Pacific Counterblow - Air Force Historical Studies Office

ather large one on 14 January. These increments, however, were in
the nature of replacements. Henceforth, the enemy was forced to
content himself with a tenacious defense; never again did he mount
a sustained threat to Henderson Field.
For the Americans, the defensive period on Guadalcanal was over
by December. The 1st Marine Division had borne the brunt of the
Japanese assaults on Henderson Field. With the exception of the 8th
and 2d Marine Regiments, it was withdrawn on 9 December to be
replaced during December and early January by two Army divisions.
These were the Americal, which began arriving in November, and
the 25th. These units, plus the fresh 6th Marine Regiment and the
2d Battalion of the ioth Marines, now proceeded to the offensive on
Guadalcanal. On 9 December, Maj. Gen. Alexander M. Patch, USA,
succeeded General Vandergrift, USMC, as island commarlder.
With more abundant fuel and supplies, air operations proceeded on
a more extensive scale. The pattern remained the same. The
Marines still directed air activity, but the USAAF was more heavily
represented. The AAF now was able to send up additional fighter
units, its heavy bombers moved forward to base on Guadalcanal, and
all forces struck regularly at the Express on its trips down The Slot.
Buin was in easy range of the B-17's and the new Japanese base at
Munda Point received constant attention.
On 17 December a preliminary offensive to the west was initiated.
When the 25th Division, under Maj. Gen. J. Lawton Collins, was
brought into position, a determined drive up Guadalcanal's north
coast was undertaken. The XIV Corps' push, opened on io January,
proceeded amid bitter fighting, and finally freed Henderson from
the menace of Pistol Pete. On 9 February organized Japanese resistance
was eliminated. On the 8th, a search plane sighted 15 enemy
destroyers heading up the channel, the last run of the famous Express.
It had apparently evacuated the remaining officers and active troops
and left hundreds of sick, wounded, and starving Japanese to be
swept up by the Army.
AAF units on Guadalcanal worked with the ground forces in much
the same manner as had the old 67th Fighter Squadron. Better
planes were available: P-38's for escort, P-4o's for the middle air,
and P-39's for escort and ground strafing. If a particularly stubborn
enemy strongpoint were encountered, the B-i7's might be called on
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