Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle

by Richard B. Frank

The battle at Guadalcanal--which began eight months to the day after Pearl Harbor--marked the first American offensive of World War II. It was a brutal six-month campaign that cost the lives of some 7,000 Americans and over 30,000 Japanese.

This volume, ten years in the writing, recounts the full story of the critical campaign for Guadalcanal and is based on first-time translations of official Japanese Defense Agency accounts and recently declassified U.S. radio intelligence, Guadalcanal recreates the battle--on land, at sea, and in the air--as never before: it examines the feelings of both American and Japanese soldiers, the strategies and conflicts of their commanders, and the strengths and weaknesses of various fighting units.

Genres: History, World War II, Military History, Military Fiction, Nonfiction, War, Japan

800 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Richard B. Frank is an American lawyer and military historian.
Born in Kansas, Frank graduated from the University of Missouri in 1969, after which he served four years in the United States Army. During the Vietnam War, he served a tour of duty as a platoon leader in the 101st Airborne Division. In 1976, he graduated from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Reviews

[Perato · Rating 4 out of 5]

2nd time reading. A lot of books in between, but the 4 stars remain.

THE BOOK about the Guadalcanal campaign. It covers both sides and all aspects equally from strategical to tactical and from air, land and sea. I wouldn't count this work as popular history as it's more heavy on the facts than trying to be vividly descriptive of few interesting events. It's filled to brim with numbers, dates, compositions and such but still remains a narrative story about the campaign.

The book is remarkable work from everyone involved. It's just incredible how R.B. Frank makes sense of all the night battles with dozens of torpedoes in water, sunken ships with records lost and all the air battles with bloated claims and disappeared pilots. As someone who's somewhat familiar with historical research it just boggles the mind how much work there must've been to go through all the data from both sides to come up to such conclusions and numbers. The endnotes reveal just how much disparity there was between different sources and how they came to the conclusions they offer in the book.

Frank is generous in thanking James Sawruk and John Lundstrom among others for their work and based on endnotes the book might've never come out as good without their help. It's sort of work that anyone who's aspiring to write about Guadalcanal can refer to when checking facts. Then again all this information in barely over 600(+150 pages of notes and appendices) pages makes it a heavy read not something easily digested.

Maybe the book could've used even more pages, than trying to cram this all in ~750 pages.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank wrote the Definitive account of the battle.
What many contemporary readers don't realize is that
the campaign included some of the largest ship to ship battles in history. Unbelievable heroism. I gave this to my uncle who was a participant and he recalled watching the ship battles at night off the coast in iron bottom sound. This book is one of the best executed history books ever written.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorry for using this tired phrase, but in this case it is completely justified - if you are to read a single book about Guadalcanal campaign, then this is the book you want to read. It is very detailed, comprehensive and yet readable account of a World War II campaign that was as decisive as it was unique. There are many reasons why I think this is superior choice on this topic - Frank covers all aspects of the campaign - land, sea and air. Just that fact alone makes it a rarity. Also, the book is based on both American and Japanese sources and covers actions of both sides. Last but not least, despite the very complex nature of the topic, Frank manages to narrate the events in very accesible manner. There is only one thing that I wish was better covered, and that's the maps. It's not that they are not there, but I wish there was more of them and with better detail.

[Roger Burk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the dust jacket says, this is the definitive history of the Guadalcanal campaign, from the bold and even foolhardy American seizure of an airfield at the tip of Japanese expansion in the southwest Pacific to the brilliantly planned and executed Japanese withdrawal of their last skeletal survivors six months later. The campaign is an epic of hardship, determination, and perseverance in American military history, but how much greater were the hardship, suffering, and perseverance of the Japanese! It seems like they got the worst of every air battle. American defeats on the ground resulted in moderate casualties and falling back to rethink the situation; Japanese defeats on the ground resulted in near-annihilation. American logistic support was virtually undisturbed; Japanese logistic support was constantly harried by planes from Guadalcanal and elsewhere, by submarines, destroyers, cruisers, and eventually PT boats. The Japanese on Guadalcanal never had enough artillery, ammunition, or food. They were foolishly reinforced with more men when the men already there could not be supported. They realized too late what was at stake and what it would take to expel the Americans: simply make Henderson Field unusable by putting it under artillery fire. Only at sea, particularly in night surface actions, were the Japanese at an advantage. In the Battle of Tassafaronga, a force including five American cruisers tangled with Japanese destroyers screening a convoy to Guadalcanal. After the Americans opened fire, the Japanese filled the water with torpedos and sank one cruiser and severely damaged three others, driving them away. On the other hand, in the Battle of Friday the Thirteenth an American cruiser force intercepted Japanese battleships and their screen on their way to bombard Henderson Field. None of the American guns could penetrate the battleships' main armor belt, but the topsides of one were so thoroughly wrecked that she had to be scuttled. The Americans paid for it with a cruiser and four destroyers sunk.

Annoyances: Inexplicably, despite all the maps for each major action, no single good reference map of the entire island or of the entire Solomons. A great deal of who-moved-where detail in the accounts that is impossible to follow without extremely close attention. But overall, this indispensable account will assure that the great deeds of the Americans and the Japanese in this pivotal campaign of WWII do not fade form our memory.

[Hank Hoeft · Rating 5 out of 5]

When my wife saw that I was reading an 800-page book on the battle of Guadalcanal, she asked me if it was really all about just one battle, or if it digressed and covered a wider scope. I told her that yes, it did indeed focus on "just one battle," but that "battle" was actually a six-month campaign. Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle really does live up to its subtitle. The detail Richard Frank goes into is deep and extensive, and exhaustively researched. I've read a lot of books on World War II, but I admit that I had a misconception of what happened on Guadalcanal. I'd always had the impression that the U.S. Marines (and later, U.S. Army) on the island hunkered down behind an extremely small perimeter (essentially, the airfield begun by the Japanese and completed by the Americans), and let the Japanese tide break against it. I had no idea the American strategy actually included so many aggressive proactive offensive moves outside the perimeter against the Japanese troops.

Another reason why Guadalcanal is so lengthy is that all aspects of the campaign--land, air, and sea--are covered with the same thorough detail. Many books on Guadalcanal cover only one aspect of the campaign, but Frank tackles the Herculean task of giving all three aspects equal shrift. The air war was a grinding war of attrition that the American forces won only slowly--and almost didn't win at all. The war at sea included six or seven major naval battles, including several devastating and humiliating defeats for the U.S. Navy, and was the last time in the Pacific War that U.S. naval forces fought against a numerically superior enemy.

Besides the thoroughness of his account, something else I appreciated about Frank's narrative is his unflinching objectivity. For example, many accounts of the air war over the Solomon Islands use U.S. claims for planes destroyed in tracking the progress of the air war. Frank gives the U.S. claims, but also cites Japanese records to give what is surely a more accurate accounting of aircraft actually lost. Where the facts are fuzzy and uncertain, the author gives as many different accounts as he had been able to unearth. It all makes for a narrative that is complete and as close to objective truth as it is possible to get.

[Eric Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little less than four years to finish this book. Why? Because it is so detailed, a step-by-step trip through a nightmare campaign during world war 2. The author tracks every ship and every regiment - almost every company - as they slog it out in a bloodbath of horror called the Guadalcanal Campaign. The book vibrates with definitive reporting, tables, maps, and reporting of facts. It also makes clear the brutal and genocidal nature of the fighting in the Pacific. I had a hard time getting through it, obviously as it took me over 3 years, but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. Do I recommend the book? To a general reader, no. No way. It's just too dense and military. But to a person who has some understanding about the war in the pacific and what they are getting into with this book, then yes, it is definitive. With stars you have little choice, so I gave it 4 but with a HUGE caveat.

[e.West Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing piece of scholarship on what was America's first counter-thrust against the Empire of Japan. Exhaustively researched, Mr. Frank's account of the conflict in late 1942 highlighted the hubris of the IJN and IJA as they first dismissed, then underestimated and finally reacted too late. Great read for aficionados of the Pacific War.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful volume by Richard B. Frank. I became a big fan of his writing after reading Downfall: The End of The Imperial Japanese Empire. This book is as well researched (if not more) with a comprehensive account of all the skirmishes and battles associated with Guadalcanal during World War II. The preface points out that this book is unique in that it covers land, air, and sea together, and that it includes the Japanese side. These are all interwoven expertly. Things could drag with the difficulties of this simultaneous story-telling, but Frank keeps the writing crisp, precise, and engaging.

I especially like that Frank takes a very neutral-observer stance, where it is more of a present the facts and comment fairly, rather than take a stance and explain what happened through that lens. Frank is fair to both the American and Japanese sides, in my opinion. He points out the cruelty each side dealt out without trying to say that it was okay or that they were equally at fault.

The book goes chronologically from the beginning of Guadalcanal all the way to when Operation Ke removed the Japanese garrison from the island. The book has comprehensive notes explaining where all the data came from and how Frank used it. The scholarly effort in this book is astounding. That the writing doesn't suffer with all of this information is a testament to Frank's writing skills. Frank gives straightforward reviews of facts, and then follows up with cogent reviews of what the commanders knew at the time and what other possible courses of actions there could be without indulging in hindsight is 20/20 bias.

I had no reason to read this book other than that I like Frank's writing elsewhere, and I was not disappointed. I learned a lot about WWII from this book, even though its focus is on Guadalcanal. The Pacific War has a lot of depth to it, and if you'd like to see another side of it explained expertly, this is a perfect book for you.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitive. Comprehensive. Illuminating.

This book covered the 6 month campaign between the United States (as well as Australia and New Zealand) against Japan for Guadalcanal. More than an island in the South Pacific, Guadalcanal was a turning point in the Pacific theater, as it was the first time that allied forces took back previously captured territory from the Japanese.

There are many lessons from this campaign for the student of military history. The psychology of the commanders in battle (and their perceptions of the opposing side), the challenges in resupplying forces in contact, and the employment of novel technology (like advanced radar) are just a few.

I'd recommend this book to anyone considering the challenges of conflict in the Pacific.

[Scott Stiglmeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is what it says it is

[Joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains tons of detail. If you are into detail this is the book for you. But, for me, the book almost devolves into minutiae. I checked this book out of the library for three weeks, then renewed it for another three weeks. The reason I checked it out is that I am researching Guadalcanal to try and gain a better understanding of what it was like for my father who fought on Guadalcanal as an enlisted man with the 25th ID. The book gave me some detail and if you want to know how the battle unfolded this is an excellent book. But, it is almost too detailed and too clinical. At times it is so bogged down that you need to retrace your steps and backup to find out when the action is taking place. If you are looking for something that will give you a real feel for what it was like to have fought there book leaves you wanting more. While it singles out individual acts of heroism, it leaves me wanting to know more. Additionally, the index does not always take you where you need to go and there is no centralized bibliography. Finally, I have no way of knowing if some documents like "Operations of the 25th Infantry Division on Guadalcanal" 9 Dec 1947 and compiled by under the direction of MGen Collins were consulted or even available for the author. Finally, the role of Japanese Americans and intelligence is underplayed. It may be that the author did not have access. The story of Americans of Japanese Ancestry in the Military Intelligence Service (MIS)who served on Guadalcanal needs to be told. However, if you want to know that 1700 shells from 155/105 mm howitzers were expended on certain Japanese positions in a 1½ hours, this is the book for you.

[Mark Lisac · Rating 4 out of 5]

A massive and gripping description of the six-month campaign that turned the tide of the war in the Pacific. Its billing as the "definitive" account is accurate. The wealth of meticulously researched detail is so great that some readers may prefer Samuel Griffith's The Battle for Guadalcanal. Griffith told essentially the same story more succinctly. Frank, with a wider publisher's remit and three decades of extra documents at his disposal, added more information about the sea battles, about Japanese perceptions, about problems created by the iffy aircraft radio technology of the time, and about the information available to both sides from intelligence gathering. He still also managed to convey the horrific devastation suffered by thousands of servicemen, many of whom died in large explosions or fires.
Only a few questionable points cropped up. Printing of the photographs in the paperback edition is poor, with the images looking almost like abstracts done in dark shades of grey. Occasional word choices read as if they come from The Iliad or Odyssey. The large toll of malaria and other diseases is mentioned but just barely. A final summary of how the different units performed on each side oddly lacks any mention of the crucial Marine artillery, whose skill and apparently adequate supply of ammunition was largely responsible for defeating three heavy Japanese attacks on Henderson Field. An account of the army regiments' assault on the area south of the airstrip in the closing weeks of the campaign goes just past the point of presenting a confusing amount of fine detail. These are minor points in an impressive and informative book.

[Jean-Vincent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tom Clancy said of Frank's book that it will surely become the standard history of the U.S. Navy's most important campaign. After having read it, I tend to agree with him, although I'd be tempted to add that is was perhaps one of America's armed forces most important campaign ever, arguably the true turning point of the Pacific war.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone wishing to acquire an articulate, well researched view of the campaign. Frank digs deep into American and Japanese sources to detail his study. He provides a remarkable , captivating pace for such a heavy, complex subject (considering Frank presents ground, naval and air operations).

The only (slight) downside is about maps. While the book's maps are clear and well done, they are too few, and don't convey quite rightly the terrain or the evolution of situations. This, however, is a very common shortcoming found in military history books and perhaps the tools to properly display this crucial information are only just being used. In this regard, Frank's book is quite above the average. I would thus suggest anyone embarking on this read should keep a good map of both Guadalcanal and the Solomons close at hand.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always been a World War II buff just because of the history of it but also because both grandfathers fought in it. Guadalcanal holds even more meaning because one of them was there in the first wave and never spoke of it. Ever. So naturally there was a wanting to understand and this book did a fantastic job of explaining things without being overly complicated. Even someone with no military experience or understanding would be able to grasp the nature of the battle and that for those early stages was a tenuous balance between victory and defeat for either side.
Frank does a great job of bringing to life that first land offensive action by the USA against Japan and the reality of unprepared we actually were. The general history books leave out the "holding on by our fingernails" situation that the American Marines found themselves in those first weeks. So much so that it was actually contemplated withdrawing from the island. Imagine the disastrous effect on morale of the military and the public that would have had.
This book is not a lite read but at same time its not an overly jargoned or technical read either. Highly recommended for the military reader.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perhaps the best campaign history I have ever read. It is the equal of the best Civil War campaign histories by Catton and Stephen Sears, which for me are the best researched and literary books available on specific American military campaigns. Frank does a superb job of establishing the background that resulted in thousands of men fighting over this obscure little island in the South Pacific. He then does an equally fine job of detailing the various maneuvers of the Japanese and American navies and land forces as they sought to gain an advantage in the struggle for this island. I thought that I would not enjoy the chapters covering the naval battles that were so critical to this campaign, but Frank explains the decisions and the subsequent actions very well, and thus I found those parts just as interesting as the coverage of the events on land.

A great book, highly recommended for anyone who enjoys military history. Very well researched and sourced. Franks gives equal coverage to both the Japanese and the Americans. This book is quite an accomplishment.

[Urey Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a "must" read for anyone interested in the War in the Pacific - the opening chapter dealing with the strategies and influences affecting Japan and the US leading up to the war, and the closing chapter reflecting on the Guadalcanal campaign alone make it worthwhile. Guadalcanal was one of the most significant events of WW II - in the space of eight months following Pearl Harbor, the US bombed Tokyo - fought Coral Sea and reversed Japanese expansion - fought Midway and changed the course of the war - and landed on Guadalcanal... the first step in repelling and defeating imperial Japan. It is an amazing series of events - land battles, sea battles, moves and counter-moves over a six month period, related from both US and Japanese perspectives. The author examines and explains events, personalities, decisions good and bad, objectively and clearly. This is a fascinating book about an historically significant, but relatively unrecognized, campaign.

[Bap · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the summer of 1942, the US had been defeated at almost every turn by the Japanese. With the Germany first strategy, it was no sure thing that america's limited resources could defeat the Japanese who had run rampant. The Japanese had no yet been defeated on land. This book is an excellent account of the battle on land and sea that raged from August 1942 through early 1943. The Japanese fought capably and fanatically and it was a near thing but the americans also fought well and eventually were able to assert naval superiority and defeated the Japanese defenders.

The Pacific war was fought with tenancity and ferocity. No quarter asked, none given.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this, breaking into my books to read because I am staying away from reading When the Magisterium Intervenes, and because I started to read FRank'sDownfall (which led me to other books on the end of WWII in the Pacific, more about which later) which led me to read this book on Guadalcanal because Franks is really a very good researcher.

I am old enough to barely remember this battle, the long, brutal turning point of the Pacific War.

I now read about the events, not as heroism, although heroism was there, but as a series of lessons in policy -- really immediate moral judgments about what to do in difficult times.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a truly fascinating account of the Guadalcanal campaign, and will surely be the definitive account for many years to come. It's easy to see the massive amount of research the author did for this book, and it certainly paid off. I always felt the battle of Midway was the turning point for the war in the Pacific, but the author makes a very compelling case for Guadalcanal being the true turning point, perhaps along with the New Guinea campaign that was happening simultaneously.

Definitely a must read for any WW2 buff, and fans of militaria in general.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the book says, this is pretty much a "definitive" type of account, meaning it is full of details, maps and photos. The book, for example, has 105 pages alone of notes on the material in the main text. Basically, anything you wanted to know about the battle is probably in this book. It's not a type of book for a casual read, of course, and it would mainly interested those interested in the in-depth history of the Pacific war.

[Reggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed chronological account of the land, sea, and air campaign with both Allied and Japanese viewpoints. Maps included but there could have been more (I love maps). Author points out where there are still questions about what exactly happened in certain events and will state what is purely speculation. The writing style is easy to read, not written like a "stuffed shirt historian".

[Joe Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

IN-Depth history of the Battle of Guadalcanal from the US and Japanese strategy and warfare. The land, sea, and air battles are analyzed and reviewed. This is not for the beginner who doesn't know anything about the battle. It is for those who are familiar about the history and want to learn about the battle in-depth.

[Chas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank's book is easily the single best volume on the Guadalcanal campaign, weaving together the holy trinity of air, naval and land to provide a complete and extremely well-written and detailed account. Essential for anyone interested in World War II in the Pacific.

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and comprehensive history of the grueling conflict in this remote tropical jungle island. I doubt any survivor of the campaign came out of it whole.

[Gary Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

The epitome of a campaign study. Meticulously researched, thoughtful, detailed yet accessible to a general audience.

[Christopher Dell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to give it a two because it was a chore to read, however, due to the exhaustive research and the detail it is a 5. "Definitive" is an understatement.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite campaign histories along with Utmost Savagery. I wish Frank was a more prolific author.

[James Zarzana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guadalcanal: The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle
By Richard B. Frank
Even though published 30 years ago, Richard B. Frank’s account of the battle for Guadalcanal is worth the effort to read.
Arrogance by commanding officers brings defeat as often as not. And the arrogance of both the Japanese and American leaders nearly cost each side this battle. In the end, Japanese overconfidence probably tipped the scales against them early in the war—at a time when they might possibly have brought the Americans to the peace table to negotiate a favorable truce.
After their stunning success at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese ran wild in the Pacific, just as Admiral Yamamoto predicted. Setbacks at Coral Sea and Midway didn’t damper their plans to cut off Australia from her distant American ally. Thus, the Japanese moved east along the Solomon Islands to set up an airfield on the large island of Guadalcanal.
Japanese arrogance compelled them to believe that they would prevail regardless; and believe that the American Navy couldn’t and wouldn’t fight over such an insignificant island; and finally, that Japan would crush the Americans if they did appear.
Once the US discovered an enemy airfield under construction, a base that threatened the tenuous link between the West Coast and Australia, the US threw together an underprepared force of Marines and hastily launched an invasion that would change the war completely.
The Americans for their part didn’t believe Asians could actually outmatch US equipment and leadership. They refused to believe their enemy had any military skill, but rather they had relied on luck and a sleepy Sunday morning to pull off their Pearl Harbor attack. Such blindness cost the Allies four heavy cruisers in a night battle only days after the Marines landed on Guadalcanal, three American and one Australian. Their loss left the beaches undefended and cut off.
Engaged with fighting elsewhere, the Japanese believed they could crush these weakling interlopers on a shoestring. The Americans had no choice; this battle had to be fought on a shoestring. The campaign lasted nearly six months. Both naval forces lost so heavily that the waters off Guadalcanal earned the nickname “Iron Bottom Sound.” The US Navy alone lost 30 vessels.
As Frank points out, this is the only campaign in the entire war in which the Japanese and Americans actually fought with parity. From August 1942 until February 1943, battles raged in the jungles on the island, on the surrounding seas, and in the air above. By the middle of 1943, after the island was secure, the US’s industrial might began to provide newer ships, airplanes, and legions of well-equipped and well-trained men. What losses the US suffered early in the war were bountifully replaced. The Japanese could not produce such abundance.
Frank’s thoroughly researched history is well worth reading, especially for those who wish to know the whole story of the arduous seesaw battle that is etched deeply in the consciousness of the US military.

[Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very readable and informative study of the World War II Campaign in the Pacific for possession of Guadalcanal Island in the South Pacific. A true “must read” for any student of the Second World War. The subtitle for this book is ”The Definitive Account of the Landmark Battle” and this book truly lives up to that claim. It covers in extensive detail the six-month campaign for possession of Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Island’s chain in the Southwest Pacific. This book clearly shows that the true turning point of the war against Japan was Guadalcanal and not the Battle of Midway. While Midway receives much of the acclaim as the decisive battle in the Pacific, Guadalcanal clearly marked the end of Japanese offensive initiatives because the Japanese allowed themselves to be drawn into a six-month war of attrition in the Solomon Islands against a foe that was the greatest industrial power in the world. A quick review of some manufacturing numbers illustrates this point. During this six-month campaign, The USA commissioned 87 new warships, Japan only 22. In aircraft production, the USA produced 49,445 new planes and Japan only 8,861. However, Industrial might alone did not win this campaign. Much bravery and action by America’s military men brought the USA victory and those stories are an integral part of this book.

[Luke X. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 600+ page historical account of the struggle between the US and Japan for control of the island of Guadacanal in WW II. It covers a six month period in late 1942 and early 1943. It is a very dense, detailed work with thorough information on troop, plane and ship strength for both sides. For the most part it is presented in chronological order. The author offers up limited opinions but they are less personal and more the consensus of military historians' reflection - the account is presented without passion and very much in a historians voice. From that description, you might think it was a slog reading it, but it was anything but - given the level of detail, maps, tables, etc. it was a slow read but one that absolutely held my attention and pulled me along. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in a detailed account of one of the most decisive Pacific battlegrounds of WW II.