This document provides an overview of the Battle of Guadalcanal which took place from 1942 to 1943. It was a major battle in the Pacific theater of WWII between American and Japanese forces. The US Marines landed on the island which was a strategic location for supporting logistics. They fought battles against Japanese forces who were dominating the Pacific at the time and trying to control Henderson Airfield on Guadalcanal. Both naval forces and air forces known as the Cactus Air Force engaged in combat operations, and there were over 20,000 casualties between the two sides during this pivotal WWII battle in the Pacific.