Key Military Figures
This U. S. President bypassed normal military logistics in October 1942 by ordering that all available weapons and reinforcements be rushed to Guadalcanal, ensuring the island would not be abandoned.
Who was Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR is acceptable)?
On August 7, 1942, American forces launched Operation Watchtower by landing on this specific island to seize its strategic airfield?
What is Guadalcanal?
Guadalcanal is the largest landmass in this extensive South Pacific island nation.
What are the Solomon Islands?
The Guadalcanal Campaign lasted for 6 months and spanned across these two calendar years of World War II.
What are 1942 and 1943?
This grim nickname was given to the water passage between Guadalcanal and Savo Island due to the dozens of sunken warships resting there.
What is Ironbottom Sound?
This Japanese Admiral, architect of the Pearl Harbor attack, directly oversaw the naval strategy for the Solomon Islands campaign from Truk Lagoon.
Who was Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto?
Marines quickly renamed the captured Japanese airfield in honor of Lofton R. Henderson, a marine dive bomber, from this decisive June 1942 battle.
What is the Battle of Midway?
The critical battles on land were fought to defend or capture this vital, flat piece of terain located near the northern coast.
What is Henderson Field?
This was the colorful, native code name given to the American air arm operating out of Henderson Field.
Whats was the Cactus Air Force?
Just days after the landings, the U. S. Navy suffered a catastrophic night defeat near this island, losing four Allied heavy cruisers.
What is Savo Island?
Dubbed "Bull", this aggressive American Vice Admiral took command of the South Pacific Area in October, instantly boosting Allied morale.
Who was William "Bull" Halsey?
Due to critical supply shortages and a lack of naval support early on, the marines gave the operation this tight budget nickname.
What is "Operation Shoestring"?
Allied forces seized Guadalcanal primarily to protect shipping lanes between the United States and this southern Pacific ally, while also preventing Japan from building an airfield to bomb their supply lines.
What is Australia?
This nighttime resupply routine involved Japanese destroyers rushing down "The Slot" under the cover of darkness to drop off troops and rations.
What was the Tokyo Express?
In late August, the U. S. and Japanese navies clashed in this carrier-versus-carrier battle, the third major carrier action of the war.
What is the Battle of the Eastern Solomons?
This Marine Sergeant earned the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions at Edson's Ridge, single-handedly holding off waves of Japanese Soldiers with a machine gun.
Who was John Basilone?
Initial landings took place not just on Guadalcanl, but also on this small, nearby island, where Japanese forces resisted fiercely at Blue Beach?
What is Tulagi?
Named after a nearby cape, this early October naval battle took place in the waters just northwest of Guadalcanal, where American ships successfully ambushed a Japanese reinforcement convoy.
What is the Battle of Cape Esperance?
In October 1942, Japanese forces inflicted devastating psychological damage by using these massive warships to fire nearly 1000 14-inch shells onto Henderson Field.
What are battleships?
Five brothers from Iowa all tragically perished together when their cruiser, USS Juneau, was sunk during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal?
Who were the Sullivan brothers? (This changed the way the military assigned personnel to ensure longevity of a family line)
This legendary combat leader earned his third of five Navy Crosses at Guadalcanl after his understaffed battalion held off a full Japanese division during a torrentional downpour, saving Henderson Field.
Who was Lieutenant Colonel Lewis "Chesty" Puller?
This overall Commander of the Expeditionary Force (Task Force 62) oversaw the initial amphibious landings before withdrawing his ships on August 9.
Who was Richmond Kelly Turner?
Acting as a natural shield just north of the island, this small, volcanic landmass split the Japanese fleet into two approach channels during the disastrous Allied naval defeat on August 9.
What is Savo Island?
Operation Ke, executed in early 1943, marked this final phase of the campaign for the Imperial Japanese Army.
What was the evacuation of Guadalcanal? (Retreat)
In November 1942, this American Rear Admiral was killed in action aboard the USS San Fransisco during a brutal close-range night engagement.
Who was Daniel J. Callaghan?