After one month of solid combat during the Battle of Guadalcanal (August 7, 1942 – February 9, 1943) the Marines sought to outmaneuver the enemy by conducting amphibious landings on the north side of the island where
“They found that except for a few snipers, the Japanese had scampered to the hills. The enemy had left in so great in so great a hurry that unfinished bowls of breakfast rice, with chopsticks still in them, were found in the camp messes. And the Marines took over intact vast quantities of stores and equipment, including food, fuel, ammunition and scores of trucks. But the biggest prize of all was an excellent airport in the Lunga region which the Japanese had been building for months. About 85 percent complete – including a 1,400-yard-long runway. The airport was ready for use to land aircraft. Within a few hours, American bombers and fighters were operating from it.”
