Jungles, downpours, malaria, hunger, fire and death. That is all the Japanese have known since
they arrived on the island of Guadalcanal. The campaign that was seen by the IJA as the decisive
battle of the Pacific War was to become a decisive defeat for the Japanese Empire,
an experience reminiscent of the IJN’s Battle of Midway. And just like Midway had proved
to be one of the turning points that put an end to any major Japanese acts of expansion,
Guadalcanal would prove to be the other major turning point, finally forcing the invaders to
take a defensive stance for the remainder of the war. Now, as the Japanese presence on this Island
of Death is on the brink of collapse, a desperate naval campaign is launched to save as many men as
possible. Welcome to our video on Operation KE and the final Evacuation of Guadalcanal,
the epic conclusion to one of the most decisive campaigns of the Pacific War.
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Last week, we saw the end of General Patch’s January offensive, as the Americans advanced
westwards and captured Kokumbona, thus forcing the stranded Japanese forces to begin their
withdrawal operation towards Cape Esperance ahead of schedule. At the same time, knowing that the
enemy was amassing a huge amount of resources for a major operation but fearing that this
might be another offensive on Guadalcanal, Admiral Halsey had sent a resupply convoy with more Army
reinforcements to the island. The transport convoy would be covered by most of his naval assets,
consisting of a total of six task forces , with the secret objective of baiting the IJN
into another decisive engagement at sea that could stop such an offensive before it could even start.
Yet the cunning Japanese decided to launch an air attack instead,
resulting in the frenetic Battle of Rennell Island and the withdrawal of Admiral Giffen’s
Task Force 18 , which effectively removed a significant potential threat to Operation KE.
After the battle, the rest of Halsey’s warships took station on the Coral Sea, awaiting for
the approach of any enemy forces supporting what they believed was an incoming offensive.
In the afternoon of January 31, American cryptanalysts would finally alert them to
expect a confrontation in short. Meanwhile, the Japanese had amassed a total of 20 destroyers
or 21 destroyers at Shortland for the troop hauling, with Rear-Admiral Hashimoto Shintaro
being appointed to command the Reinforcement Unit. In support, Admiral Mikawa of the 8th
Fleet also deployed the heavy cruisers Chokai and Kumano and the light cruiser Sendai at Kavieng.
While the 11th Air Fleet and the 6th Air Division took responsibility for maintaining a daylight
combat air patrol over the evacuation runs, Hashimoto would have to rely on the R Area
Air Force during the night, as Admiral Jojima’s 50 to 60 floatplanes were tasked with sweeping
ahead of the Reinforcement Unit and with helping in the defense against the enemy PT boat attacks.
Now, we’ll also recall that during the planning of Operation KE, if the destroyer effort proved to be
a failure then the 17th Army would be extracted by landing craft via the Russell Islands.
In that regard, six destroyers had portered 328 men to the Russells on January 28, also
hoping that the occupation of the islands would do double duty as a feint. The Cactus Air Force
responded with a heavy air attack , but no major damage was scored against the Japanese detachment.
February 1, the scheduled day for the start of Operation KE, opened with the start of another
heavy air campaign in the South Pacific. As retribution for Rennell Island, General
Mulcahy decided to send two attacks against Japanese concentrations in Shortland and Munda,
though they would fail to cause much damage at the cost of a number of planes . In response,
the 6th Air Division sent 23 Ki-43s and 6 Ki-48s to attack Guadalcanal, with similarly ineffective
results . But in the meantime, as Hashimoto departed the Shortlands for the first evacuation
run, new events were unfolding on land. Fearing that the invaders might prolong
the struggle with a retreat to the south coast of Guadalcanal, General Patch had decided to land a
reinforced battalion in a blocking position at Verahue. Built around the 2nd Battalion, 132nd
Regiment and reinforced with some Marine units, the task force of Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander
George would board seven transports , supported by the four destroyers of Captain Briscoe’s Cactus
Striking Force . Yet as the Americans were landing, a Japanese reconnaissance aircraft
would spot Briscoe’s vessels, believing them to be a threat for the evacuation run scheduled for
that night. Because of this, a strike of 13 D3A bombers and 40 Zeros would be launched from Buin,
successfully intercepting the destroyers DeHaven and Nicholas as they shepherded three
returning transports southeast of Savo Island. Mistaking the Japanese aircraft as their own,
the destroyers withheld their fire until the start of the enemy attack, which saw the DeHaven getting
hit by three bombs and immediately sinking . Only through violent maneuvers would the Nicholas
barely evade a similar fate, with the struggle leaving 3 Wildcats, 3 Zeros and 5 D3As down.
Meanwhile, Hashimoto formed up his 20 destroyers into two columns for the sprint down the Slot,
but unbeknownst to him, General Mulcahy had sent towards him a major strike force of 92
planes in two waves . By early afternoon, the Americans had concluded their attack,
successfully damaging Hashimoto’s flagship and forcing it to withdraw, as well as
shooting down 17 Zeros at the cost of 4 aircraft . About 20:00, as Hashimoto’s destroyers continued
forward, General Sano and the 38th Division had reached the boarding point at Cape Esperance,
successfully completing boarding preparations by 21:00, the estimated hour of arrival of the
Reinforcement Unit, but minutes passed with no ships in sight. Then, suddenly,
the Japanese heard gunfire and witnessed fires in the sea. Eleven PT boats had been deployed
between Savo and Guadalcanal, and they would begin to engage Hashimoto’s warships at 22:45.
With the aid of their floatplanes, however, the Japanese would manage to explode and sink three
PT boats in the course of the next hours. Finally, at 22:40, six transport destroyers reached Cape
Esperance and began to launch their boats, with four more destroyers doing the same at Kamimbo
by midnight. The evacuees were so undernourished that their beards, nails and hair had all stopped
growing, their joints looking pitifully large. They wore only the remains of clothes that were so
soiled their physical deterioration was extreme, and they all had dengue or malaria and suffered
from constant and uncontrolled diarrhea. Probably they were happy, but they showed no expression.
A total of 4935 soldiers, including General Sano, would be successfully embarked, although some 1570
men would have to remain in the beaches because of the delays. During the evacuation, the Mikakumo
would also suffer a large explosion, likely from hitting a mine, and would then have to be
scuttled. By 02:00, the evacuation had concluded and Hashimoto began the return journey. Two more
American strikes would be attempted but both would fail to score any hit, so the Reinforcement Unit
would finally reach Bougainville at noon, thus successfully concluding the first evacuation run.
As the results of this first run had been highly promising, the 17th Army then continued to prepare
for the second evacuation run, which would see the 2nd Division earmarked for its evacuation.
Instead of waiting on the beach, they were ordered to wait offshore in boats. At the same time,
as a deception, soldiers ignited campfires at Cape Esperance and moved them gradually south
towards Tassafaronga, where the Yano Battalion continued to hold the Bonegi River line.
The Japanese rearguard contemplated the likelihood that they might have to make their own way out
with landing craft, planning to gradually contract towards Kamimbo and then move from
there to the Russells. Meanwhile, on February 2, Colonel George moved with his forces towards
the vicinity of Titi, something that was very worrisome for the Japanese . Luckily for them,
however, the Americans would decide not to move any further, as they thought the convoys were for
reinforcement and not evacuation. Thus, General Patch decided to shift his main effort back to
the east, where the 161st Regiment was deployed on February 4 to relieve the 147th Regiment and
take up the pursuit towards Cape Esperance. That same day, as the Japanese prepared to commence
their second evacuation run, the Yano Battalion was ordered to leave all those unable to walk at
the Bonegi and pull back to the Segilau River line . And back on Shortland, Admiral Hashimoto again
readied 20 destroyers for the second run, even despite the disturbing reports of strong American
naval detachments on the sea around Guadalcanal. By midday, the Reinforcement Unit had departed
Shortland, taking up the accustomed route and formation ; but yet again, General Mulcahy sent
a strong strike to intercept them. The fierce air attack resulted in the Maikaze getting
heavily damaged and having to withdraw, towed by the Nagatsuki back to Shortland.
Additionally, one Zero was shot down at the loss of 11 American aircraft . Shirayuki’s engines also
wheezed to a halt at 19:25, forcing Hashimoto to transfer his flag again, this time to Kawakaze.
Unlike the last time, however, no PT boats awaited the Japanese convoy, so the preparations at the
embarkation points proceeded smoothly. Just two hours would suffice to embark a total of 3921 men,
including Generals Hyakutake and Maruyama. Hashimoto would then gallop unmolested back up the
Slot, reaching Bougainville by midday on February 5. Now, only the remnants of the once proud
Ichiki and Kawaguchi Detachments, as well as the fearsome Yano Battalion, remained on Guadalcanal;
units that had been on this Island of Death the longest. The prospects for an escape by landing
craft for these units were grim , with past experience pointing out that enemy flyers would
whittle the number of usable boats to a handful by February 7. Only the American inaction to the
south offered them a real chance to escape, but still, 100 Japanese soldiers would be ordered to
move down the west coast to a holding position in the vicinity of Aruligo Point to keep an
alternative at hand . Nonetheless, the 8th Fleet and the 17th Army would agree to undertake a
third and final evacuation run to rescue all their remaining forces on Guadalcanal, even though they
were aware of the presence of Halsey’s carriers and other large warships around the island.
Meanwhile, Colonel George continued to be cautious at Titi, mainly due to the size of his command,
but also because the Americans were still uncertain as to the Japanese intentions.
General Patch himself believed that the last two runs had deposited the
equivalent of another regiment with some supplies for the incoming enemy offensive.
Thus, the only major movement would be on the west coast, as the 161st Regiment,
now under Colonel James Dalton, launched a concerted drive on February 6 that managed to
reach the Umasani River, although the logistical problem would continue to hamper its advance.
The following day, the 161st breasted the Umasani and pressed on towards Bunina Point; but at the
same time, George finally determined that the enemy might be evacuating the island, so he
commanded his forces to advance in the direction of Cape Esperance. Though the Japanese would
desperately manage to stop their movement about 2000 yards north of Marovovo by nightfall, time
was running out for the stranded invaders. Luckily for them, they still had 26 operable landing craft
and they were going to enjoy near-perfect weather, a mirror-smooth sea, slight wind, and dark-of-moon
night. In a hectic 45 minutes after 21:30, the remaining mobile Japanese soldiers would
clamber aboard these boats to the accompaniment of American shells slamming into the area of the
Segilau River , many of these men praying as they waited on the water. The rendezvous time of 23:00
passed to their concern, but then they started to spot the blue lights of their approaching saviors.
Earlier that day, as Admiral Kondo’s Advanced Force closed to within 550 miles of Guadalcanal
to support the evacuation, Hashimoto had departed the Shortlands with 18 destroyers to take off men
from Kamimbo and the Russells. Just like in the other two runs, General Mulcahy sent a strike
group against the Reinforcement Unit as soon as possible, but yet again the attack would only
damage one destroyer , forcing it to withdraw at the cost of an F-5A reconnaissance fighter.
This would be the only obstacle in the way of Hashimoto’s destroyers, and by nightfall,
they would successfully arrive at the island. By midnight, the boarding of 1796 men had been
completed, though the Japanese would remain in the area for another 90 minutes to make
sure that no one was left behind. By 01:32, Hashimoto began the journey back up the Slot,
joined by the destroyers that had been detached to pick up the Russells garrison.
Upon safely reaching Bougainville at 10:00, Operation KE was successfully concluded to the
great surprise of most of the officers, Admiral Yamamoto included, who expected to rescue half the
amount of men that was actually evacuated. At the same time, after observing the seascape littered
with small boats and debris from the night’s activities, the Americans set off in fast pursuit
and reached Kamimbo at 17:00. By February 9, the 161st Regiment had likewise reached the village of
Tenaro and General Patch announced the “total and complete defeat of Japanese forces on Guadalcanal
effected 1625 today”, adding that the “Tokyo Express no longer has a terminus on Guadalcanal”.
The Japanese evacuation had been a masterful display of skill by the IJN, under the noses
of an American foe that enjoyed ground, aerial and naval superiority. Resolute attacks against Cape
Esperance could have annihilated the 17th Army before the second evacuation run, but the ground
proved to be an obstacle too great to overcome and the Japanese intentions had been masked expertly.
As Nimitz confessed in his report: “Until the last moment it appeared that the Japanese were
attempting a major reinforcement effort. Only skill in keeping their plans disclosed and bold
celerity in carrying them out enabled the Japanese to withdraw the remnants of the Guadalcanal
garrison. Not until all organized forces had been evacuated on February 8 did we realize the purpose
of their air and naval dispositions”. On the naval side, the loss of Makikumo and major damage to
other three destroyers were more than balanced by the demise of Chicago, DeHaven and three PT boats,
as well as the damage to LaVallette; and in the air, casualties were also balanced with
56 Japanese and 53 American aircraft lost. With the conclusion of the Guadalcanal Campaign, the
8th Area Army of General Imamura now had to shift its focus to the defense of the Central Solomons,
as the Americans were set to build on their important strategic victory at Guadalcanal to
bring the fight closer and closer to the Japanese homeland. Next week, however, we’ll head back to
New Guinea to cover the direct aftermath of the Battle of Buna-Gona and the start of the
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