Solomons Air War

In late 1942, Cactus Air Force defended Guadalcanal against fierce Japanese attacks, introducing new combat tactics.

This third volume of Solomons Air War chronicles aerial warfare in the Solomon Islands theatre during the months of November and December 1942. It can be read alone or as part of the ongoing Solomons Air War series.

At the start of November 1942, the American position on Guadalcanal was precarious. Cactus Air Force had suffered extremely high attrition in October and virtually all of the available reserves had been drawn on, while the damaged USS Enterprise was the only carrier that could lend assistance. Against this environment the Japanese continued to wage a savage air war and determined to try to wipe out Cactus Air Force through battleship bombardments, while they rolled the dice with the largest yet Tokyo Express convoy.

Hence the Americans were pushed to the brink as the frenzied activity known as the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal played out over 12-15 November. Following this the Japanese were forced to admit that they couldn’t supply their troops on Guadalcanal and began to focus on building a new airfield at Munda. In response American bombers returned to Henderson Field and took the fight north to Munda and beyond for the remainder of 1942.

This period saw new tactics being trialled, including the use of P-38s as long-range escort fighters and the first PBY-5A Black Cat missions. Meanwhile Cactus Air Force expanded, gaining P-40s, B-26s, OS2U Kingfishers and RNZAF Hudsons.

This chronicle has been written using primary Allied and Japanese sources, to give a fresh, factual and highly detailed account of all aspects of the complex Solomons air campaign.