August 7, 1942 Operation Watchtower Begins

[JamesSavik]

Operation Watchtower begins with the Allied invasion of Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. Marines begin landing and overwhelm Japanese forces. It is the first offensive action against Imperial Japan and touches off a series of fierce land, sea and air battles that lasts until Feb. 1943. It becomes a meat grinder for both sides which consumes Japan's best soldiers, sailors and airmen and causes material losses which they could ill afford.

Guadalcanal's nickname among the troops of the 1st Marine Division that fought it was called Operation Shoestring. Their rifles and helmets were vintage WWI. When they arrived in Wellington New Zealand, there was a dockworkers strike. The Marines had to combat load the transports themselves.

The invasion caught the Japanese completely by surprise. Most of the Japanese on the island were engineers who were constructing a airfield. They were routed and driven into the jungles.

The Guadalcanal Campaign was a long bloody, painful affair for both sides. The Marines called it Malaria Island and the Japanese called it Starvation Island. There were numerous naval battles fought to control the sea and keep the Japanese from landing fresh troops or supplies on the island.

By the time it ended the body of water between Guadalcanal and Savo Island was called Ironbottom Sound.

[Joe]

Meaning no disrespect. And as a veteran, I certainly do not undervalue the courage and sacrifice of the soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen involved in this battle. But we sometimes undervalue the contribution of others. I would suggest that the best part of the German Army was destroyed on the Eastern Front. In like vein, I would suggest that the best part of the Japanese Imperial Army was in a hopeless quagmire in China, where it was thoroughly chewed-up and stumbled home in ignominious defeat after the surrender.

The strategic loss to Japan at Guadalcanal was great, particularly the loss of the initiative. But the material loss was not decisive, and was approximately equivalent to the allied loss at Bataan and Singapore. Possibly a little less.

[Chris James]

An interesting topic...and Hello to Joe. Welcome aboard and I hope you get around to writing something soon, even a short story to give us a glimpse of the things that interest you.

I am interested in all things historical although most of them are part of U.S history. The Revolution, the Civil War, and the following military actions in Mexico, the Philippines are all fascinating. I guess I stopped looking at military actions when Vietnam came around because I lost friends over there. I now find it better to view societal changes over the centuries since the nation was founded.

In my short time living in Japan I was shocked by the way the government and people treated their WW2 veterans. They had no programs for social or medical care and today we would consider that shameful. But the Army had lied to the Japanese people for years about the progress of the war and the depravations had destroyed any sense of unity.

I would love to read a great sea story if Joe has it in him...(hint, hint) but anything at all will do.

[JamesSavik]

In the first six to twelve months of a war with the United States and Great Britain I will run wild and win victory upon victory. But then, if the warcontinues after that, I have no expectation of success.

-Admiral Yamamoto

Stalingrad was the turning point of war in Russia. It was the first time they had been able to hand the Germans a large scale defeat and took out an entire German 6th Army. The Germans were not done but the Soviets had bought themselves enough time to gather strength.

Midway and Guadalcanal were similar in the Pacific War. The losses the Japanese took at Midway and the long, grinding Guadalcanal campaign were eventually decisive. The Pacific War became the war of attrition that Admiral Yamamoto most feared.

The Japanese lost their best air crews and were unable to replace the skilled pilots and planes. They never recovered enough to offer anything but token resistance in the air. The kamikaze attacks in the late war were a tactic of desperation.

Guadalcanal was less decisive to the Japanese surface fleet but their loses there were also serious. The ships lost often took most of their crews with them and Japan's ship yards couldn't replace those ships.

Another huge factor in Japan's defeat was by the beginning of 1943, the US Navy's submarine fleet had hit it's stride and was also causing very serious losses to Japan's navy and merchant fleet. Japan's vital strategic supply lines with her empire were constricted and eventually completely cut off.

In 1943 the first fleet carriers and new naval aircraft ordered by the Two Ocean Navy Act were beginning to appear in overwhelming numbers- just when Japan's fleet was in decline.

The turning point was past and Japan was on the defensive.

[Joe]

I would certainly agree that Midway was a decisive and crushing defeat for the Japanese Navy. As a disciple of Mahan, I would maintain that this was a strategic defeat comparable, in many contemporary ways, to Trafalgar.

I remain unconvinced of the decisive nature of Guadalcanal.

Imperial Japan, as with some contemporary powers, was full of bluster, efficiency, and dash; but she had no depth. There's an iconic photograph that demonstrates this. A Zero fighter is being moved on a field harnessed to a water buffalo.

[Joe]

Thanks for the welcome Chris. I'm preparing to submit a short story now. It's historical, or perhaps alternate historical would be more appropriate. It takes place in Russia.

[chaybin]

Guadalcanal was important to Japan, because evey other great power aleady had a canal. Great Britain had the Suez Canal which they had acquired from the French in a stock market manipulation after it was built by Ferdinand De Lessups. The Germans had the Kiel Canal. The Americans had the Panama Canal and the Cape Cod Canal. Sooo, it seemed only fair for the Japanese to seize Guadalcanal.

[dude]

Guadalcanal was important to Japan, because evey other great power aleady had a canal. Great Britain had the Suez Canal which they had acquired from the French in a stock market manipulation after it was built by Ferdinand De Lessups. The Germans had the Kiel Canal. The Americans had the Panama Canal and the Cape Cod Canal. Sooo, it seemed only fair for the Japanese to seize Guadalcanal.

LOL ... good one, chaybin! Welcome to AD!