On 7th August 1942 over 19,000 US Marines invaded Guadalcanal. Their orders were to seize and hold this tropical island.

In the first United States offensive of the Pacific War, these young Americans took on the seemingly invincible Japanese. Over the next six months, they fought a series of bitter battles that would earn them a place in history.

This film offers an unprecedented viewpoint of the famous battle. Aerial photographs taken during the war have now been layered over a three-dimensional contour map to create a CGI model of the battlefield. But this is no computer game. This is a model of the actual island as the battle raged. These original high-resolution images allow the viewer to track the battle, step by step, from the air.

Individual stories of courage and heroism can be placed in the exact spot where they took place. On Guadalcanal, the First Marine division defended the tactically vital 'Henderson field' airstrip. They endured malaria, dysentery and constant attacks from a fanatical enemy. In the seas around Guadalcanal, Allied naval forces and the Imperial Japanese Navy fought bitter battles for control of the island's supply routes. In the air, the American 'Cactus Air Force' fought a heroic defence of the island.

Through courage, sacrifice and determination, the Americans would prevail. The campaign cost the lives of some 7,000 Americans and approximately 30,000 Japanese. From the determined defence of Guadalcanal, the Americans launched an offensive that would lead all the way to Japan's doorstep and ultimately to victory. The story of this historic battle is told using cutting edge techniques, unique archive film, re-enactments and extraordinary interviews with the men who were there.