Battle for Henderson Field

E58023

The Battle for Henderson Field was a pivotal World War II land engagement on Guadalcanal in October 1942, in which U.S. forces successfully defended the strategically vital airfield against repeated Japanese attacks.

Aliases (1)

Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf World War II battle
battle
airfieldDefended Henderson Field
alsoKnownAs Battle of Henderson Field
Third Battle of the Matanikau
attackingForceStrength approximately 6,000–7,000 Japanese attackers
belligerent Imperial Japanese Army
United States Army
United States Marine Corps
casualtiesAmerican several hundred killed and wounded
casualtiesJapanese over 2,000 killed
commander Alexander A. Vandegrift
Harukichi Hyakutake
Kiyotake Kawaguchi NERFINISHED
Masaaki Suzuki NERFINISHED
Merritt A. Edson NERFINISHED
conflict Pacific War
conflictType land battle
countryInvolved Empire of Japan
United States
datePrecision day
defensiveForceStrength approximately 2,500–3,000 U.S. front-line defenders
endDate 1942-10-26
followedBy Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
front Solomon Islands campaign
hasPart night attack of 23–24 October 1942
night attack of 24–25 October 1942
night attack of 25–26 October 1942
historicalPeriod World War II
location Guadalcanal
Solomon Islands
notableFeature close-quarters jungle fighting
intense night infantry assaults
notableUnit 164th Infantry Regiment (US Army)
1st Marine Division
2nd Infantry Division (Japan)
partOf Guadalcanal Campaign
precededBy Battle of Edson's Ridge
primaryTarget Henderson Field air operations
result American victory
significance helped secure Allied control of sea lanes between the U.S. and Australia
turning point in the land campaign on Guadalcanal
startDate 1942-10-23
strategicObjective defense of Henderson Field airstrip
denial of Guadalcanal airfield to Japanese forces
strategicOutcome crippled Japanese ability to reinforce Guadalcanal by day
secured Allied control of Henderson Field
tacticalOutcome Japanese ground assaults repulsed
theater Pacific Theater of Operations

Referenced by (4)
Subject (surface form when different) Predicate
Battle for Henderson Field ("Battle of Henderson Field")
alsoKnownAs
Battle of Edson's Ridge
followedBy
World War II battles ("Battle of Henderson Field")
hasNotableBattle
Henderson Field
subjectOf

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