1943 : Americans secure Guadalcanal
On this day in 1943, Japanese troops evacuate Guadalcanal, leaving the
island in Allied possession after a prolonged campaign. The American
victory paved the way for other Allied wins in the Solomon Islands.
Guadalcanal is the largest of the Solomons, a group of 992 islands and
atolls, 347 of which are inhabited, in the South Pacific Ocean. The
Solomons, which are located northeast of Australia and have 87
indigenous languages, were discovered in 1568 by the Spanish navigator
Alvaro de Mendana de Neyra (1541-95). In 1893, the British annexed
Guadalcanal, along with the other central and southern Solomons. The
Germans took control of the northern Solomons in 1885, but transferred
these islands, except for Bougainville and Buka (which eventually went
to the Australians) to the British in 1900.
The Japanese invaded the Solomons in 1942 during World War II and
began building a strategic airfield on Guadalcanal. On August 7 of
that year, U.S. Marines landed on the island, signaling the Allies'
first major offensive against Japanese-held positions in the Pacific.
The Japanese responded quickly with sea and air attacks. A series of
bloody battles ensued in the debilitating tropical heat as Marines
sparred with Japanese troops on land, while in the waters surrounding
Guadalcanal, the U.S. Navy fought six major engagements with the
Japanese between August 24 and November 30. In mid-November 1942, the
five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, died together when the
Japanese sunk their ship, the USS Juneau.
Both sides suffered heavy losses of men, warships and planes in the
battle for Guadalcanal. An estimated 1,600 U.S. troops were killed,
over 4,000 were wounded and several thousand more died from disease.
The Japanese lost 24,000 soldiers. On December 31, 1942, Emperor
Hirohito told Japanese troops they could withdraw from the area; the
Americans secured Guadalcanal about five weeks later.
The Solomons gained their independence from Britain in 1978. In the
late 1990s, fighting broke out between rival ethnic groups on
Guadalcanal and continued until an Australian-led international
peacekeeping mission restored order in 2003. Today, with a population
of over half a million people, the Solomons are known as a scuba diver
and fisherman's paradise.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1943 : Americans secure Guadalcanal
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52360
1587 : Mary Queen of Scots beheaded
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4747
1725 : Peter the Great dies
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4748
1904 : The Russo-Japanese War begins
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4749
#########################################
1915 : Birth of a Nation opens
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6801
1924 : First execution by lethal gas
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4750
On this day in 1943, Japanese troops evacuate Guadalcanal, leaving the
island in Allied possession after a prolonged campaign. The American
victory paved the way for other Allied wins in the Solomon Islands.
Guadalcanal is the largest of the Solomons, a group of 992 islands and
atolls, 347 of which are inhabited, in the South Pacific Ocean. The
Solomons, which are located northeast of Australia and have 87
indigenous languages, were discovered in 1568 by the Spanish navigator
Alvaro de Mendana de Neyra (1541-95). In 1893, the British annexed
Guadalcanal, along with the other central and southern Solomons. The
Germans took control of the northern Solomons in 1885, but transferred
these islands, except for Bougainville and Buka (which eventually went
to the Australians) to the British in 1900.
The Japanese invaded the Solomons in 1942 during World War II and
began building a strategic airfield on Guadalcanal. On August 7 of
that year, U.S. Marines landed on the island, signaling the Allies'
first major offensive against Japanese-held positions in the Pacific.
The Japanese responded quickly with sea and air attacks. A series of
bloody battles ensued in the debilitating tropical heat as Marines
sparred with Japanese troops on land, while in the waters surrounding
Guadalcanal, the U.S. Navy fought six major engagements with the
Japanese between August 24 and November 30. In mid-November 1942, the
five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, died together when the
Japanese sunk their ship, the USS Juneau.
Both sides suffered heavy losses of men, warships and planes in the
battle for Guadalcanal. An estimated 1,600 U.S. troops were killed,
over 4,000 were wounded and several thousand more died from disease.
The Japanese lost 24,000 soldiers. On December 31, 1942, Emperor
Hirohito told Japanese troops they could withdraw from the area; the
Americans secured Guadalcanal about five weeks later.
The Solomons gained their independence from Britain in 1978. In the
late 1990s, fighting broke out between rival ethnic groups on
Guadalcanal and continued until an Australian-led international
peacekeeping mission restored order in 2003. Today, with a population
of over half a million people, the Solomons are known as a scuba diver
and fisherman's paradise.
history.com/tdih.do
General Interest
1943 : Americans secure Guadalcanal
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52360
1587 : Mary Queen of Scots beheaded
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4747
1725 : Peter the Great dies
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4748
1904 : The Russo-Japanese War begins
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4749
#########################################
1915 : Birth of a Nation opens
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6801
1924 : First execution by lethal gas
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4750
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