2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Nov 15, 2016 22:04:29 GMT -5
This is a thorough recounting of the series of violent Naval Battles fought in support of the Guadalcanal Campaign in the Pacific. This was a close fought series of engagements involving every imaginal aspect of seaborne warfare. Submarines, PT Boats, land and carrier based clashes, destroyers, ship to shore bombardment, the Only battleship to battleship surface fight in the Pacific and lots of cruiser to cruiser action. Many of the engagements were at night and while US Navy had tremendous advantages in radar technology the senior leadership generally ignored the advice of their younger, lower ranked officers who understood and recognized what it could do. Some of the battles were so close in rifle fire generated casualties!
The casualties suffered by the US and Japanese sailors were three times the numbers of losses to the ground forces. My early understanding of the battle suggested that the Navy essentially abandoned the Marines but I now have a much clearer perspective on the circumstances and prudent reasons they played it the way they did. Had it not been for the bravery and fighting spirit of the US Navy Guadalcanal surely would have been lost. As it was the outcome was a perilously close affair that could have gone either way.
This was a very good read.
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Dracul
Master sergeant
Posts: 1,341
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Post by Dracul on Nov 16, 2016 13:25:53 GMT -5
Guadalcanal was the legitimate turning point for the Pacific, not Midway, and the fighting was fierce on all possible levels. Taking the land was just as important as taking the sea in this battle, as this would be the first land we took from the Japanese. In the end, there were so many ships and planes sunk, that Savo Sound/Sealark Channel, was nick-named "Ironbottom Sound."
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2nd Bat
Master sergeant
Posts: 11,813
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Post by 2nd Bat on Nov 16, 2016 15:59:25 GMT -5
It defied all doctrine of the time to operate heavy cruisers and especially battleships in a restrictive channel but conditions required it. The Japanese night fighting training and honed gunnery along with their excellent long Lance torpedoes took a heavy toll in ships. Early clashes showed Japanese dominance in tactics and skill so it took almost suicidal bravery for the US Navy often under gunned and clearly out skilled to continue to confront the IJN but this did. Valuable lessons were learned at great cost and eventually the Navy prevented the IJN from sufficiently shelling Henderson Field and supplying, reinforcing their land based forces who had come to label it starvation island. In a last great feat of naval skill the IJN managed to successfully withdraw their forces from the island. It was as Dracul said the turning point in the Pacific although if the Japanese still had those four carriers lost at Midway and all those skilled airmen I doubt we would have even attempted it and had we done so it undoubtedly would have failed disastrously.
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Post by volkssturm on Nov 16, 2016 20:31:26 GMT -5
I read that a few years ago. I can't imagine what it was like to be in a surface battle with shells from 6 inches to 15 inches flying all over the place. And no place to hide. I'll take a foxhole any day.
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Dracul
Master sergeant
Posts: 1,341
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Post by Dracul on Nov 17, 2016 6:19:12 GMT -5
No doubt that victory at Midway was still essential to it all. The modern thinking of it is that Midway was the halting point, while Guadalcanal was the turning point.
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