Battle Of Guadalcanal Battle

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The battle of Guadalcanal was one of the many important battles during World War ll. The Guadalcanal Campaign lasted six months and began on August 7, 1942 when Allied forces, mostly U.S., landed on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and the Florida Islands. These were pre-war colonial possessions of Great Britain. In this battle, each side lost twenty-six warships, with almost the same amount of tonnage. However, the Japanese could not replace the losses due to decreasing industrial output while the Americans were able to greatly increase their supplies and equipment during the rest of the war and was an important strategic victory for the United States. Both the Americans and the Japanese had specific reasons to become involved in this battle, with goals of victory. The Japanese wanted to fight so that they could cut off sea routes between Australia and America. If the Japanese could keep control of the island, they would be able to begin building an airfield, made for both fighters and bombers. This meant that the U.S. Marines and Navy had an important job to secure the region in a method known as Island Hopping. Americans wanted to fight so that they could protect the allies from the Japanese. If Americans ended up controlling the island, they would be better able to protect Australia from the Japanese Invasion. They could also protect allied build-up in Australia that would act as a “springboard” for major assault on the Japanese. Both sides were completely against each other’s goals. USA wanted to protect Australia, and Japan wanted to prevent the help from the U.S. Japanese Troops landed on Guadalcanal, an island surrounded by Makira, The Russell Islands and Santa Isabel, on July 6, 1942. They had begun constructing an ai... ... middle of paper ... ... the Tokyo Express began and continued until late in the Solomon Islands Campaign. Many warships were used in this from the Eighth Fleet. To make the victory over the Japanese in Guadalcanal official, General Alexander Patch, commander of land forces on the island, messaged his superior, Admiral William F. Halsley, that the Tokyo Express no longer had terminus on Guadalcanal. The Battle of Guadalcanal was important and greatly affected the rest of World War ll. Both sides had completely opposite goals. Other battles caused commanders to re-think their plans. Allied battles had contributed to the American victory also. The muggy climate affected the way of fighting at Guadalcanal. Many heroes’ bravery were honored and rewarded. The Naval Battle ended with many Japanese failures. The Battle of Guadalcanal all together was a turning point in World War ll.

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