Battle of Guadalcanal order of battle

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File:Pacific War - Guadalcanal Campaign 1942 - Map.jpg

Maps of Guadalcanal Island; the great majority of the fighting took place in a small sliver of land along the north central coast.

Template:Campaignbox Guadalcanal

This is the order of battle for the Guadalcanal campaign, called Operation Watchtower, the first major Allied offensive in the Pacific Theater of Operations in World War II. The campaign lasted from the initial American landings on 7 August 1942 until the final Japanese evacuation on 9 February 1943, a period of six months, far longer than was expected by Allied planners.

The 7 August landings on Guadalcanal itself and Tulagi across Savo Sound (the site of a Japanese seaplane base) were carried out by US Marines under the command of Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift. These were followed by units of the Naval Construction Battalions, known as CB's or Seabees.

Forces of the US Army began arriving to relieve the exhausted Marines on 13 October. On 8 December Vandegrift was replaced by Major General Alexander M. Patch, US Army, who was named commander of the XIV Army Corps on 2 January 1943. Patch declared the island secure on 9 February.

The high command of the Imperial Japanese Army did not take initially the Allied effort on Guadalcanal seriously and committed units piecemeal throughout the fall of 1942. Over the course of the campaign, the Japanese subjected two entire infantry divisions to massive attrition on the island.

File:US 1st Marine Division SSI.svg

1st Marine Division patch

The 1st Marine Division's struggle to take Guadalcanal achieved legendary status: the heat and mud, the malaria and dysentery, the giant tropical insects and the fanatical, often suicidal, resistance of the Japanese combined to create an immense amount of sheer suffering. Today, the unit's insignia features the word "Guadalcanal" superimposed on a large red numeral 1. Three future commandants of the Marine Corps fought on "The Canal": Alexander A. Vandegrift, Clifton B. Cates and Lemuel C. Shepherd. Vandegrift was awarded the Medal of Honor the following year in recognition of his courage and extraordinary leadership during the Corps's four-month struggle.

File:U.S. Marines storm ashore on Guadalcanal, 7 August 1942 (80-CF-112-5-3).jpg

Marines landing unopposed on the north shore of Guadalcanal 7 August 1942.

Why does the mere mention of the southwest Pacific cause the men who fought there to shudder? Why does so genteel an author as Herman Wouk, whipped into a white-lipped rage at the mere thought of Guadalcanal, write that it "was and remains 'that fucking island'"? Why was combat there considered — correctly – worse than Stalingrad?{{#if:|

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In addition to the action on the ground, the United States Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy fought several vicious and costly surface engagements at night in the waters of Savo Sound. Two nights after the initial landings, the US Navy experienced the worst open-water defeat in its history at the Battle of Savo Island. By the time the Japanese had given up on Guadalcanal, they had lost 2 battleships, 2 heavy cruisers and 7 destroyers; Allied losses included 5 heavy cruisers (one of which was Australian), 2 light cruisers and a destroyer. Each side had an admiral killed in combat. After the war, the area was renamed Ironbottom Sound in reference to the number of ships sunk there. Template:More

United States

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Theater command

The roles of Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas (CINCPOA) and Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC), were both exercised by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz from his headquarters at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Since the Solomons lie in the Southern Pacific, the landings of 7 August 1942 on Guadalcanal were the responsibility of the South Pacific Fleet, led by Vice Admiral Robert L. Ghormley from his headquarters at Nouméa, New Caledonia.<ref>Morison 1949, pp. 250-251</ref> Adm. Ghormley's pessimism, inadequate staff work and unwillingness to visit the front led Adm. Nimitz to replace him with the much more aggressive and hands-on Vice Admiral William F. Halsey on 18 October 1942.<ref>Morison 1948, p. 183</ref>

Operational command

Operational command of the invasion was assigned to Vice Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher. He also had direct command of the covering force, designated Task Force 61, where he flew his flag aboard fleet carrier Saratoga. The amphibious forces, Task Force 62, were led by Rear Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner aboard attack transport McCawley.

Bitter disputes between Vice Adm. Fletcher and Rear Adm. Turner arose during both the planning and execution of the invasion. At issue was how long Fletcher's aircraft carriers would stay in the vicinity of Guadalcanal to provide air cover for Turner's support vessels in Savo Sound. The matter came to a head on D+1 (8 August), after two days of assaults by bombers from the Japanese base at Rabaul. These attacks convinced Fletcher that his crucial aircraft carriers could not be risked in the waters of the Solomons any longer and his task force departed the area that evening. Unsettled by the removal of air cover and rattled on the morning of D+2 by the discovery that his cruiser screen had been decimated at the Battle of Savo Island, Turner ordered his vulnerable, and still half-full, cargo ships back to Nouméa around sundown 9 August. The Marine Corps forces ashore were thus left without air cover or the planned level of food and ammunition. This suboptimal outcome was at least partially attributable to the decision to vest both overall mission command and carrier task force command in the same individual (Vice Adm. Fletcher).

Marine forces

File:VandegriftDesk.jpg

Maj. Gen. Alexander A. Vandegrift on Guadalcanal

File:Clifton B. Cates and battalion commanders, 1st Marine Regiment on Guadalcanal, 1942.jpg

Clifton B. Cates (center) and his battalion commanders on Guadalcanal

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Merritt A. "Red Mike" Edson as a brigadier general

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Col. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller

File:Pedro del Valle.jpg

Pedro del Valle as a major general

The D-Day (7 August) landings on Guadalcanal were carried out by the 1st and 3rd Battalions/5th Marines at 0910 hours, followed by the 1st Marines at 0930. Landings on the Florida Islands across Savo Sound were carried out earlier that morning by the 2nd Battalion/5th Marines, the 1st Parachute Battalion, and the 1st Marine Raider Battalion.<ref>Stille, p. 40</ref> The 7th Marines and 1st Battalion/11th Marines arrived 18 September. The division began withdrawal from the island 12 December.

File:US 1st Marine Division SSI.svg 1st Marine Division
Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift (CMoH recipient)Template:Efn
Asst. Div. Cmdr.: Brigadier General William H. RupertusTemplate:Efn

Division staff

Chief of staff: Col. William C. James (to 24 Sep)Template:Efn; Col. Gerald C. Thomas Template:Efn

Asst. CoS for Personnel (D-1): Col. Robert C. Kilmartin Jr.

Asst. CoS for Intelligence (D-2): Lt. Col. Frank B. Goettge (Template:Font color) (to 12 Aug)Template:Efn; Lt. Col. Edmund J. Buckley

Asst. CoS for Operations (D-3): Lt. Col. Gerald C. Thomas (to 24 Sep); Lt. Col. Merrill B. Twining

Asst. CoS for Logistics (D-4): Lt. Col. Randolph M. Pate

File:1st Marine Regiment Logo.png 1st Marine Regiment

Colonel Clifton B. CatesTemplate:Efn

Exec. ofc.: Lt. Col. Julian N. Frisbie (to 23 Sep); Lt. Col. Edwin A. Pollock

1st Battalion: Lt. Col. Leonard B. Cresswell

2nd Battalion: Lt. Col. Edwin A. Pollock (to 23 Sep); Lt. Col. William W. Stickney

3rd Battalion: Lt. Col. William N. McKelvy Jr.

File:5th Marine Regiment Logo.jpg 5th Marine Regiment

Colonel Leroy P. Hunt (to 21 Sep)Template:Efn Template:Efn ; Colonel Merritt A. EdsonTemplate:Efn

Exec. ofc.: Col. William J. Whaling (to 25 Sep); Lt. Col. Walker A. Reaves (to 12 Oct); Lt. Col. William S. Fellers

1st Battalion: Lt. Col. William E. Maxwell (to 30 Aug)Template:Efn; Maj. Donald W. Fuller (to 13 Oct); Maj. William K. Enright

CMoH recipient: Cpl. Anthony Casamento

2nd Battalion: Lt. Col. Harold E. Rosecrans (to 11 Sep); Capt. Joseph J. Dudkowski (1-17, 25-30 Sep); Lt. Col. Walker A. Reaves (18-24 Sep); Maj. David S. McDougal (1-8 Oct); Maj. William J. Piper (8-11 Oct); Maj. Lewis W. Walt

3rd Battalion: Lt. Col. Frederick C. Biebush (to 22 Sep); Maj. Robert O. Bowen

File:USMC - 7th Marine Regiment New Logo.png 7th Marine Regiment

Colonel James W. Webb (to 20 Sep)Template:Efn; Colonel Amor L. Sims

Exec. ofc.: Col. Amor L. Sims (to 20 Sep); Lt. Col. Julian N. Frisbie

1st Battalion: Lt. Col. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller Template:Efn

CMoH recipient: Sgt. John Basilone Template:Efn

2nd Battalion: Lt. Col. Herman H. "Hard-Headed" Hanneken Template:Efn

CMoH recipient: Lt. Mitchell Paige

3rd Battalion: Lt. Col. Edwin J. Farrell (to 24 Sep); Lt. Col. William R. Williams

File:Cannoncockers11thMarReg.jpg 11th Marine Regiment (Artillery)

Colonel Pedro del ValleTemplate:Efn

Exec. ofc.: Lt. Col. John A. Bemis (to 17 Oct); Lt. Col. Robert B. Luckey (to 28 Nov)Template:Efn; Lt. Col. Thomas B. Hughes

1st Battalion: Lt. Col. Joseph R. Knowlan (to 19 Oct); Lt. Col. Manley L. Curry (to 28 Nov); Lt. Col. Donovan D. Sult (to 2 Dec)

2nd Battalion: Lt. Col. Edward G. Hagen (to 14 Sep); Maj. Forest C. Thompson

3rd Battalion: Lt. Col. James J. Keating

4th Battalion: Lt. Col. Melvin E. Fuller (to 28 Oct; from 7 Dec); Maj. Carl G.F. Korn (28-31 Oct); Capt. Albert H. Potter (to 6 Dec)

5th Battalion: Lt. Col. E. Hayden Price (to 18 Oct); Maj. Noah P. Wood, Jr.

Other Marine units

3rd Defense Battalion (landed 7 Aug): Col. Robert H. Pepper

Executive officer: Lt. Col. Harold C. Roberts

Operations officer: Maj. Samuel G. Taxis

1st Parachute Battalion: Maj. Charles A. Miller (to 18 Sep); Capt. Harry Torgerson (19-26 Sep); Maj. Robert H. Williams (from 27 Sep)

1st Raider Battalion: Col. Merritt A. Edson (CMoH recipient) (to 21 Sep); Lt. Col. Samuel B. Griffith (22-27 Sep)

CMoH recipient: Maj. Kenneth D. Bailey (Template:Font color)

1st Amphibian Tractor Battalion: Lt. Col. Walter W. Barr

1st Aviation Engineer Battalion: Maj. Thomas F. Riley

1st Pioneer Battalion: Maj. James G. Frazer (to 25 Oct); Maj. Henry H. Crockett

1st Medical Battalion: Cmdr. Don S. Knowlton, USN

1st Special Weapons Battalion: Maj. Robert B. Luckey (to 6 Oct); Maj. Richard W. Wallace

1st Tank Battalion: Maj. Harvey S. Walseth

File:Alphonse DeCarre.jpg

Brig. Gen. Alphonse DeCarre

File:Leo D. Hermle.jpg

Leo D. Hermle as a major general

File:Marine and Two Guadalcanal Policemen.jpg

A Marine corporal with two Guadalcanal police officers

File:2nd Mar Div;divlogo1.png 2nd Marine Division
Brigadier General Alphonse DeCarre

The 2nd Marines reinforced by the 3rd Battalion/10th Marines were part of the initial 7 August landings. The reinforced 8th Marines landed on 2 November and the reinforced 6th Marines on 4 January 1943.

Division staff

Asst. to commanding general: Col. Leo D. Hermle Template:Efn

Chief of staff: Col. George F. Stockes

Asst. CoS for Personnel (D-1): Maj. Lawrence C. Hays Jr.

Asst. CoS for Intelligence (D-2): Maj. Thomas J. Colley

Asst. CoS for Operations (D-3): Lt. Col. John H. Coffman

Asst. CoS for Logistics (D-4): Maj. George N. Carroll

Division special troops: Col. Maurice G. Holmes

File:2nd Marine Regiment Logo.png 2nd Marine Regiment

Colonel John M. Arthur

Exec. ofc.: Lt. Col. William S. Fellers (to 9 Oct); Lt. Col. Cornelius P. Van Ness

1st Battalion: Lt. Col. Robert E. Hill (to 10 Nov); Maj. Wood B. Kyle Template:Efn

2nd Battalion: Maj. Orin K. Pressley

3rd Battalion: Maj. Robert G. Hunt

File:6th Marine Official Indian Head.jpg 6th Marine Regiment

Colonel Gilder D. Jackson Jr.Template:Efn

Exec. ofc.: Lt. Col. Alfred A. Watters (to 15 Dec); Lt. Col. Lyman G. Miller

1st Battalion: Lt. Col. Russell Lloyd

2nd Battalion: Maj. Raymond L. Murray

3rd Battalion: Maj. William A. Kengla

File:8TH20MARINES.jpg 8th Marine Regiment

Colonel Richard H. Jeschke

Exec. ofc.: Lt. Col. James P. Riseley

1st Battalion: Lt. Col. Miles S. Newton (from 15 Jan. to 15 Nov, 1942); Maj. Joseph B. McCaffery

2nd Battalion: Lt. Col. John H. Cook Jr.

3rd Battalion: Lt. Col. Augustus H. Fricke

File:10th Marine Regiment Seal.jpg 10th Marine Regiment (Artillery)

Colonel Thomas E. Bourke

Exec. ofc.: Lt. Col. Ralph E. Forsyth

1st Battalion: Lt. Col. Presley M. Rixey

2nd Battalion: Maj. George R. E. Shell

3rd Battalion: Lt. Col. Manly L. Curry (to 18 Oct; from 28 Nov); Lt. Col. Donovan D. Sult (18 Oct-28 Nov)

4th Battalion: Lt. Col. Kenneth A. Jorgensen

File:CarlsonEF.jpg

Lt. Col. Evans F. Carlson

Other Marine units

2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion: Maj. Henry C. Drewes

9th Defense Battalion (landed December 1942)

Commanding officer: Col. David R. Nimmer

Executive officer: Lt. Col. William J. Scheyer

Operations officer: Capt. William C. Givens

2nd Raider Battalion ("Carlson's Raiders"): Lt. Col. Evans F. Carlson

2nd Special Weapons Battalion: Lt. Col. Paul D. Sherman

2nd Tank Battalion: Maj. Alexander B. Swenceski

6th Naval Construction Battalion: Lt. Cmdr. Joseph L. Blundon, CEC<ref>Naval Heritage and History Command webpage, p. 6/84, Seabee Museum, Port Hueneme, CA [1]</ref> (Started landing on 27 August)

3rd Battalion 18th Marines (started landing on 12 December)<ref>18th Naval Construction Battalion, Naval Heritage and History Command webpage, p. 21/88, Seabee Museum, Port Hueneme, CA [2]</ref>

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