Battle of Guadalcanal order of battle

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008)

Guadalcanal Order of Battle is a list of the significant land units that fought in the Battle of Guadalcanal between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943.

Japanese

On 10 August 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army's Seventeenth Army under Lieutenant General Harukichi Hyakutake assumed command of the Japanese efforts to retake Guadalcanal. The General arrived on the island to take direct command on 10 October.

• 2nd Infantry Division¹
  • 4th Infantry Regiment
  • 16th Infantry Regiment
  • 29th Infantry Regiment
  • 2nd Artillery Regiment
  • 2nd Engineer Battalion

• 38th Infantry Division²
  • 228th Infantry Regiment
  • 229th Infantry Regiment
  • 230th Infantry Regiment
  • 38th Mountain Gun Regiment
  • 38th Engineer Battalion

• 35th Brigade³
  • 124th Infantry Regiment
  • Kitao Battalion/Ichiki Detachment
  • 4th Artillery Regiment
  • 10th Mountain Gun Battalion
  • 20th Mountain Gun Battalion

• 28th Infantry Regiment⁴
• 11th Construction Unit⁵
• 13th Construction Unit⁵

Notes:

1. The Sendai division arrived between 5 September and 4 October under the command of Lieutenant General Masao Maruyama.
2. The depleted 38th division arrived 5–15 November under the command of Lieutenant General Tadayoshi Sano.
3. The 35th Brigade arrived 29 August-5 September, under the command of Major General Kiyotaki Kawaguchi. It included a late-arriving battalion of the 28th Infantry Regiment.
4. The Ichiki detachment arrived 18–24 August.
5. These units arrived on Guadalcanal 6 July to begin construction of an airstrip.

United States

The US landing force on Guadalcanal was under the command of Marine Major General Alexander Archer Vandegrift. On 8 December he was replaced by Army Major General Alexander McCarrell Patch, who took command of the U.S. XIV Army Corps on 2 January.

Marines

• 1st Marine Division¹
  • 1st Marine Regiment
  • 5th Marine Regiment
  • 7th Marine Regiment
  • 11th Marine Regiment
  • 1st Amphibian Tractor Battalion
  • 1st Aviation Engineer Battalion
  • 1st Pioneer Battalion
  • 1st Special Weapons Battalion
  • 1st Tank Battalion

• Other Marine units
  • 3rd Defense Battalion landed 7 August 1942
  • 1st Parachute Battalion²
  • 1st Raider Battalion

• 2nd Marine Division³
  • 2nd Marine Regiment
  • 6th Marine Regiment
  • 8th Marine Regiment
  • 10th Marine Regiment
  • 2nd Amphibian Tractor Battalion
  • 9th Defense Battalion landed December 1942
  • 2nd Raider Battalion
  • 2nd Special Weapons Battalion
  • 2nd Tank Battalion

Notes:

1. The 1st Marine Division was commanded by Major General Alexander Archer Vandegrift. The majority of the division arrived on Guadalcanal 7 August. 2nd Battalion 5th Marines and elements of the 1st Pioneer Battalion arrived later in August. 7th Marines and 1st battalion/11th Marines arrived 18 September. The division began withdrawal from the island 12 December.
2. Arrived 8 September; departed 18 September.
3. The 2nd Marines were attached to the 1st Marine Division for the initial landing on 7 August, although the 1st and 3rd battalions were initially employed on Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo islands. The entire regiment was on Guadalcanal by November. On 4 November the 8th Marines landed, and the remainder of the division followed in December. The division came under the command of Brigadier General Alphonse De Carre.

Army

• 25th Infantry Division¹
  • 27th Infantry Regiment
  • 35th Infantry Regiment
  • 161st Infantry Regiment (Washington National Guard)
  • 8th Field Artillery Battalion
  • 64th Field Artillery Battalion
  • 89th Field Artillery Battalion
  • 90th Field Artillery Battalion
  • 65th Engineer Combat Battalion

• Americal Division²
  • 132nd Infantry Regiment (Illinois National Guard)
  • 164th Infantry Regiment (North Dakota National Guard)
  • 182nd Infantry Regiment (Massachusetts National Guard)
  • 221st Field Artillery Battalion
  • 245th Field Artillery Battalion
  • 246th Field Artillery Battalion
  • 247th Field Artillery Battalion
  • 57th Engineer Combat Battalion

• 147th Infantry Regiment (Separate) (Ohio National Guard)³

• 97th Field Artillery Battalion
• 214th Coast Artillery (United States)
• 244th Coast Artillery Regiment

Notes:

1. The 25th division arrived by 4 January 1943, under the command of Major General Joseph Lawton Collins.
2. The 164th arrived 13 October; the 182nd on 12 November, and the division HQ and 132nd on 8 December. The division was under the command of Major General Alexander McCarrell Patch.
3. Arrived 4 November.