The Pacific War - week by week

- 46 - Pacific War - Battle of cape Esperance ,October 4-11, 1942

In our last episode, we covered the direct aftermath of the key Battle of Edson’s Ridge, the second Japanese offensive in Guadalcanal that caused so many losses for the invaders that it’s today remembered as the Battle of the Bloody Ridge. Because of this major defeat and because they started to feel like they were losing the initiative against their enemies, the Japanese then began to prioritize the Guadalcanal theater, sending almost 17500 men in their characteristic Tokyo Express to finally win what they perceived to be the most decisive battle of the Pacific War. Today, we are going to cover the American attempt to intercept the Japanese express runs during the Battle of Cape Esperance, as well as the recent developments in the air warfare over the Aleutian Islands.

- 45 - Pacific War - Actions along the Matanikau , September 27 - October 4, 1942

With the withdrawal on the Kokoda Track and the recent defeat at the Battle of Edson’s Ridge, the Japanese high command was now beginning to understand that they were losing the initiative against the resilient American and Australian forces in the Pacific. In that regard, more resources began to be allocated for the Guadalcanal Campaign, in a build-up that would lead to one of the bloodiest engagements of the Pacific War. But in the meantime, today we’ll cover the direct aftermath of the struggle at the Bloody Ridge, as both sides sought to reinforce their position on the island and the US Marines prepared to launch a series of raids against their opponents at the Matanikau area.

- 44 - Pacific War - Battle Ioribaiwa, September 20-27, 1942

As we saw in our last episode, we are amidst one of the key points of the Pacific War. With the disastrous defeat on the bloody slopes of Edson’s Ridge, the Japanese high command started to comprehend that they were losing the initiative against the tenacious and resilient American forces in the Pacific. Now, General Horii continues his difficult and harsh advance along the Kokoda Track, not knowing that the recent failures in the Guadalcanal Campaign were soon to affect his overland offensive against Port Moresby. Nonetheless, the stubborn but effective commander will soon face the might of the Australian soldiers in yet another delaying action, and also the even more threatening prospect of straining his supply line, so join us today to cover the Battle of Ioribaiwa and the crucial aftermath of the offensive.

- 43 - Pacific War - Battle of the Bloody Ridge, September 13-20, 1942

Ten months after the start of the Pacific War, we are reaching one of the high points of the conflict. In the Kokoda Track, General Horii’s South Seas Detachment relentlessly continues its advance towards Port Moresby, and unbeknownst to him, he’s marching to his final doom; and in Guadalcanal, the Japanese forces of General Kawaguchi are preparing for their second major offensive of the campaign, an operation that would be even more bloody than the catastrophic Battle of the Tenaru. With both events happening at the same time, the Japanese came to be as close as possible for them to materialize their objectives of seizing New Guinea and recapturing Guadalcanal, but alas, fate would see them fail on both enterprises. Join us today as we cover the Battle of Edson’s Ridge, one of the major milestones of the Pacific War.

- 42 - Pacific War - Milne bay counteroffensive, September 6-13, 1942

Back on August 24, the Japanese had commenced their amphibious invasion of Milne Bay, aiming to occupy the airstrip at Rabi to employ it for the overland drive against Port Moresby. Believing it to be held by few enemy soldiers, Admiral Mikawa only sent forward a small force of SNLF marines, which would be vastly outnumbered by the Milne Force of General Clowes; but despite their numerical inferiority and the constant threat of enemy air attacks, the Japanese expertly employed their two Ha-Go tanks to support their brave assaults against the Australian positions, reaching the Rabi airstrip by August 28. Now, however, the strength of the defenders was beginning to show; and they would soon prepare for an all-out counterattack, one that would drastically change the course of the battle. Join us as we cover the conclusion of the Battle of Milne Bay, as well as some new developments in Guadalcanal and the Kokoda Track, as the Japanese continue to press for their objectives.

- 41 - Pacific War - Japanese advance on the Eora Creek, August 30 - September 6, 1942

In our last episode, we covered the carrier Battle of the Eastern Solomons, as the Japanese attempted to land reinforcements on Guadalcanal, and we’ve also covered the start of the Battle of Milne Bay, in which a numerically-inferior Japanese force managed to push back the defenders towards the airfield at Rabi. Yet during this period, new developments were also unfolding in the Kokoda Track. With the bulk of the South Seas Detachment finally on New Guinean soil, the Japanese now prepared to start their main drive against Port Moresby; an offensive that would be opposed by brave Australian soldiers in what is considered as Australia’s Thermopylae. Join us as we cover the Battle of Isurava and the Japanese Advance on Eora Creek.

- 40 - Pacific War - Battle of the East Solomons, August 23-30, 1942

During the last year, the Japanese Army proved to its adversaries that it was an unstoppable behemoth, defeating the British, American, Dutch, Indian and Australian forces at every place they managed to advance on. But in the last week, their so-called invincibility was finally debunked with the defeat of the Ichiki Detachment at Alligator Creek; yet the conclusion of the Battle of the Tenaru also harboured the start of a new phase for the Guadalcanal Campaign, a period in which the Marines and the US Navy were going to be challenged by some of the best forces of the Japanese Empire. Join us as we cover the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, as well as new developments in the New Guinea Campaign with the start of the Invasion of Milne Bay

- 39 - Pacific War - Battle of Alligator Creek, August 16-23, 1942

Guadalcanal was one of the most brutal campaigns of the Pacific War, as the US Marines not only had to fight the relentless assaults of the enemy in that jungle hell, they also had to fight malnutrition, lack of supplies and tropical diseases that would eventually disable nearly two-thirds of General Vandegrift’s force. Yet after the Battle of Savo Island, these problems were only starting to emerge for the Marines, as they were soon to face a true baptism of fire at Alligator Creek. At the same time, the 2nd Raider Battalion was preparing to launch a deadly raid against the heart of the Gilberts, an attack that would have deadly consequences for the Americans in the future. Join us as we cover the Raid on Makin Island and we also take a look at the Battle of the Tenaru and some other developments in the Guadalcanal Campaign.

- 38 - Pacific War - Battle of Savo Island, August 9-16, 1942

The disastrous Battle of Midway is remembered nowadays as one of the major turning points of the Pacific War, leaving the IJN significantly weakened. The Japanese would still continue to secure more territory, but it was now the allies who held the strategic initiative, and the Americans would then go on to execute Operation Watchtower, the first Allied offensive of the Pacific War; and as we’ve seen last week, the invasion of the Solomons was up to a good start. Yet despite its tremendous losses at Midway, the IJN was still standing and it still had sufficient strength to contest control of the south seas from the US, so Admiral Mikawa now prepared for a bold naval ambush that would prove to be one of the worst defeats in the history of the US Navy. Join us as we cover the Battle of Savo Island, and as we also take a look at some new developments on the Kokoda Track

- 37 - Pacific War - Invasion of Solomon Islands, August 2-9, 1942

After eight months since the outbreak of the Pacific War, after many defeats at the hands of the invaders, and after many bold actions that resulted in the few successes that the Allies enjoyed during the war, the time is finally ripe for the start of the first Allied offensive against the Japanese Empire: the Invasion of the Solomon Islands. Yet this was not only the first Allied offensive of the Pacific War, this was also the first American amphibious invasion in many decades, an invasion that would cement the importance of the US Marines for years to come. Welcome to our episode on the start of the crucial Solomon Islands Campaign, covering the initial landings on Guadalcanal, Tulagi and the islands of Gavutu and Tanambogo.