Hell in the Pacific: The rare pictures that reveal reality of the Battle of Guadalcanal

It was a battle for a tiny island in the South Pacific no bigger than Delaware, but it became a turning point in the Allied fight against Japan during World War II.

Nearly 7,000 Americans died fighting for control of Guadalcanal for six months between August 1942 and February 1943.

During the campaign, one horrifying image stood out -- helping to define the grueling combat as 60,000 Aliied soldiers and Marines tried to pry the island away from 36,000 determined, dug-in Japanese defenders.


Read more: Battle of Guadalcanal: Photos show grueling Second World War combat | Mail Online

also: Guadalcanal, 1942: Japanese skull | Guadalcanal, 1942: Rare, Classic Photos from World War II | LIFE.com

 

"It was a battle for a tiny island in the South Pacific no bigger than Delaware, but it became a turning point in the Allied fight against Japan during World War II.
Nearly 7,000 Americans died fighting for control of Guadalcanal for six months between August 1942 and February 1943.
During the campaign, one horrifying image stood out -- helping to define the grueling combat as 60,000 Aliied soldiers and Marines tried to pry the island away from 36,000 determined, dug-in Japanese defenders.
The photograph of a Japanese soldier's skull propped on a tank horrified the American public. The head, still wearing a helmet, with its flesh burned away and mouth agape, served as a symbol of the horrors that American fighting men encountered.
Even 70 years later , the image remains haunting.
The image was captured by a 25-year-old Life magazine photographer named Ralph Morse. He and other war photographers documented the hardship endured by Allied forces who were engaged in the Guadalcanal Campaign."
Battle of Guadalcanal: Photos show grueling Second World War combat | Mail Online