THE BATTLE OF GUADALCANAL

AUGUST 7, 1942

 

 

 

The Invasion of Guadalcanal by the United States

Marines 1st Division

 

 

Introduction

When Americans of today think of World War II, their minds automatically go towards Europe.  The legacy of Adolph Hitler is so prominent in the eyes of many Americans due to the horror o the Holocaust and the memories of the men and women who survived it. Yet in 1941, the Islands of the Pacific Ocean were the focus of the American people.  After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the naval base located in Hawaii, Japan was the obvious enemy.  The American public believed that the attack on Pearl Harbor needed to be answered. 

On July 6, 1942, Japan landed on the island of Guadalcanal and began to build an airfield.  This would have cut Australia off from the rest of her Allies.  The Combined Chiefs of Staff knew that this would have a devastating effect on the goal of the Allies and the American people needed to see an offensive strike.  On the days of August 7-8, 1942, the United States Marines 1st division landed on Guadalcanal and took over the airfield renaming it Henderson Field.  The invasion of Guadalcanal is so important because it changed the course of the war in the Pacific Theater.

Introduction and Scope

Bibliographies

Encyclopedias

Key to Locations

Chronologies

Articles

Subject Headings

Dictionaries

Reference Books

Browsing Areas

Databases

Internet Sources

Scope

This pathfinder is geared towards the college student who is interested in research regarding the Battle of Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands.  The pathfinder would also be helpful to anyone starting research on the Pacific battles of World War II as well as anyone interested in the subject.

 

 

Key to Locations

USF:    The University of South Florida Main Library-Tampa Campus

USFA: The University of South Florida Main Library-Reference Annex

JCL:     Jane Cook Library-Sarasota Campus

Ref:      Reference Material

 

 

 

 

 

Subject Headings

 

The following subject headings will help the researcher begin his or her search of the events leading up to the Invasion of Guadalcanal, the importance of the location of the island and the Japanese retreat from the island.

 

The importance of Guadalcanal

 

The location of the island

The Japanese Invasion-July 6, 1942

The airfield and its importance

The American Invasion-August 7, 1941

 

The Battle of Guadalcanal

 

The Landing of American troops-August 7-8, 1942

Overtaking the airfield

The land, sea and air battles

The final outcome

 

The student may also search the following:

 

The United States Marines-1st division

The Pacific Theater-World War II

The Solomon Islands

 

 

Browsing Areas

 

This pathfinder was established for use with the USF-Library System.  The information listed is from the Main Library on the Tampa Campus and the Jane Cook library located on the Sarasota campus of USF. 

 

E363-Ref AE5-USF main floor reference department

D25.A2Y68-D773.C74-USF main floor reference department

AE5.C683, D114.7-D767.9 –USFA-basement level

D40.S5-D744.E45-JCL main floor reference department

 

 The USF Library System offers an interlibrary loan service which will make it easier for those doing research.  The library also has access to many databases which will also be useful for students as well as web access.

 

 

Databases

 

The databases used can all be accessed through the USF library system.

 

Historical Abstracts

JSTOR

Proquest

 

 

 

Bibliographic Sources

 

Bloomberg, M. & Weber, H.H. (1975). World War II and its origins. Littleton:  Libraries

Unlimited.  Call # D743.A2 (Ref. JCL)

 

This source contains lists of selected books which are all geared towards World War II including the Battle of Guadalcanal.

 

Smith, J.D. & Jensen, R. (2003). World War II on the web.  Wilmington:  Scholarly Resources,

Inc. Call # D743.S55 (Ref. USF)

 

Although not a true bibliography, this source list of reliable web sites.  Smith and Jensen have compiled a list of reliable web sources for primary documents, diplomatic correspondence, government documents, diaries and letters from soldiers as well as military reports.  Each review contains a detailed description of the site, the subject matter and structure.  The review also contains star ratings ranging from fair (3) to excellent (5) as well as hints on how to navigate the site.

 

 

Chronology

 

Sommerville, D.C. (1989). World War II day by day. Greenwich, CT:  Dorset Press.

Call # D743.S65 (Ref. JCL)

 

Sommerville gives a day to day account of the events leading up to World War II beginning June 19, 1919 up to the Japanese surrender in Malaya on September 12, 1945.  The book gives a detailed account of the raid of the Solomon Islands including the American invasions of Guadalcanal.

 

 

Dictionaries

 

Calverton, M. & Young, P. (1978). A dictionary of battles.  New York:  Mayflower Books.

Call # D25.A2Y68 (Ref USF)

 

This source gives descriptions of individual battles including Guadalcanal.  The descriptions include the name of the battle, the combatants and the date on which the battle was fought.  Calverton and Young also detail the aim of the Commander, the number of casualties and the impact the victory or defeat had on the war.

 

Wells, A.S. (1999).  Historical dictionary of World War II.  The war against Japan.

Lanham, MD.:  The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Call # D767.9.W43 (Ref. USF)

 

This dictionary contains a brief description of the Guadalcanal campaign.  The book does contain maps and photographs.

 

 

 

Articles

 

Bartsh, W.H. (2002, April). Operation Dovetail:  Bungled Guadalcanal Rehearsal, July 1942.

The journal of military history. (Vol. 66)(2) 443-476. Retrieved April 14, 2009 from JSTOR.

 

This article describes the rehearsal which took place off Koro Island in the Fijis just ten days prior to the Guadalcanal invasion.

 

Darton, B. (1942, August 3). Base in Solomons Raided. New York Times. (1857-Current file).

Retrieved April 14, 2009, from Proquest Historical Newspapers, The New York Times database.

 

This article describes the air raid on Kukum which is located on the north side of Guadalcanal.

 

Miller, J. (1947 Winter). Crisis on Guadalcanal. Military affairs. (Vol. 11)(4) 194-212.

Retrieved April 14, 2009 from JSTOR.

 

In his article, Miller does a good job of describing the Guadalcanal mission, the various battles and what happened to the marines who were essentially stranded on the island.

 

Peters, C.B. (1942, August 26). Fleet is crippled. Strong Japanese Force Endeavors to Retake Solomon Bases. New York Times. (1857-Current file). Retrieve April 14, 2009, from Proquest Historical Newspapers, The New York Times database.

 

Prodos, J. (1995). U.S. Intelligence & the Japanese Evacuation of Guadalcanal, 1943.

Intelligence & national security. (Vol. 10)(2) 294-305

 

According to the article, U.S. Intelligence was mistaken when it came to the Japanese evacuation of Guadalcanal in February 1943.

 

Airfield’s Fall Reported. (1942, August 14). New York Times. (1857-Current file). Retrieved

April 14, 2009, from Proquest Historical Newspapers, The New York Times database.

 

Guadalcanal, 7 August 1942 from the Guadalcanal Campaign Brochure by Charles R. Anderson (65K)

 

 

 

 

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Encyclopedias

 

The encyclopedia offers a good starting off point when research any subject.  The following encyclopedias offered good overviews of the Battle of Guadalcanal.

 

Bahr, L.S. & Johnston, B. (Ed). (1994). Collier’s encyclopedia with bibliography and index.

            New York:  P.F. Collier.  Call # AE5.C683 (Ref. USFA)

 

This encyclopedia gives a description of the Solomon Islands of which Guadalcanal is located.  It also gives a brief history of Guadalcanal prior to the Japanese and subsequent United States invasions.

 

Baudot, M. (1980). The Historical encyclopedia of World War II.  New York:  Facts on File.

            Call # D740.E5213 (Ref. JCL)

 

This source gives the reader a condensed view of the Guadalcanal offensive.  It also gives an account of the battles including supplies such as ammunitions as well as troop numbers.  It also supplies the reader with the meaning behind the name Henderson Field.

 

Britannica (2002). Guadalcanal. The new encyclopedia Britannica. (Vols. 5&29). New York:

            Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.  Call # AE5.E363 (Ref. USF)

 

The encyclopedia works as a good general reference source.  These two volumes detailed the invasion by the marines and acted as a good source for information on the importance of the battle.  They also have information concerning the island itself.

 

Parrish, T. (Ed). (1978). The Simon and Schuster encyclopedia of World War II.  New York:

            Simon and Schuster. Call # D740. S5 (Ref. JCL)

 

This source gives a nice overview of the Battle of Guadalcanal including other important area battles such as the Battle of Savo and the Battle of Esperance.

 

Polmar, N. & Allen, T.B. (1996). World War II.  The encyclopedia of the war years 1941-1945.

            New York:  Random House. Call # D743.5 (Ref. JCL)

 

This source is a general overview of the battle for Guadalcanal including both the naval and ground battles.

 

Sandler, S. (Ed.). (2001). World War II in the Pacific. An encyclopedia.  New York: 

            Garland Publishing.  Call # D767 (Ref. USF)

 

To the people of America, World War II began and ended in the Pacific.  This book gives a nice account of the reasons America needed Guadalcanal and the realities of the invasion.

 

 

Reference Books

 

Colin, J. (1994). The battle of Guadalcanal 11-15 November 1942. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Navy. Call # D207.20 B32 (Ref. USFA)

 

This small book is one of 21 published by the Publications Branch of the Office of Naval Intelligence during World War II.  These combat narratives were written by a small group of professional writers and historians however, the material is based on primary sources.

 

Dear, I.C.B. & Foot, M.R.D. (1995).  The Oxford companion to World War II. New York:

Oxford University Press. Call # D740.094 (Ref. JCL)

 

This source gives a nice general overview of the Guadalcanal campaign.  The overview includes photographs, a small time-line and a map of the island.

 

Ellis, J. (1993). World War II.  A statistical survey.  The essential facts and figures for all the combatants.  New York:  Facts on File. Call # D744.E45 (Ref. JCL)

 

This source contains maps, command structure, military leaders, casualties and government high commands for both sides of the war.

 

Miller, J. (1949). The war in the Pacific.  Guadalcanal:  The first offensive.  Washington, D.C.:

Historical Division Department of the United States Army.  Call # D114.7 (Ref. USFA) 

 

This source outlines the plans for the invasion and the occupation of the island.  It also contains the sea battles and counter attacks that occurred beginning in the fall of 1942 through January 1943.  The source also outlines the strategic decision to invade and the obstacles the United States had to overcome prior to the invasion.

 

Ware, L. (1994). The landing in the Solomons. 7-8 August 1942.  Washington, D.C.:  Department of the Navy. Call # D767.9 W43 (Ref. USFA)

 

This source discusses the importance of the Solomons and why in April of 1942, the Combined Chiefs of Staff were already thinking of invading or landing there.  This source discusses strategies, organization and intelligence.  It also supplies maps and photographs.

 

 

Internet Sources

 

There are a variety of Internet sources available for those interested in World War II and Guadalcanal.  The sources chosen for this pathfinder were all no-fee sites and can be accessed by the public.

 

Yale University. The Avalon project:  WWII documents. Updated 2008.

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/wwii.htm

 

Contains important documents related to World War II.

 

University of Texas. World War II Maps at the University of Texas. Updated 2006.

http://www.lib.utexas/edu/maps/historical/history_ww2.html

 

The History Place. World War II in the Pacific. Updated 1999.

http://historyplace.com/UnitedStates/pacificwar/index.html

 

Contains photographs pertaining to World War II.

 

Navy Historical Center. http://www.history.navy.mil/wars/index.html

 

Contains a detailed bibliography of books pertaining to the Navy’s contribution in the Pacific Theater.  The Navy Historical Center is the official history program of the Department of the Navy dating back to 1800.  The center was founded by President John Adams with the Navy Department Library.

 

The Library of Congress. The War. Updated 2007.

http://www.loc.gov/vets/stories/thewar/

 

The companion to the PBS special by Ken Burns, this site contains personal stories from all wars.  It also contains some oral histories.

 

The Library of Congress. American memory.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

 

The site contains photographs, maps and personal stories.

 

CIA. The Solomon Islands. The CIA world factbook. Updated 23 April 2009

http://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bp.html

 

The CIA World Factbook contains any information a researcher might need on the Solomon Islands such as population, location etc.  It also gives a brief history of the islands and contains a map of the area also.

 

 

 

 Group of United States Marines on Guadalcanal

 

Created by Theresa Smith-Ennis

MLIS Candidate-University of South Florida

April 2009