Midnight in the Pacific: Guadalcanal—The World War II Battle That Turned the Tide of War

Midnight in the Pacific is a narrative history of America's first major offensive in World War II: the campaign to capture Japanese-occupied Guadalcanal from August to November 1942. US Marines, sailors, and pilots fought against Japanese soldiers trained in the bushido tradition. The strategic prize was Henderson Airfield, which both sides recognized as crucial to victory. The battle's outcome remained uncertain through repeated Japanese air, land, and sea operations, with heavy casualties on both sides. At sea, the US Navy fought the Imperial Japanese Navy to a draw, losing over 4,500 sailors and 24 warships—more American naval deaths than in all previous US wars combined. On land, more than 1,500 soldiers and Marines died, and over 500 US planes were lost. Japanese losses were equally severe, with starving soldiers calling the island "the island of death." When the attritional struggle ended, American forces had halted the Japanese advance that had dominated Asia and the Pacific for five years. Guadalcanal marked America's first major ground victory against Japan and the turning point of the Pacific War. Published on the 75th anniversary of the battle, this account draws on firsthand accounts from combatants, Marine Corps and Army archives, and oral histories to present both sweeping narrative and individual stories of those involved.