Cactus Air Force
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Cactus Air Force refers to the ensemble of Allied air power assigned to the island of Guadalcanal from August 1942 until December 1942 during the most heavily contested phases of the Guadalcanal Campaign, particularly those operating from Henderson Field. The term "Cactus" comes from the Allied code name for the island. In 1943, the Cactus Air Force was absorbed into AirSols, a joint command of Allied air units in the Solomon Islands.
Aerial view of Henderson Field on Guadalcanal, 7 August 1942
A flooded coconut grove near the airfield the air wing Marines called home
General Roy Geiger (left) and Major Joe Foss, the top fighter ace on Guadalcanal
Enlisted pilots of the Tainan Kōkūtai pose at Lae in 1942. Several of these aviators would be among the top Japanese aces, including Saburō Sakai (middle row, second from left), and Hiroyoshi Nishizawa (standing, first on left). These pilots fought with Allied fighter pilots during the Battle of Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands campaign.
Guadalcanal
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Guadalcanal is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second-largest by population. The island is mainly covered in dense tropical rainforest and has a mountainous hinterland.
Honiara is the largest city of Guadalcanal and the capital of Solomon Islands.
Japanese soldiers, killed while assaulting US Marine positions at the mouth of Alligator Creek
Guadalcanal American Memorial
Memorials in Vilu War Museum