The Battle of Guadalcanal
by Lillian Bonar
Essay: The Battle of Guadalcanal
Pages: 11
Rating: 3 stars
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When informed of the campaign for Guadalcanal, many members of the US First Marine Division were in bad
spirits. Severe cases of dysentery plagued many members due to the spoiled food served to them during their stay
at the docks of New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington. The flu also spread rampantly due to a significant amount
of rain in the area. (Steinberg 22) In addition to the widespread illnesses, the marines also grumbled about the
unperceived importance of the campaign. None of the Marines had a complete understanding of the great
strategic significance of Guadalcanal that the future would unveil. One marine in particular remarked, “ Whadda
we want with a place nobody ever heard of before? Who ever heard of Guadalcanal?” (Steinberg 18)
Even the Japanese were deliberating the strategic importance of maintaining the island. The senior army figures
postulated that the Japanese Empire was becoming too vast to properly maintain. They argued that the Japanese
army needed to consolidate it’s pre-existing territory. On the other hand, the Japanese Navy hierarchy debated
that halting Japanese imperialism would send the wrong message to Americans. It was argued that holding back
would be perceived as a sign of weakness. (“The Battle of Guadalcanal”)
The Americans recognized that capturing and maintaining Guadalcanal would prove to be a rather daunting task.
Alexander A Vandegrift stated that there were “a hundred reasons why this operation could have failed.” Firstly,
Due to the priority going to American forces in Europe and the Middle East, troops in the Pacific would be forced
to operate under extremely tight budgets. (Steinberg 22) Americans also learned that the majority of Japanese
soldiers would die in battle before they...
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