Guadalcanal

(proper noun)

A tropical island in the Southwestern Pacific. During 1942-43, it was the scene of bitter fighting between Japanese and American troops; the American forces were ultimately victorious.

Related Terms

Examples of Guadalcanal in the following topics:

  • The Guadalcanal Campaign

    • The Guadalcanal campaign of 1942-43 became a crucial victory by Allied forces in the Pacific.
    • The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and code-named Operation Watchtower, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theater of World War II.
    • By August 1942, the Japanese had about 900 naval troops on Tulagi and nearby islands and 2,800 personnel on Guadalcanal.
    • After Guadalcanal, Allied personnel regarded the Japanese military with much less fear and awe than previously.
    • Guadalcanal is located in the lower right center of the map.

  • MacArthur's Leapfrogging

    • Joint Chiefs of Staff but which was ultimately implemented, called for the capture of Tulagi (later Guadalcanal) and the Santa Cruz Islands (Operation Watchtower), the capture of the northeast coast of New Guinea and the central Solomons; and the reduction of Rabaul and related bases.
    • The protracted battle for Guadalcanal—followed by the unopposed seizure of the Russell Islands (Operation Cleanslate) on February 21, 1943—resulted in Japanese attempts to reinforce the area by sea.
    • The disastrous losses suffered by the Japanese prompted Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto to initiate I Go (Operation 'I'), a series of air attacks against Allied airfields and shipping at both Guadalcanal and New Guinea, which ultimately resulted in Yamamoto's death.

  • Japanese Aggression

    • They also consolidated their lines of supply through capturing key islands of the Pacific, including Guadalcanal.
    • Further defeats by the Allies at Guadalcanal in September 1942 and New Guinea in 1943 put the Empire of Japan on the defensive for the remainder of the war.

  • Coral Sea and Midway

    • Although the Japanese continued to try to secure more territory, and the U.S. did not move from a state of naval parity to one of supremacy until after several more months of hard combat, Midway allowed the Allies to switch to the strategic initiative, paving the way for the landings on Guadalcanal and the prolonged attrition of the Solomon Islands campaign.

  • War Aims and Strategy

    • However, In October 1942, Roosevelt was advised that military resources were desperately needed at Guadalcanal to prevent its being overrun by the Japanese.

  • The Allied Push

    • After the 1942-43 Guadalcanal Campaign in the Pacific theater, the Allies initiated several operations against Japan in the Pacific.