The Battle of Guadalcanal Grinds On

Reinforced, Hyakutake had around 20,000 men on Guadalcanal. He believed Allied strength to be around 10,000 (it was actually 23,000) and moved forward with another offensive. Moving east, his men assaulted the Lunga Perimeter for three days between October 23-26. Dubbed the Battle of Henderson Field, his attacks were thrown back with massive losses numbering 2,200-3,000 killed against less than 100 Americans.

As the fighting was concluding, American naval forces now led by Vice Admiral William "Bull" Halsey (Ghormley was relieved on October 18) engaged the Japanese at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Though Halsey lost the carrier USS Hornet, his men inflicted severe losses on the Japanese aircrews. The fight marked the last time that either side's carriers would clash in the campaign.

Exploiting the victory at Henderson Field, Vandegrift began an offensive across the Matanikau. Though initially successful, it was halted when Japanese forces were discovered to the east near Koli Point. In a series of battles around Koli in early November, American forces defeated and drove off the Japanese. As this action was underway, two companies of the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion under Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson landed at Aola Bay on November 4. The next day, Carlson was ordered to move overland back to Lunga (approx. 40 miles) and engage enemy forces along the way. During the "Long Patrol," his men killed around 500 Japanese.

At Matanikau, Tokyo Express runs aided Hyakutake in strengthening his position and turning back American attacks on November 10 and 18.

Victory at Last on Guadalcanal

As a stalemate ensued on land, the Japanese made efforts to build up strength for an offensive in late November. To aid in this, Yamamoto made available eleven transports for Tanaka to transport 7,000 men to the island. This convoy would be covered by a force including two battleships which would bombard Henderson Field and destroy the CAF. Aware that the Japanese were moving troops to the island, the Allies planned a similar move. On the night of November 12/13, the Allied covering force encountered the Japanese battleships in the opening actions of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Taking off on November 14, CAF and aircraft from USS Enterprise spotted and sunk seven of Tanaka's transports. Though taking heavy losses the first night, American warships turned the tide on the night of November 14/15. Tanaka's remaining four transports beached themselves at Tassafaronga before dawn, but were quickly destroyed by Allied aircraft. The failure to reinforce the island led to the abandonment of the November offensive.

On November 26, Lieutenant General Hitoshi Imamura took command of the newly created Eighth Area Army at Rabaul which included Hyakutake's command. Though he initially began planning for attacks at Lunga, the Allied offensive against Buna on New Guinea led to a shift in priorities as it presented a greater threat to Rabaul. As result, offensive operations on Guadalcanal were suspended. Though the Japanese won a naval victory at Tassafaronga on November 30, the supply situation on the island was becoming desperate. On December 12, the Imperial Japanese Navy recommended that the island be abandoned. The army concurred and on December 31 the Emperor endorsed the decision.

As the Japanese planned their withdraw, changes occurred on Guadalcanal with Vandegrift and the battle weary 1st Marine Division departing and Major General Alexander Patch's XIV Corps taking over. On December 18, Patch began an offensive against Mount Austen. This stalled on January 4, 1943 due to strong enemy defenses. The attack was renewed on January 10 with troops also striking ridges known as the Seahorse and the Galloping Horse. By January 23, all objectives had been secured. As this fight was concluding, the Japanese had begun their evacuation which was dubbed Operation Ke. Unsure of Japanese intentions, Halsey sent Patch reinforcements which led to the naval Battle of Rennell Island on January 29/30. Concerned about a Japanese offensive, Patch did not aggressively pursue the retreating enemy. By February 7, Operation Ke was complete with 10,652 Japanese soldiers having left the island. Realizing the enemy had departed, Patch declared the island secured on February 9.

Aftermath of the Battle of Guadalcanal

During the campaign to take Guadalcanal, the Allied losses numbered around 7,100 men, 29 ships, and 615 aircraft. Japanese casualties were approximately 31,000 killed, 1,000 captured, 38 ships, and 683-880 aircraft. With the victory at Guadalcanal, the strategic initiative passed to the Allies for the remainder of the war. The island was subsequently developed into a major base for supporting future Allied offensives. Having exhausted themselves in the campaign for the island, the Japanese had weakened themselves elsewhere which contributed to the successful conclusion of Allied campaigns on New Guinea. The first sustained Allied campaign in the Pacific, it provided a psychological boost for the troops as well as led to the development of combat and logistical systems that would be used in the Allies' march across the Pacific. With the island secured, operations continued on New Guinea and the Allies began their "island hopping" campaign towards Japan.