008 JAPANESE COMBINED FLEET 1942-43: Guadalcanal to the Solomons Campaign

1-928008

Examines the IJN's Combined Fleet during the Guadalcanal and Solomons campaigns, when it was reorganized and was forced to fight a grinding battle of attrition against the US Navy. The early surface battles in the Guadalcanal campaign played into the strength of the Combined Fleet, which had long trained for night combat. The IJN's rebuilt carrier force also performed well and managed to score its most clear-cut victory against the USN's carriers of the entire war, at the battle of Santa Cruz.

However, for the Japanese, the overall Guadalcanal campaign ended in disaster. The result was costly losses and a weakened Combined Fleet for the rest of the war. Illustrated with 35 archive photos, 13 pages of original color illustrations, 3D diagrams, and maps.