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Guadalcanal: The First Steps Towards Victory
ISLAND HOPPING Guadalcanal: The First Steps Towards Victory
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OPERATION WATCHTOWER
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ISLAND HOPPING Counter-offensive strike against the islands of Japan
Establish over-lapping bases as well as air control Led by General Douglas MacArthur--Commander of the Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet
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Guadalcanal The 1st Step
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Aug. 7, 1942 to Feb (6 months)
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Following Coral Sea New Air bases Were Being Built By Japanese On Guadalcanal
This battle will be the most bitter, protracted naval struggle of the Pacific War The Japanese needed a decisive victory to reverse Midway This becomes a “Campaign” One of attrition and heavy loses
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The “HIGGINS” boat
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1st Marine Division landed and & either killed or drove the Japanese garrisons there into the jungle
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19,000 US MARINES HIT THE SHORES
1st time for “wind talkers” Bloodied and tired the Marines move inland and establish an airbase at **HENDERSON FIELD** “WHEN A MARINE SETS FOOT ON A BEACH HE DOES NOT LEAVE UNTIL THE JOB IS DONE”
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Vice Ad. Gunichi Mikawa Commander of 8th Fleet
Rallied all his ships at headed to Guadalcanal HE arrived at the Savo Islands on 9 Aug
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Battle of Savo Island Aug 9,1942
Cruiser Battle Japanese Night Attack Allies North & South Rabaul Mikawa should have hit the transports His attack however did force the transports to leave early undersupplying the Marines
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A complete & humiliating defeat!!!
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Col. Merritt A. Edson “The Battle of Bloody Ridge”
Lunga Ridge on Guadalcanal just south of Henderson Field Raider Battalion Sept , 1942 800 Marines withstood the repeated assaults of more than 2,500 Japanese "Edson's Ridge” 256 Marines are killed
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THE AREA BETWEEN THE SOLOMANS AND THE FLORIDA ISLANDS
IRONBOTTOM SOUND THE AREA BETWEEN THE SOLOMANS AND THE FLORIDA ISLANDS 5 MAJOR NAVAL BATTLES 1-Kirishima 2-Quincy 3-Ayanami 4-DeHaven 5-Yudachi 6-Laffey 7-Canberra 8-Northampton 9-Cushing 10-Barton 11-Monsse
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Battle of Cape Esperance (October 11, 1942)
Rear Admiral Norman Scott Light up the Sound Rear Ad. Aritomo Goto Japanese Night Raids Mortal wounding at the start Head for the SLOT A flawed American victory
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Mitchell “GI JOE” Paige on Guadalcanal 25 Oct.
.30 cal Browning Machine Guns All his men killed or wounded he held the ridge running from gun to gun 17 MARINES???
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Joe Basilone He is the only enlisted Marine in World War II to have received the Medal of Honor, the Navy Cross, and a Purple Heart
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First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (November 13, 1942)
Japanese reinforcements battleships Hiei and Kirishima Rear Admiral Daniel Callaghan 1000 yards point-blank brawl of monstrous proportions A stalemate with high costs
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Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal (November 14-15, 1942)
By the end the Japanese loses were to much to handle From this battle on the Japanese do nothing but retreat in the pacific By this time the us had lost almost every cruiser William Halsey USS Washington
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Battle of Tassafaronga (November 30, 1942)
Another defeat for the US NAVY Rear Ad. Tanaka Supplies via the TOKYO EXPRESS
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Cape Esperance By Dec. US Marine Reinforcements replace the 1st marine Division Japanese forces are at their end Time for the Japanese to evacuate
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The lack of supply on both sides meant that combat was especially intense and desperate
Heads on a PIKE. NO PRISONERS. 'Starvation Island‘ From this time on the Japanese forces were decidedly on the defensive
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NO FOOD AVAILABLE AND WE CAN NO LONGER SEND OUT SCOUTS
NO FOOD AVAILABLE AND WE CAN NO LONGER SEND OUT SCOUTS. WE CAN DO NOTHING TO WITHSTAND THE ENEMY'S OFFENSIVE. 17TH ARMY NOW REQUESTS PERMISSION TO BREAK INTO THE ENEMY'S POSITIONS AND DIE AN HONORABLE DEATH RATHER THAN DIE OF HUNGER IN OUR OWN DUGOUTS. General Hyakutake
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"Island of Death" 25,000 Japanese died during the campaign on the land the US 1,600 The Naval loses were much heavier Guadalcanal was nothing glorious, merely filthy, bloody, and diseased, but it was decisive all the same ECONOMICS AND RESOURCES WILL ADD UP TO SPELL DEATH AND DEFEAT
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“One Way Tickets To Hell”
FLYBOYS: James Bradley JAPANESE MINDSET Bushido Spirit Warriors Seppuku ISSEN GORIN HONOR AND THE GODS
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