of Midway two months before. Japanese losses numbered over 19,000 men and more than 800 aircraft, while the US and her Tongan and Commonwealth allies lost 7,000 men, nearly 7,800 wounded, two aircraft carriers and 615 aircraft. As in the Battle of Midway, the Allies had defeated the Japanese at the height of their power and secured a victory that marked a shift in the balance of power in the Pacific and the beginning of the bloody yet inexorable march to Japanese defeat in the Pacific War.

Replies (9)

"ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)" (adabofoppo)
08/07/2017 at 17:14, STARS: 0

Let’s have a war with China over N. Korea because they were mean to our pres*dent on Twitter...

Sigh.

"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
08/07/2017 at 17:16, STARS: 6

U.S. Marines, the natural predator of fascists everywhere

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
08/07/2017 at 17:16, STARS: 2

This post was more about looking back than forward. That said, our problems with North Korea are much more serious than Twitter. But I get your drift.

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
08/07/2017 at 17:16, STARS: 3

First to Fight™

"ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)" (adabofoppo)
08/07/2017 at 17:22, STARS: 0

What’s the quote about not learning from History?

Were there incredibly valid reasons for WW2? Yes. Does that mean we should try to start another war over China repeating Japan’s expansionist agenda in the the South China Sea? No.

We have moved beyond war; or at least we should have. But the few who profit from it have their hands around our country’s throat and they will not let go.

If you’d rather your posts not include current politics I understand, and feel free to delete my posts. But, given the aggressive rhetoric being spouted by both leaders, images and details like your post should serve as a reminder and warning that war is hell, and no one wins.

"Ash78, voting early and often" (ash78)
08/07/2017 at 17:24, STARS: 1

I just came back this weekend from touring the USS Alabama battleship. If you ever get a chance to visit one of the 5-6 remaining ones, I highly recommend it. Nothing quite like it. And the related historical exhibits (especially the South Pacific) are just amazing, as well. The fact that it was in the 90s with high humidity that day also added to the realism. I can’t even begin to imagine the stench and discomfort on some of those ships, to say nothing of the enemies (including diseases) waiting on shore.

Both of my grandfathers fought in New Guinea and the Philippines later in the war — one Army, one Navy.

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
08/07/2017 at 17:32, STARS: 2

WWII was a watershed moment for our world. Not only does it serve as what we ardently hope will be the last great global war, the fact that it ended with the nuclear bomb pretty much makes world war unthinkable to repeat. The institutions that were put in place following the war, as flawed as they are, help to prevent such catastrophes from recurring. The concepts of globalism—NAFTA, the EU—help prevent the nationalistic tendencies that lead to war by forcing us to understand that our world is interconnected in a way that was impossible 75 years ago. However, there are forces in action today that seek to pull us back from that interdependence. Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen, Brexit, China’s jingoistic expansion, North Korea’s nuclear saber rattling. The rising tide of nationalism all over the world is perhaps a result of typical cycles, but the flood must be fought strenuously lest we do repeat the mistakes of the past.

As an armchair historian, I do see the parallels between the past and the present, and the possible future. And if helping us to learn about the past helps us to see the present, then retelling history has served its purpose. I will not delete your posts, because I think that any conversation is important. It’s when the talking stops that the shooting begins.

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
08/07/2017 at 17:34, STARS: 1

I have, in fact been on the USS Alabama, and the USS Iowa in Norfolk. I still remember the words stenciled in red paint on the back of the 40mm guns: LEAD DAMMIT LEAD! I have also been on the USS Lexington at Corpus Christi. My god, was it hot. I can’t even imagine what it would have been like in the South Pacific.

"ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)" (adabofoppo)
08/07/2017 at 17:43, STARS: 1

I wholeheartedly concur.

And thank you for posting these reminders that no one ‘wins’ a war. One side simply loses a little less.