When 2,500 Lost to 800 Marines - The First Major Defeat of the Japanese Army at Edson's Ridge

Having seized the initiative on the seas of the Pacific Theater of World War 2, the United States pressed its advantage by launching ground campaigns to capture the Solomon Islands. By August of 1942, the Americans made their first moves to dislodge the Japanese from the South Pacific in the Battle of Guadalcanal. After establishing an initial foothold with Marine landings, the United States quickly found itself on the defensive. It would be the first time they faced off against a major Japanese Army unit.

Lieutenant Colonel Merritt Edson would lead the defense of Hill 123 at Lunga Ridge on Guadalcanal from September 12th to the 14th. Facing three Japanese soldiers for every American, Edson’s unit fought valiantly to defend the key strategic location overlooking Henderson Airfield. At nightfall, under absolute darkness, they stood their ground against incessant waves of Japanese soldiers sent by General Kawaguchi. Against all odds, the American troops defending the ridge shifted the landscape of the entire war, marking the beginning of Japan’s defeat in the South Pacific.