Cactus Air Force
E33727
Cactus Air Force was the informal name for the composite Allied air units that defended Guadalcanal from Henderson Field during the critical early stages of the Pacific War in World War II.
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Allied air formation
→
military air unit → |
| baseCondition |
austere forward airfield
→
|
| codeNameOfLocation |
Guadalcanal
→
|
| commandStructure |
First Marine Aircraft Wing
→
|
| composedOf |
Royal New Zealand Air Force units
→
United States Army Air Forces units → United States Marine Corps aviation units → United States Navy aviation units → |
| conflict |
Guadalcanal Campaign
→
Pacific War → World War II → |
| country |
United States
→
|
| endTime |
1943-02
→
|
| facedOpponent |
Imperial Japanese Army Air Service
→
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service → |
| hasAlias |
CAF
→
Cactus → |
| locatedIn |
Guadalcanal
→
Solomon Islands → |
| namedAfter |
code name Cactus
→
|
| notableCommander |
John S. McCain Sr.
→
Roy Geiger → |
| notableFor |
air defense of Guadalcanal
→
defense of Henderson Field → interdicting Japanese reinforcement convoys → participation in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons → participation in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands → participation in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal → supporting U.S. Marine ground forces → |
| operatedAircraft |
Bell P-39 Airacobra
→
Bell P-400 → Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress → Curtiss P-40 Warhawk → Douglas C-47 Skytrain → Douglas SBD Dauntless → Grumman F4F Wildcat → Grumman TBF Avenger → Lockheed P-38 Lightning → Martin B-26 Marauder → |
| operatedFrom |
Henderson Field
→
|
| partOf |
Allied forces
→
|
| primaryMission |
air superiority
→
close air support → maritime strike → reconnaissance → |
| startTime |
1942-08
→
|
| supportedOperation |
U.S. 1st Marine Division landings on Guadalcanal
→
defense of the Lunga perimeter → |
| theaterOfOperations |
South Pacific Area
→
|
Referenced by (2)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Henderson Field
→
|
airUnitsBasedAt |
|
Cactus
→
|
relatedCodename |