In this thrilling instalment of ‘Dogfights’, we return to the Pacific Theatre of World War Two, outlining the dramatic dogfights of the Guadalcanal campaign. The battle, which raged ferociously between August 1942 and February 1943, was the first major offensive launched against Japan by Allied forces; it took place on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the southern Solomon Islands.

Following the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, American military fortunes in the Pacific had been on a rapid downward trajectory. The fall of Singapore, which occurred in February 1942, had been an enormous blow to Allied morale. By early 1942, Japanese forces had wrested control of the Philippines, Thailand, Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, Wake Island, New Britain and Guam.

However, the battles of Coral Sea and Midway, which occurred in May and June 1942, marked a strategic turning point in the Pacific campaign. As Allied forces realised they had decisively thwarted Japanese efforts to extend their defensive perimeter, they decided to strike next in the southern Solomon Islands.

We outline the priceless contribution that the Cactus Air Force made to the campaign. In August, the First Marine Division succeeded in capturing the main airfield on Guadalcanal. Immediately, Marine pilots and their F4F Wildcat planes, along with an Army fighter squadron of five Army P-400s, flew to the island. This inexperienced crew of men and machinery formed the nucleus of the Cactus Air Force.

We relive the terrifying air battles fought by this varied bunch of pilots. Their F4F Wildcats were massively inferior to the A6M Zeros piloted by their Japanese adversaries. The Zero was lighter, faster, and extremely manoeuvrable; it had a cannon and machine guns. This meant that engaging the Zero in dogfighting was extremely hazardous. Instead, if American pilots were faced with one of these menacing planes, they would deliver a rapid burst of fire and then quickly return to the safety of their base, the Henderson Air Field.

We explain that Cactus pilots constantly developed and revised their tactics and techniques, relying on teamwork in order to improve their battle skills. We outline their tactic of launching a ‘two-plane mutually protecting flight section’ known as the ‘Thatch Weave’. In particular, we look at the courageous airborne actions of Marine captain John Smith. We also glimpse into the cockpits of Jeff De Blanc and Jim Swett, who both received the Congressional Medal of Honor for their parts in the battle.

The success of the Guadalcanal campaign was a significant turning point in the Pacific campaign, and in the wider context of World war Two. Not only did it herald the Allied transition by from defensive operations to offensive action, the reversal of fortunes in the Pacific provided an invaluable boost to the morale of an already war-weary American public.