A Brief History
On August 7, 1942, U.S. Marines landed on an island few Americans had ever heard of, Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands. After months of being on the defensive, defensive victories at Coral Sea and Midway combined with the rapid buildup of troops and industrial production gave the U.S. its first opportunity to start taking instead of losing ground in the Pacific theater of World War II.
Digging Deeper
Although obscure in the minds of Americans, Guadalcanal is not an insignificant island. Sprawling over 2000 square miles and with mountains soaring over 8,000 feet, it is the world’s 110th largest island, about the size of Bali and larger than Trinidad. Maximum length and width of the island is about 100 miles long by 30 miles wide, a pretty sizable piece of real estate. Over 100,000 people live there today.
In an effort to isolate Australia, the Japanese had started construction of an airfield on Guadalcanal, one that was to threaten U.S. ships for hundreds of miles around. With only about several hundred troops and around 2,000 construction workers on the island (most of whom were Korean slaves), they did not realize U.S. landings were about to take place.
U.S. forces arrived unseen due to the dark and bad weather and invaded 3 smaller islands as well as Guadalcanal. The Japanese on the smaller islands resisted so fiercely almost every one of them was killed, while on Guadalcanal the Marines had an easier time, quickly taking the main objective, the airfield (later named Henderson Field in honor of a downed comrade).
The Japanese quickly recovered from the surprise and retaliated, fiercely attacking the Marines left to fend for themselves. The 11,000 starving Marines held off the Japanese, and a long campaign lasting 6 months and 2 days developed, during which time 60,000 U.S. Marines and Army troops battled over 36,000 Japanese ground troops. Over 7,000 U.S. troops and over 31,000 Japanese died, giving the island the name “The Island of Death.” Only around 1,000 Japanese were captured.
The long campaign was costly in equipment as well, with the U.S. losing 29 ships and 615 planes and the Japanese losing 38 ships and somewhere between 680 and 900 planes. The sea, air, and land battles became epic events in the history of the U.S. military, with many tales of heroics (John Basilone, Chesty Puller), victories and disasters. The Japanese never recovered the initiative and spent the rest of the war trying to defend what they had previously taken. All future Japanese attacks were in support of the defense of their empire and no longer to seize more territory.
Guadalcanal is no longer an unknown island to Americans, and the operation has been portrayed in major motion pictures such as Pride of the Marines (1945), Guadalcanal Diary (1943), and The Thin Red Line (2 films, 1964 and 1998).
Television shows (such as Baa Baa Black Sheep and The Pacific) and numerous books have also paid tribute to the battle for this jungle island. The U.S. Navy has had 2 ships named the USS Guadalcanal, one being the CVE-60 (escort carrier, 1943-1946) and another the LPH-7 (helicopter assault ship, 1963-1994, which the author has served on). Semper fi.
Question for students (and subscribers): Did any of your relatives fight on Guadalcanal? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Franklin, Carl and David Nutter, dir. The Pacific. HBO Studios, 2010. Blu-ray.
Malick, Terrence, dir. The Thin Red Line. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Blu-ray.
The featured image in this article, a map by TastyCakes of the route of Allied landing forces to Tulagi and Guadalcanal islands, August 7, 1942, has been released into the public domain worldwide by the copyright holder of this work.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="3467 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=3467">131 Comments
Joe Carlson was there. He introduced new style of jungle warfare that he learned from Mao troops in China. That did not help his career and he soon died of a heart attack. Chesty puller also died of heart attack in the Korean war.
LT GEN Puller died in 1971.
Relative?
Chesty Puller died in Korean war.
Chesty Puller.
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I wonder if they have a memorial site on the “Island of Death” since so many Japanese and Americans died there. I would like to see what the island looks like presently.
I can’t believe we beat the Japanese when we there were so few of us and so many of them.
Superior arms and training can make for some incredibly lopsided battles.
What a large number of deaths for such a small spot on the map
I do not think that I would like to live on “The
Island of Death!” — DAVID WARDLE
Crazy how many deaths were in such a small area
I’ve heard of this battle before but actually never knew any details so a very worthwhile read.
It is crazy how such a small island had such a large impact on WWII
My great-grandfather was a marine in the Pacific chapter. He was one of the first to land l.
I remember playing a game (I think it was CoD: World At War), and part of the American campaign was on Guadalcanal; even in a game, it was some scary [stuff].
It’s hard to think that we lost almost as many planes as the Japanese in this campaign. I would have figured that the US would have lost a whole lot less.
It really surprises me what soldiers go through. I can’t imagine starving on unfamiliar island with hundreds of enemy troops attacking. So much happen on an island that was only 100 miles long!
The battles on these islands is heavily under rated in the success of the united states in winning this war. Arguable this island alone could have changed the entire war and japan could have won if they successfully built the airstrip.
LT GEN Puller died in 1971.
It’s crazy how many people died in such a small place.
The Japanese must have really wanted that island since they let so many of their men die in this battle. I don’t think I could keep asking my men to fight knowing that we will most likely lose in the end.
I did not know about this battle. It’s admirable that the marines continued fighting hard even though they were starving.
The strength of these marines amazing to hold off the Japanese while they were starving.
Another great article that illustrates just how B.A. The Marines are!
The statistics of over 7,000 American troop deaths and 31,000 Japanese deaths are absolutely astounding and shocking! While fitting, the nickname, “The Island of Death” is a rather sobering reminder of the lives lost.
Why did the Japanese want the island so bad? They lost many soldiers, I can’t see why this island is so important.
I don’t understand why the Japanese just didn’t surrender the island. Instead they did not and many of there people died.
I don’t think that an island was worth so many people dying.
That island must have been crucial in the Japanese’s plans. Why else would they sacrifice so many people?
I defiantly think the name “The Island of Death” is fitting because so many people died. (over 7,000 U.S. troops and over 31,000 Japanese died)
I can’t even imagine going through what these soldiers did. We take so many things for granted on a day to day basis. Just shows truly how thankful we should be.
what amazed me is the amount of people that died there which was roughly close to 40,000 people no wonder its called: “The island of death” but I still don’t think there should have been so many casualties
I can’t believe we were able to beat the Japanese even though they had so many more people than us.
I can’t imagine what this soldiers must have felt
I wonder why the Japanese considered the island to be so important.
It’s shocking that almost 40,000 people died in this battle. Amazing job by our marines.
Our marines are crazy good
Chesty Puller, John Basilone, and other famous marines did more impressive things than anything I saw in the new Captain America movie last night. They were real life superheroes.
god bless the marines.
It became a king of the hill situation. who ever got the main first had the upper hand in the fight. The sneaky marines won in the end.
Personally i think most of the “island hopping” battles of the pacific were the worst during ww2 maybe in history because the japanese fought with a ferocity most modern wars do not see
The “Island of Death” was a very fitting name, as so many lives were unfortunately lost for both sides. This war helps show how strong the Marines are. I find it astonishing how hard both sides fought for an island that many people do not even know about.
Coming from a family of Marines, this story really stuck with me. Its amazing to me that despite difficult conditions such as being on an island with little to eat and in unfamiliar territory that the Marines were still able to triumph as they did. I have so much respect for how hard they fought.
The Marines are one well oiled combat group that showed their dominance over and over with every war. We are thankful that no major battle has taken place in the US. The cost of repairs has to be detrimental to the area and people living there. The US lost significantly less troops and ships just proving their status.
By holding this island from non stop attacks from the Japanese the US marines truly were able to turn the tides of the war. Fighting in that climate would have been brutal. It took some of the best and bravest men this country has seen.
The terrain of this island is insane. It’s very impressive that those soldiers, despite the odds, were able to come up victorious. Nearly 38,000 men lost their lives on that island. I can see why it is now called “The Island of Death”.
The island Guadalcanal was about to be a strong holdout for the Japanese who could destroy allied ships were miles around if successful. US troops could not allow this and so took the island back from the Japanese resulting in a 6 month struggle between the Japanese and American marines. The island was nicknamed the island of death after 7,000 marines and 31,000 Japanese died during the battle.
It is impressive that our troops were able to win even though the conditions of this island seemed to be unbearable. This island seems to have deserved the nickname, “The Island of Death”, due to how many people died during this battle.
Battling for six months on an island that is a mystery would be a very difficult task. It is a besting to the US that they happened to land on the islands at night and in bad weather. If they hadn’t landed under cover they may not have been able to take the airstrip. It is awful to think that over 38,000 men died battling on one island.
The Battle of Guadalcanal was not only one of the first attacks the U.S. made in World War II, but it also put them on the offensive against the Japanese. Up to this point, Japan was fighting, as the article says, to seize territory. Bringing the U.S. into the war caused Japan to be outnumbered to the point where they had to be on the defensive the rest of the war.
What a battlefield! To be fighting on an island that big with such open space is such a stereotypical image of war.
When most people think of WWII, they think of epic battles being fought in Europe. The battle of Guadalcanal was a pivotal one in the war, and put the Japanese on the defensive. It’s interesting that there were so many casualties for a relatively small (but important) island in the Pacific.
Guadalcanal is a significant fight because it stopped the Japanese from taking over anymore land. the battle was bloody and took place all across the island. Almost all of the Japanese forces there were killed. 31,000 of the 36,000 died and at least 1,000 was captured. This did not leave much left.
I have never heard of the battle of Guadalcanal. Battling on an unknown island for six months had to be very difficult. I cannot believe over 38,000 people died on this island.
I never realized the importance of Guadalcanal. It is astounding that the battles there lasted for such a long time given the relatively small size of the island!
Guadalcanal is such a small island for such a huge military battle. Over 38,000 troops total died at the Island of Death. What a bloody way to start the second world war.
The marines are a tough group. Even in the treacherous conditions that they were in they succeeded. This is why the men have to be hardcore.
I think that “The Island of Death” is a very appropriate name for Guadalcanal given all the tragedies that occurred there and the people that died fighting on it.
Guadalcanal was a turning point in the Pacific theater for the Americans. It was important for the Americans to go on the offensive attack as opposed to a defensive strategy. An aggressive attack definitely put the Marines into a new mindset going forward in the war.
I had never actually heard this story until now. Considering the amount of lives lost being 38,000 total and the how much equipment was lost, I think it is only fitting that Guadalcanal be called “The Island of Death.”
Insane that the Japanese people fought to their death even when defeat was certain. They must have not valued their lives more than their pride.
“The Island of Death” was a very appropriate name for this island. The amount of people killed on this island in only 6 months is crazy. I have never heard about this incident.
Vaguely remember hearing about this battle and that is an appropriate name to give the island. With nowhere to go, I am actually surprised more did not die in result of this battle.
Appropriate name for this island for sure. Surprised there was not more deaths.
I think it is fairly interesting that the Japanese really recovered and spent the rest of war fighting for what was taken from them.
The island named Guadalcanal was nicknamed “The Island of Death” because of the 31,000 Japanese and about 7,000 Americans that died in battle. The starting numbers were 60,000 Americans and only 36,000 Japanese. In the end the Japanese were out numbered.
So sad to read the death toll.
The Pacific is one of my favorite shows of all time. The conditions that these brave men had to fight through were unimaginable.
I had no idea that this island was such a large piece of land. It sounds like despite being starving, the United States Marines had largely outnumbered opposing forces during this 6 month conflict.
This death toll was out of hand.
The name for the island is fitting, i also never knew that this land had so much to offer. I’m still amazed at how many lost their lives fighting on it.
So many lives lost on both sides. It was an island that we needed to take because if the Japanese finished that air field it would have given them a strategic advantage.
I think it is astonishing to see how many Japanese lives were lost during this attack on Guadalcanal. The name of the island definitely is true.
I can not believe that so many lives were lost that day. I also can not believe that I had no previous knowledge of it.
I have never heard of the Guadalcanal and was not aware of the conflict between Japanese and American forces on the island. American Marines had to take action when Japan began to inhabit it because of the threat that it had on U.S. ships.
I have heard a little bit about Guadalcanal before, but did not remember much about it. This article was a nice little refresher. I had never actually heard this story until now. 38,000 deaths on top of a ton of military equipment loss makes the name for this island very fitting.
This was a very informative article. I know I have read about this battle but many years ago. I wasn’t aware of the movies made for this battle, I think I will have to watch a couple.
I’m surprised Americans do not know more about Guadalcanal since it is such a pivotal turning point in the war.
I think that it is scary from a governmental perspective but cool from a reader’s perspective that the Guadalcanal is unknown to Americans. This goes to show all of the things that are hidden from Americans.
The more articles I read in this class the more I learn about things that the government has hidden from citizens. I can see why the government would want to hide endeavors from the American citizens.
It’s understandable that the island is referred to as the “The Island of Death” having had over 40,000 soldiers killed there.
When it comes down to it, loosing lives is part of winning wars. The US had better technology to win Guadalcanal
I have not heard much about Guadalcanal before and this intrigues me because of how much is hidden from Americans about what has happened to our country. This place sounds like a very scary place and somewhere I should steer clear from as there were so many murders there.
The Battle of Guadalcanal was the turning point in the fight against Japan. The thousands of death seem so large in comparison for the size of the island.
War is cruel. There were so many people dead in the island of death. We should remember the place of Guadalcanal because it was the first place which U.S. Offense at World War II.
That’s why the islands called The Island of Death, thousands of soldiers dead there. so horrible war.
I had never heard of this battle prior to this article. It is hard to fathom thousands of people killed, and it seems such a high amount of people compared to the island’s size.
I had never heard of this battle before reading this article. It is really sad to read about how many people were killed.
I didn’t know about Guadalcanal, it was interesting to learn about in this article.
This just shows how bad ass marines really are these veterans are some of the toughest we have its sad that most Americans don’t apprracite what they did enough.
I think that this article shows how dedicated and incredible the marines are, it’s sad and chilling that we do not value our veterans more.
I’ve heard of Guadalcanal before, but usually I only heard it referred as the Island of Death. Interesting to learn more about the turning point in the Pacific.
Guadalcanal, Will never be forgotten due to the many men who fought for the island.
i never knew Guadalcanal was one of the world’s 110th largest island, and about the size of Bali and larger than Trinidad is a big deal its like you cant see it on the map, but HOW?.
I had never really heard of this before so this was very interesting to read about!
I must have missed this history class because I never learned about it. thought we had a good plan and successful attack until I kept reading.
I have never even heard about Guadalcanal which is sad since so many people fought for it.
I have heard of how horrible this island was, It was truly one of the Marines bloodiest invasions.
Was is a terrible thing. You know people are always going to be dying.
I want to know how Japan got involved in the war and not other Asian countries around the pacific.
This was a very important start for the U.S. It got us off and running when we had our backs up against the wall. It was an absolute terrible war, and war is an awful thing. That is the way of life unfortunately.
Island hopping was a crucial part of the win for the US. This island added a lot of momentum behind our troops.
This was an interesting read! I never knew about this taking place.
The death toll is terrible. Any deaths in war are devastating, and this article mentioned the name “The Island of Death,” which is so sad to think about.
crazy that all of this could have unfolded
I have never heard of that island, let alone that it was the place where we made our first offensive in the war.
The thin red line is a great movie and i highly recommend it to anyone that has not seen it.
I haven’t seen it but I might have to check it out.
Not a great idea to trap your troops on an island where amphibious assaults can take place!
When you box in that many Marines, you know you are going to be in trouble, they don’t give up easy.
just like in any situation if you are left to fend for yourself it can get bad. With the marines and Army hungry and left to fight that is a bad combination. The troops did what they do best and that is fight when needed to be.
I have never heard of the offensive war so this was an interesting read.
Great history about our beloved Corps. Such heroics to fight for so long under such conditions.
The Japanese really seemed like a group of people who were fighting for what they believed in because of how resistant they were. It’s good to know that we still stood our ground to show our point as well.
I did not realize that the Thin Red Line was about this topic. Great movie!
Many great war stories have emerged from battles of WWII. I can’t imagine what some of these soldiers had to endure during these battles.
All future Japanese attacks were in support of the defense of their empire and no longer to seize more territory.
The marines and soldiers on that island are true heroes. If it wasn’t for them, the Japanese could’ve invaded Australia. It was because of them that made Japan stop expanding their Empire and start defending it which led to their defeat in the end.
I thought this was an interesting story. Until now I have never heard of Guadalcanal Island or the battle. It is a shame that so many have lost their lives in battles that have been forgotten about or never talked about to so many. I plan to watch these movies to better understand this battle.
I had never heard of the offensive war or the hero’s that fought in it. Glad I was able to read this article and learn about it.
Honestly, I had only heard of this battle because of both the movie A Thin Red Line and since it was the name of a U.S. naval ship that I had read about before.
We lost 7000 soldiers and captured only 1000 Japanese. Not to mention the money, resources and supplies spent.
I never heard of this war before today. I don’t understand why we lost so many an only captured 1000 Japanese. It’s amazing to me how little is posted about war.
I had never heard of this battle. I will definitely have to watch the movies that portray it.
Again…. why isn’t this taught in grade school history? I’eve never even heard of the island of Guadalcanal until reading this article.
The cost of war, what is it? In the article it mentions the equipment lost. To this day, I’ve never had any thought of equipment being lost in a war. My only thought has been with lives lost in a war.
I have also never heard of this before this article. Very interesting.
I never heard of Guadalcanal but I have seen the picture of our men with the flag that famous picture.
I have watched The Thin Red Line! Great movie!
this article made me learn a lot, i didn’t know this history than before.
I like how American military was landing beat the Japanese military. It is interesting to know that many people are died in the war, they call that land the island of death