Guadalcanal's Longest Fight: The Pivotal Battles of the Matanikau Front

by Dave R. Holland

The Matanikau battles proved to be the critical turning points in the land campaign for Guadalcanal—the campaign's longest and bloodiest ground fight. A five-month conflict raged along the river and its basin. The real importance of this area has long remained unrecognized, yet the American and Japanese forces that fought over it knew that it was the key to the ultimate prize of Henderson Airfield. In this mile-long bloody tug-of-war from the river across to the hills and ravines were fought seven major battles and countless smaller skirmishes.

While countless books have been published on the Guadalcanal Campaign, none have concentrated on the pivotal battles of the Matanikau basin. Extensively researched, this first in-depth study of these important battles, objectively showing all sides, fills in this crucial missing piece of the history of the Guadalcanal campaign.

The well-known Guadalcanal battlefield guide Dave Holland spent three years walking the battlefields, researching, and documenting what he found. His unparalleled knowledge of the ground enables him to take the listener along with the men on the ground. Using his investigative skills and military background, he provides a fresh, detailed, and often completely new view of the land campaign.

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 30, 2025

Reviews

[Marshall Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A worthy addition to the many books on Guadalcanal. Rather than writing yet another book on the campaign, the author close to write a book about the relatively unknown battles along the Matanikau River. This series of battles involved not only the fabled 1st Marine Division, but also the 2nd Marine Division, the Americal Division, and the 25th Infantry Division. As a Marine myself, I appreciate his infantryman’s perspective on terrain and tactics.

And a shout out to The Unauthorized History of the Pacific War podcast for bringing this book to my attention.