ORDER OF BATTLE // 1942–1943
Guadalcanal
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 96,200 estimated
United States
60,000
Medium-confidence figure
Japan
36,200
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
First sustained Allied offensive in the Pacific
‹ Full battle dossierSources (47)
Government Archive
ABMC · World Wars
Federal commemorative and educational resource for American overseas service and sacrifice.
→ Open sourceABMC sites and interpretive materials connect overseas battle geography to memory, sacrifice, and campaign sequence.
Monograph
Australia 1942: In the Shadow of War
Monograph
Battalion of the damned: the 1st Marine paratroopers at Gavutu and Bloody Ridge, 1942
→ Open sourceMonograph
Black shoe carrier admiral: Frank Jack Fletcher at Coral Sea, Midway, and Guadalcanal
→ Open sourceMonograph
Japanese army operations in the South Pacific Area New Britain and Papua campaigns, 1942–43
→ Open sourceReference Collection
LOC · U.S. History Primary Source Timeline
Library of Congress classroom portal organizing U.S. history through digitized primary sources.
→ Open sourceExplore important topics and moments in U.S. history through historical primary sources from the Library of Congress.
Monograph
New Zealand's Pacific frontline: Guadalcanal-Solomon Islands Campaign, 1942-45
→ Open sourceMonograph
Operation KE: the Cactus Air Force and the Japanese withdrawal from Guadalcanal
→ Open sourceMonograph
Oversight of H.J. Res. 131, National Cemetery System, American Battle Monuments Commission, and Arlington National Cemetery: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Housing and Memorial Affairs of the Comm
→ Open sourceMonograph
Preparing for Victory: Thomas Holcomb and the Making of the Modern Marine Corps, 1936-1943
→ Open sourceMonograph
The battles of Cape Esperance, 11 October 1942 and Santa Cruz Islands, 26 October 1942
→ Open sourceMonograph
The Conquering Tide
Monograph
The Island: A History of the First Marine Division on Guadalcanal, August 7-December 9, 1942
→ Open sourceMonograph
The Ship that Held the Line: The USS Hornet and the First Year of the Pacific War
→ Open sourceMonograph
Where the sun stood still: the untold story of Sir Jacob Vouza and the Guadalcanal Campaign
→ Open sourceMonograph