The Battle of Guadalcanal was a major turning point in World War 2. Over 60,000 troops landed on Guadalcanal in August 1942, with about 12,000 Americans and 31,000 Japanese killed over the following months in intense fighting. By December, American reinforcements had arrived and the Japanese realized their efforts were useless, abandoning the island by February 1943. While the US lost 29 ships and 615 aircraft, Japan lost 38 ships and 683-880 aircraft, marking a significant strategic defeat.

1. Battle of Guadalcanal: Diary of a Soldier By: Joanna Vederman Mrs. Price Period 10 Honors American Century

2. August 7, 1942 We are going to land on the island of Guadalcanal. It is an island about 90 miles long, on the southern end of the Solomon Islands. Other troops will also be invading Tulagi and Florida. Our goal is to get to the Japanese bases at Rabaul and New Britain. This is going to be the largest navel attack in military history. We are calling it, Operation Watchtower. It is about 8:58 pm right now, and there is very little to do on the ship besides write home. Even writing home does not satisfy me. We are not allowed to give any information to our families about our whereabouts, in case anything gets intercepted. When the ship lands, we will storm the beaches and attack the jungles. The worst part of a Navel attack is rushing through the water. Sloshing through water is very hard work and you have no cover. You watch as your brothers get shot down on your left and your right, while hoping and praying that you are not going to be next. The announcement has just been made to the troops that we have approximately 15 minutes until we reach the shore. I have to get on all of my combat gear and gather my things. I hope to write again in the morning. If not, I pray that this diary will reach Blanche. God be with us all.

3. December 12, 1942 About 12,000 of us landed on the beach that first night. The Japs sunk four of our ships though: the HAMS Canberra, the USS Quincy, the USS Astoria, and the USS Chicago. Within the next four months, we each lost 23 ships in battle. We have been able to replace our ships, but the Japs haven’t. There have been three major land battles and five Navel battles. There are continuous air battles. The Japs would not give up: they would rather die than lose. Losing is not an option, at least that was what we thought. In October, our army reinforcements arrived. The Japs didn’t even see it coming. I doubt very much that they know our true numbers. Our ships are new, while the Japs still have WWI ships and equipment. We recently sunk two battleships during the night, and they finally realized that their efforts were useless. The Japs have finally abandoned Guadalcanal and removed their remaining troops. We must still check around to make sure that the island is secure. I hope to write again soon.

4. Febuary 9, 1943 The Island has finally been cleared. Out of 60,000 troops, a total of 7,100 American soldiers have died. Out of 36,200 troops, 31,000 Japs have also lost their lives. We lost 29 ships and 615 aircrafts, but Japan lost 38 ships and 683-880 aircrafts. The good part is that we now posses a base from which to control the rest of the Solomon Islands. Our leaders, Robert L. Ghormley, William Halsey, Jr., Richmond K. Turner, Alexander Vandegrift, and Alexander Patch will be honored. Isoroku Yamamoto, NishizoTsukahara, IinichiKusaka, Hitoshi Imamura, and HarukichiHyakutake, the Japanese leaders, were all either killed or they committed suicide. As a lieutenant, I heard about some of the other battles, including the Battle of Cape Esperance, the Battleship bombardment of Henderson Field, the Battle for Henderson Field, the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, the Matanikau Offensive, the Battle of Tassafaronga, and the Battle of Mount Austen. All of them were brutal and with severe losses. I am just glad that I am here, surviving and hopefully going home to my wife and son. I plan on writing to them after I finish this diary entry. Thank God I have made it through alive and in one piece. Now I wait to be called on again.

5. Where am I?

6. Looking at the Importance In Guadalcanal: The battle at Guadalcanal ended Japanese expansion attempts It helped put the Allies in a clear supremacy position It was a serious blow to defense of the Japanese empire It was a major psychological victory for the Americans – the Japanese were using their best air forces, warships, and land combat troops Japanese political military leaders, Naoki Hoshino, Osami Nagano, and TorashiroKawabe admitted, once the war had ended, that this battle was the first time that America had made a dent in Japanese forces Importance of WWII Itself: It caused lots of casualties It caused psychological damage to many soldiers who witnessed death and serious injury to their buddies It caused massive property damage to many European cities Civilians were killed

7. Bibliography http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/cur/wwII/06/p1/kzl/rizzo.html(map) http://www.worldwar2database.com/html/guadalcanal.htm http://www.wtj.com/articles/guadalcanal/ http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/Building_Bases/bases-25.html Ned Vederman – his father was a Captain in the Army and he was in several combat offensives, including Guadalcanal He fought in 6 amphibious assaults through out islands in the Pacific. His final assignment was the invasion of Japan, when they dropped the atomic bombs, thus ending the war P.S. My dad made me write all that ^