1 February 1943 A.D. Japanese Begin Evacuation of Guadalcanal—25,000 Japanese
Casulties, 1600 American Casualties, 24 Warships Lost to Both Sides
Editors. “Japanese begin
evacuation of Guadalcanal.” History.com. N.d.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/japanese-begin-evacuation-of-guadalcanal. Accessed 31 Jan 2015.
Japanese begin evacuation of
Guadalcanal
On this day, Japanese forces
on Guadalcanal Island, defeated by Marines, start to withdraw after the
Japanese emperor finally gives them permission.
On July 6, 1942, the
Japanese landed on Guadalcanal Island, part of the Solomon Islands chain, and
began constructing an airfield. In response, the U.S. launched Operation
Watchtower, in which American troops landed on five islands within the Solomon
chain, including Guadalcanal. The landings on Florida, Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tananbogo met with much
initial opposition from the Japanese defenders, despite the fact that the
landings took the Japanese by surprise because bad weather had grounded their
scouting aircraft. "I have never heard or read of this kind of
fighting," wrote one American major general on the scene. "These
people refuse to surrender."
The Americans who landed on
Guadalcanal had an easier time of it, at least initially. More than 11,000
Marines landed, but 24 hours passed before the Japanese manning the garrison
knew what had happened. The U.S. forces quickly met their main objective of
taking the airfield, and the outnumbered Japanese troops temporarily retreated.
Japanese reinforcements were landed, though, and fierce hand-to-hand jungle
fighting ensued. The Americans were at a particular disadvantage because they
were assaulted from both sea and air, but when the U.S. Navy supplied
reinforcement troops, the Americans gained the advantage. By February 1943, the
Japanese retreated on secret orders of their emperor. In fact, the Japanese
retreat was so stealthy that the Americans did not even know it had taken place
until they stumbled upon abandoned positions, empty boats, and discarded
supplies.
In total, the Japanese lost
more than 25,000 men compared with a loss of 1,600 by the Americans. Each side
lost 24 warships.
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