Battle of Edson's Ridge
Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II
A United States Marine stands near some of the fighting positions on "Edson's" Ridge after the battle of September 12-14, 1942.
Date September 12, 1942 – September 14, 1942 Location Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands Result Allied victory
Combatants
United States Australia Solomon Islands	Empire of Japan
Commanders
Alexander Vandegrift Merritt A. Edson	Harukichi Hyakutake Kiyotaki Kawaguchi
Strength
12,500[1]	6,217[2]
Casualties
96 killed[3]	800+ killed[4]

The Battle of Edson's Ridge, also known as the Battle of the Bloody Ridge and Battle of the Ridge, took place September 12-14, 1942, and was a land battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, between Imperial Japanese Army and Allied (mainly United States (U.S.) Marine) ground forces. The battle took place on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands and was the second of three separate major Japanese ground offensives in the Guadalcanal campaign. Combatants Republic of China U.S.A. (from 1941) U.K. (from 1941) Australia (1941) Netherlands (1941) New Zealand (1941) Canada (1941) U.S.S.R. (from 1945) Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin (from 1945) Hideki Tojo The Pacific War was... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Portal:Currentevents September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... September 14 is the 257th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (258th in leap years). ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Guadalcanal, position (inset) and main towns Guadalcanal is a 2,510 square mile (6 500 km²) island in the Pacific Ocean and a province of the Solomon Islands. ... The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis Powers during the Second World War. ... now. ... Gen. ... Major General Merritt Austin Edson Major General Merritt Austin Edson (April 25, 1897 – August 14, 1955), known as Red Mike, was a general in the United States Marine Corps. ... Combatants United States Australia New Zealand United Kingdom Tonga[1] Fiji Solomon Islands[2] Empire of Japan Commanders Robert Ghormley William Halsey, Jr. ... Combatants United States, Australia Japan Commanders Richmond K. Turner Gunichi Mikawa Strength 5 cruisers, 5 destroyers 7 cruisers, 1 destroyer Casualties 4 cruisers sunk, 1 cruiser damaged, 2 destroyers damaged 1,270 killed, 709 wounded 2 cruisers damaged, 58 dead, 70 wounded The Battle of Savo Island was a naval... Combatants United States, Australia, Solomon Islands Empire of Japan Commanders Alexander Vandegrift, Clifton B. Cates Harukichi Hyakutake, Kiyonao Ichiki â€  Strength 1,500[1] 917[2] Casualties 44 killed[3] 777 killed, 15 captured[4] The Battle of the Tenaru, also known as the Battle of the Ilu River, took place... Battle of the Eastern Solomons Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date August 24, 1942 – August 25, 1942 Place North of Santa Isabel, United States Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr. ... Battle of Cape Esperance Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date October 11, 1942 – October 12, 1942 Place Off Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal Result Allied victory The Battle of Cape Esperance, originally known as the Second Battle of Savo Island, was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World... Combatants United States Australia Solomon Islands Japan Commanders Alexander Vandegrift Harukichi Hyakutake Strength 23,088[1] 14,000[2] Casualties 61-86 killed[3] 2,200+ killed[4] The Battle for Henderson Field, also known as the Battle of Henderson Field, took place October 23–26, 1942, and was a... Combatants United States (U.S.) Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr. ... Combatants United States, Australia, New Zealand Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr Isoroku Yamamoto Strength 1 carrier, 2 battleships, 5 cruisers, 12 destroyers 2 battleships, 8 cruisers, 16 destroyers Casualties 2 light cruisers, 7 destroyers sunk, 26 aircraft destroyed, 1,732 killed[1] 2 battleships, 1 heavy cruiser, 3 destroyers, 11... The Battle of Tassafaronga was a naval battle fought between United States and Japanese forces on 30 November 1942. ... Operation KE was the three-phase withdrawal of all Japanese forces from the Battle of Guadalcanal following the defeat of the Imperial Army in ground combat centered at Henderson Field and the near destruction of Japanese naval forces in the area. ... Battle of Rennell Island Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date 29 January 1943 – 30 January 1943 Place Rennell Island, Solomon Islands Result Japanese victory The Battle of Rennell Island was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on 29 January – 30 January... The Solomon Islands Campaign was a large series of battles that occurred in the Pacific Theater of World War II. This was the first large-scale campaign in the War in the Pacific, and the victories achieved by the Americans in the battles of this campaign helped secure vital bases... Combatants United States Australia New Zealand United Kingdom Tonga[1] Fiji Solomon Islands[2] Empire of Japan Commanders Robert Ghormley William Halsey, Jr. ... Battle of Blackett Strait Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date 6 March 1943 Place Blackett Strait, Solomon Islands Result American victory The Battle of Blackett Strait was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on 6 March 1943 in the Blackett Strait, between Kolombangara... The eastern part of the Territory of New Guinea, and the northern Solomon Islands; the area in which Operation Cartwheel took place, from June 1943. ... To boost Japanese morale following the disastrous Battle of Guadalcanal, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy, decided to make an inspection tour throughout the South Pacific. ... The battle of New Georgia was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. It was part of Operation Cartwheel, and was fought in the New Georgia group of islands in the central Solomon Islands from 10 June 1943 to August 25, 1943 between forces of Japan and... The Battle of Kula Gulf was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought in the early hours of 6 July 1943, between United States and Japanese ships off the coast of Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands. ... Combatants United States New Zealand Japan Commanders Walden L. Ainsworth Shunji Izaki Strength 3 light cruisers, 10 destroyers 1 light cruiser, 5 destroyers Casualties 3 light cruisers damaged, 1 destroyer sunk 1 light cruiser sunk The Battle of Kolombangara was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War... The Battle of Vella Gulf was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of August 6, 1943 – August 7, 1943 between the islands of Vella Lavella and Kolombangara in the Solomon Islands. ... Battle off Horaniu Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date August 17, 1943 – August 18, 1943 Place Near Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands Result Japanese strategic victory The Battle off Horaniu was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of... New Zealand soldiers land at Baka Baka, Vella Lavella to relieve the U.S. 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Division, on September 17, 1943. ... Battle of Vella Lavella Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date October 7, 1943 Place Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands Result Japanese victory The Battle of Vella Lavella was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of October 6, 1943 near... The Battle of the Treasury Islands was fought from October 25 to October 27 of 1943 between New Zealand and Japan in the Solomon Islands. ... Combatants United States Australia Empire of Japan Commanders Victor H. Krulak Harukichi Hyakutake Strength 750[1] 3,000-7,000[2] Casualties 13 killed[3] 143 killed, two barges sunk[4] The Raid on Choiseul was a small unit engagement that occurred from October 28 to November 3, 1943, during... The Battle of Empress Augusta Bay was a land and naval battle in the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of 1-2 November, 1943 on Bougainville, an island in the Solomon Islands group, but part of the Territory of New Guinea. ... Battle of Cape St. ... Troops from New Zealand disembark from U.S. Landing Craft Infantry ship LCI-444 to occupy Green Island on February 16, 1944. ... Combatants United States; Australia; New Zealand Japan Commanders George Kenney (air forces) Frederick Sherman (naval forces) Mineichi Koga Strength 2 carriers, 97 carrier planes, 100+ land-based planes 10 cruisers, 11 destroyers, 100+ planes Casualties 10 carrier planes destroyed, 50+ land based planes destroyed 8 cruisers damaged, 3 destroyers damaged... Category: Possible copyright violations ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Generally, a battle is an instance of combat in warfare between two or more parties wherein each group will seek to defeat the others. ... Combatants Republic of China U.S.A. (from 1941) U.K. (from 1941) Australia (1941) Netherlands (1941) New Zealand (1941) Canada (1941) U.S.S.R. (from 1945) Empire of Japan Commanders Chiang Kai-shek, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Josef Stalin (from 1945) Hideki Tojo The Pacific War was... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... The Imperial Japanese Army (: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国陸軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun) was the official ground based armed force of Japan from 1867 to 1945 when it was Imperial Japan. ... The Allies of World War II were the countries officially opposed to the Axis Powers during the Second World War. ... This article is becoming very long. ... Guadalcanal, position (inset) and main towns Guadalcanal is a 2,510 square mile (6 500 km²) island in the Pacific Ocean and a province of the Solomon Islands. ... Combatants United States Australia New Zealand United Kingdom Tonga[1] Fiji Solomon Islands[2] Empire of Japan Commanders Robert Ghormley William Halsey, Jr. ...

In the battle, U.S. Marines, under the overall command of U.S. Major General Alexander Vandegrift, successfully repulsed an attack by the Japanese 35th Infantry Brigade, under the command of Japanese Major General Kiyotaki Kawaguchi. The Marines were defending the Lunga perimeter, which guarded Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, that was captured from the Japanese by the Allies in landings on Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942. Kawaguchi's unit was sent to Guadalcanal in response to the Allied landings with the mission of recapturing the airfield and driving the Allied forces off of the island. Underestimating the strength of Allied forces on Guadalcanal, which at that time numbered about 12,000 personnel, Kawaguchi's soldiers conducted several nighttime frontal assaults on an unnamed ridge south of Henderson Field that was manned by troops from several U.S. Marine units, but primarily troops from the 1st Raider Battalion under U.S. Marine Lieutenant Colonel Merritt A. Edson. Kawaguchi's attack was defeated with heavy losses for the Japanese attackers. Gen. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Honiara International Airport (IATA: HIR, ICAO: AGGH), formerly known as Henderson Field, is an airport located on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands. ... Marine Raiders on Bougainville, Solomon Islands, January 1944 The Marine Raiders were elite units established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare, particularly in landing in rubber boats and operating behind the lines. ... In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ... Major General Merritt Austin Edson Major General Merritt Austin Edson (April 25, 1897 – August 14, 1955), known as Red Mike, was a general in the United States Marine Corps. ...

Due to the key participation by Edson's unit in defending the ridge, the ridge was commonly referred to as "Edson's" ridge in subsequent historical accounts of the battle in western sources. After Edson's Ridge, the Japanese continued to send more troops to Guadalcanal for subsequent attempts to retake Henderson Field.

Background

On August 7, 1942, Allied forces (primarily U.S.) landed on Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida Islands in the Solomon Islands. The landings on the islands were meant to deny their use by the Japanese as bases for threatening the supply routes between the U.S. and Australia, and to use them as starting points for a campaign with the eventual goal of isolating the major Japanese base at Rabaul while also supporting the Allied New Guinea campaign. The landings initiated the six-month-long Battle of Guadalcanal. August 7 is the 219th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (220th in leap years), with 146 days remaining. ... The Florida Islands are a small island group in Solomon Islands, a nation in the Pacific Ocean. ... A military base is a facility, settlement, reservation, or installation that shelters military equipment and personnel. ... A threat is an unwanted (deliberate or accidental) event that may result in harm to an asset. ... Materiel (from the French for material) is the equipment and supplies in Military and commercial supply chain management. ... In the military sciences, a military campaign encompass related military operations, usually conducted by a defense or fighting force, directed at gaining a particular desired state of affairs, usually within geographical and temporal limitations. ... Space Radar Image of Rabaul Volcano Rabaul was the capital of East New Britain province, on New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea until 1994. ... Operation Watchtower On August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division performed an amphibious landing east of the Tenaru River. ...

Taking the Japanese by surprise, the Allied landing forces accomplished their initial objectives of securing Tulagi and nearby small islands, as well as an airfield under construction at Lunga Point on Guadalcanal, by nightfall on August 8.^[5] Vandegrift placed his 11,000 troops on Guadalcanal in a loose perimeter around the Lunga Point area. On August 12, the airfield was named Henderson Field after Major Lofton Henderson, a Marine aviator who had been killed at the Battle of Midway.^[6] August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Honiara International Airport (IATA: HIR, ICAO: AGGH), formerly known as Henderson Field, is an airport located on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands. ... Lofton R. Henderson (24 May 1903 – 4 June 1942) was a naval aviator in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Henderson was born in Lorain, Ohio on 24 May 1903 and graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1926. ... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Chester W. Nimitz, Frank J. Fletcher, Raymond A. Spruance Isoroku Yamamoto, Chuichi Nagumo, Tamon Yamaguchi† Strength Three carriers, ~50 support ships, 233 carrier aircraft, 127 land-based aircraft Four carriers, Seven battleships, ~150 support ships, 248 carrier aircraft, 16 floatplanes Casualties 1 carrier...

In response to the Allied landings on Guadalcanal, the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters assigned the Imperial Japanese Army's 17th Army, based at Rabaul and under the command of Lieutenant-General Harukichi Hyakutake, with the task of retaking Guadalcanal from Allied forces. The 17th Army, currently heavily involved with the Japanese campaign in New Guinea, had only a few units available to send to the southern Solomons area. Of these units, the 35th Infantry Brigade under Major General Kiyotaki Kawaguchi was in the Philippines, the 4th (Aoba) Infantry Regiment was in Palau, and the 28th (Ichiki) Infantry Regiment, under the command of Colonel Kiyonao Ichiki, was at Guam. The different units began to move towards Guadalcanal immediately, but Ichiki's regiment, being the closest, would ultimately arrive first. The "First Element" of Ichiki's unit, consisting of about 917 soldiers, landed at Taivu Point, east of the Lunga perimeter, on August 18.^[7] The Imperial General Headquarters or Daihonei, as part of the Supreme War Council was the supreme command for Japanese military forces during the World War II era. ... Space Radar Image of Rabaul Volcano Rabaul was the capital of East New Britain province, on New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea until 1994. ... Colonel (IPA: or ) is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ...

The Solomon Islands area in the south Pacific. The Japanese base at Rabaul is at the upper left. Guadalcanal (lower right) lies at the southeastern end of "The Slot".

Underestimating the strength of Allied forces on Guadalcanal, Ichiki's unit conducted a nighttime frontal assault on Marine positions at Alligator Creek on the east side of the Lunga perimeter in the early morning hours of August 21. Ichiki's assault was defeated with heavy losses for the Japanese attackers in what became known as the Battle of the Tenaru. In total, all but 128 of the original 917 of the Ichiki Regiment's First Element were killed in the battle. The survivors of Ichiki's force returned to Taivu Point, notified 17th Army headquarters of their defeat in the battle, and awaited further reinforcements and orders from Rabaul.^[8] Categories: Oceania geography stubs | Solomon Islands ... August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Combatants United States, Australia, Solomon Islands Empire of Japan Commanders Alexander Vandegrift, Clifton B. Cates Harukichi Hyakutake, Kiyonao Ichiki â€  Strength 1,500[1] 917[2] Casualties 44 killed[3] 777 killed, 15 captured[4] The Battle of the Tenaru, also known as the Battle of the Ilu River, took place...

By August 23, the Japanese 35th Infantry Brigade under Major General Kiyotaki Kawaguchi reached Truk and was loaded onto slow transport ships for the rest of the trip to Guadalcanal. Attacks and damage to a different troop convoy during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons caused the Japanese to reconsider trying to deliver more troops to Guadalcanal by slow transport. Instead, the ships carrying Kawaguchi's troops were sent to Rabaul. From Rabaul, the troops were delivered to Guadalcanal by destroyers staging from the Shortland Islands. The destroyers were usually fast enough to make the round trip down "The Slot" to Guadalcanal and back in a single night, thereby minimizing their exposure to Allied air attack. However, delivering the troops in this manner prevented most of soldier's heavy equipment and supplies, such as heavy artillery, tanks, and much food, from being carried to Guadalcanal with them. These high speed destroyer runs to Guadalcanal, which occurred throughout the campaign, were later called the "Tokyo Express" by Allied forces and "Rat Transportation" by the Japanese.^[9][10] Due to either the inability or unwillingness of Allied naval commanders to challenge Japanese naval forces at night, the Japanese controlled the seas around the Solomon Islands during the nighttime. However, any Japanese ship remaining within range of the aircraft at Henderson Field during the daylight hours was in great danger from damaging air attack. This "curious tactical situation" would exist for the next several months during the campaign.^[11] Battle of the Eastern Solomons Conflict World War II, Pacific War Date August 24, 1942 – August 25, 1942 Place North of Santa Isabel, United States Japan Commanders William Halsey, Jr. ... The Shortland Islands are group of islands belonging to the Solomon Islands. ... Categories: Oceania geography stubs | Solomon Islands ... The Tokyo Express was the nickname given by United States sailors and marines to the Japanese attempts to reinforce and resupply their forces during the battle of Guadalcanal and subsequent operations in the Solomon Islands in World War II. Airplanes from Henderson Field on Guadalcanal made it too dangerous for...

Japanese Major General Kiyotaki Kawaguchi (seated center) in a group photo with his brigade staff in the Phillipines in 1942.

On August 28, 600 of Kawaguchi's troops were loaded onto the destroyers Asagiri, Amagiri, Yugiri, and Shirakumo, designated Destroyer Division 20 (DD20). Because of a shortage of fuel, DD20 couldn't make the entire round trip to Guadalcanal at high speed in one night. Instead, DD20 had to start the trip earlier in the day so that they could complete the trip at a slower, fuel-conserving speed. Therefore, at 18:05 that same day, 11 U.S. dive bombers from Henderson Field were able to attack DD20 about 70 miles north of Guadalcanal, sinking Asagiri and heavily damaging Yugiri and Shirakumo. Amagiri took Shirakumo in tow and the three destroyers returned to the Shortlands without completing their missions. The attack on DD20 killed 129 of Kawaguchi's soldiers and 94 of the destroyer's crewmembers.^[12][13] Asagiri (Japanese, Morning Mist) is the name of two destroyers of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and of one of the Japanese Marine Self-Defense Force. ... Many people know the story of how the PT-109 commanded by future United States President, then Lieutenant, John F. Kennedy was cut in half by a destroyer in the Blackett Strait on the night of 2 August 1943. ... The Shirakumo (白雲) was a Fubuki class destroyer in the Imperial Japanese Navy that saw service during World War II. She was torpedoed by the US submarine Tautog while escorting a troop convoy to Uruppu Island. ...

Subsequent "Express" runs were more successful. On August 29, five destroyers delivered 450 of Kawaguchi's soldiers and 300 of Ichiki's regiment to Taivu Point. The next night several hundred more troops from Ichiki's regiment were delivered to the same location by a destroyer and two patrol boats.^[14] On the night of August 31, eight destroyers delivered 1,500 of Kawaguchi's troops and General Kawaguchi himself to Taivu Point.^[15] On the night of September 4, a large "Express" run consisting of the light cruiser Sendai and 11 destroyers landed the rest of the troops from the Ichiki regiment as well as 1,000 men from the 4th (Aoba) Infantry Regiment at Taivu Point. On this same night, as three of the Japanese destroyers, Yudachi, Hatsuyuki, and Murakumo, prepared to shell Henderson Field, they detected two U.S. ships in the vincinity. These two ships were the old destroyer transports Little and Gregory that were used to shuttle Allied troops around the Guadalcanal/Tulagi area. No match for the Japanese destroyers, the U.S. ships were sunk immediately with the loss of 33 crewmen killed.^[16][17] Several other Express runs during the first week of September delivered most, if not all, of the rest of Kawaguchi's brigade.^[18] Japanese Cruiser Sendai was the lead ship of her class of light cruiser in the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... The Yudachi was a Shiratsuyu-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ... Hatsuyuki was a Fubuki-class destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ...

In spite of the successes of the destroyer runs, Kawaguchi insisted that as many soldiers of his brigade as possible be delivered to Guadalcanal by slow barges. Therefore, a convoy carrying 1,000 of Kawaguchi's troops in 48 barges departed the northern coast of Santa Isabel Island on September 2. On the morning of September 5, aircraft from Henderson Field attacked the barge convoy, killing about 90 of the soldiers in the barges. The remaining 900 troops were able to land near Kamimbo, west of the Lunga perimeter over the next few days, but due to their scattered locations, many wouldn't be available for the upcoming battle. ^[19][20] All in all, by September 7 Kawaguchi had 5,200 troops at Taivu Point and 1,000 west of the Lunga perimeter.^[21] Kawaguchi was confident enough that he could defeat the Allied forces facing him that he declined an offer from the 17th Army for delivery of one more infantry battalion to augment his forces. Kawaguchi believed that there were only about 2,000 U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal.^[22] Santa Isabel may be: Santa Isabel Island, an island in the Solomon Islands Santa Isabel, Brazil, a town in Brazil Santa Isabel (volcano), a volcano in Colombia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Merritt A. Edson, commander of the U.S. Marine 1st Raider Battalion during the battle.

During this time, Vandegrift continued to direct efforts to strengthen and improve the defenses of the Lunga perimeter. Between August 21 and August 31, he relocated three Marine battalions, including the 1st Raider Battalion, under U.S. Lieutenant Colonel Merritt A. Edson (Edson's Raiders), from Tulagi to Guadalcanal. These units added about 1,500 troops to Vandegrift's original 11,000 troops defending Henderson Field.^[23][24] August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... August 31 is the 243rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (244th in leap years), with 122 days remaining. ... Marine Raiders on Bougainville, Solomon Islands, January 1944 The Marine Raiders were elite units established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare, particularly in landing in rubber boats and operating behind the lines. ... In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ... Major General Merritt Austin Edson Major General Merritt Austin Edson (April 25, 1897 – August 14, 1955), known as Red Mike, was a general in the United States Marine Corps. ...

Battle

Prelude

Kawaguchi planned for his forces at Taivu to march through the jungle and attack the U.S. Marine lines from the south and east on September 13. Kawaguchi's troops west of the Lunga perimeter were to support the attack by launching their own attack from the west.^[25] By September 7, Kawaguchi's troops had departed Taivu to begin marching towards Lunga Point along the coastline and by September 9 had begun their approach march into the jungle.^[26]

Map of Edson's Tasimboko Raid.

Meanwhile, native island scouts brought reports to the U.S. Marines of the Japanese build-up in troops at Taivu, near the village of Tasimboko. Edson, whose battalion was augmented by troops from the U.S. Marine 1st Parachute Battalion, planned a raid to "wipe-out" the Japanese troop concentration at Taivu.^[27] Two destroyer transports and two patrol boats would take Edson's 849 men to Taivu in two trips.^[28] Edson and his first wave of troops landed at Taivu just before dawn on September 8. With support by aircraft from Henderson Field as well as gunfire from the destroyer transports, Edson's men advanced towards Tasimboko village but was soon slowed by Japanese resistance. At 11:00 the rest of Edson's unit landed and, with more support from the Henderson Field aircraft, pushed into and captured the village as the Japanese defenders retreated into the jungle.^[29] This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

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Action

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Aftermath

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References

Notes

Books

• Alexander, Joseph H. (2000). Edson's Raiders: The 1st Marine Raider Battalion in World War II. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1557500207.
• Frank, Richard (1990). Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-58875-4.
• Griffith, Samuel B. (1963). The Battle for Guadalcanal. Champaign, Illinois, USA: University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06891-2.
• Morison, Samuel Eliot (1958). The Struggle for Guadalcanal, August 1942 – February 1943, vol. 5 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-58305-7. Online views of selections of the book:[1]
• Smith, Michael T. (2000). Bloody Ridge: The Battle That Saved Guadalcanal. New York: Pocket. ISBN 0743463218.
• Tregaskis, Richard (1943). Guadalcanal Diary. Random House. ISBN 0-679-64023-1.

Richard B. Frank (born 1947 in Kansas) is an American lawyer and military historian. ... RAdm Samuel Eliot Morison (1887-1976), USN historian Samuel Eliot Morison, RAdm, USNR (July 9, 1887 – May 15, 1976) was an American historian, notable for producing scholarly works that were both authoritative and highly readable, an ability recognized with two Pulitzer Prizes. ... The History of United States Naval Operations in World War II is a 15-volume account of the United States Navy in World War II, written by eminent historian Samuel Eliot Morison and published by Little, Brown and Company between 1947 and 1962. ... Little, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. ...

Web

• Anderson, Charles R. (1993). GUADALCANAL (brochure). U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. Retrieved on 2006-07-09.
• Cagney, James (2005). The Battle for Guadalcanal (javascript). HistoryAnimated.com. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.- Interactive animation of the battle
• Chen, C. Peter (2004 - 2006). Guadalcanal Campaign. World War II Database. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
• Flahavin, Peter (2004). Guadalcanal Battle Sites, 1942-2004. Retrieved on 2006-08-02.- Web site with many pictures of Guadalcanal battle sites from 1942 and how they look now.
• Hough, Frank O.; Ludwig, Verle E., and Shaw, Henry I., Jr.. Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal. History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II. Retrieved on 2006-05-16.
• Miller, John Jr. (1949). GUADALCANAL: THE FIRST OFFENSIVE. UNITED STATES ARMY IN WORLD WAR II. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.
• Shaw, Henry I. (1992). First Offensive: The Marine Campaign For Guadalcanal. Marines in World War II Commemorative Series. Retrieved on 2006-07-25.
• Zimmerman, John L. (1949). The Guadalcanal Campaign. Marines in World War II Historical Monograph. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.

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