Guadalcanal 1942 ─ The Marines Strike Back

Osprey's examination of the first American amphibious assault of World War II (1939-1945). On what was a virtually unheard of Pacific island, the United States shattered the myth of Japanese invincibility, as the US Marines and Army halted the apparently irresistible Japanese advance in its tracks. Over 30,000 American and Japanese casualties were suffered in five months of bitter fighting. From the ranks of the units that contested this campaign a seasoned fighting force of US veterans was created that would, island by island, sweep the Japanese back across the Pacific.

Joseph N. Mueller is a Lieutenant Colonel in the USMC Reserve and the foremost expert on the Guadalcanal campaign. He has had several articles and books published on the subject, and maintains a massive collection of photos, written material and equipment relevant to the battle. In recent years he has made several trips to Guadalcanal and the surrounding islands to study the battlefield at first hand.