Matanikau Offensive

Matanikau Offensive
Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II
U.S. Marines cross the Matanikau River on a raft ferry in November 1942
Date 1–4 November 1942 Location Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands Result United States victory
Belligerents
United States	Japan
Commanders and leaders
Alexander Vandegrift, Merritt A. Edson	Harukichi Hyakutake, Tadashi Sumiyoshi, Nomasu Nakaguma †
Strength
4,000 1st Marine Division 2nd Marine Regiment Americal Division	1,000
Casualties and losses
71 killed	400 killed

4,000

Coordinates: 9°26′6.33″S 159°57′4.46″E / 9.4350917°S 159.9512389°E / -9.4350917; 159.9512389 The Matanikau Offensive, from 1–4 November 1942, sometimes referred to as the Fourth Battle of the Matanikau, was an engagement between United States (U.S.) Marine and Army and Imperial Japanese Army forces around the Matanikau River and Point Cruz area on Guadalcanal during the Guadalcanal campaign of World War II. The action was one of the last of a series of engagements between U.S. and Japanese forces near the Matanikau River during the campaign.

In the engagement, seven battalions of U.S. Marine and Army troops under the overall command of Alexander Vandegrift and tactical command of Merritt A. Edson, following up on the U.S. victory in the Battle for Henderson Field, crossed the Matanikau River and attacked Japanese Army units between the river and Point Cruz, on the northern Guadalcanal coast. The area was defended by the Japanese Army's 4th Infantry Regiment under Nomasu Nakaguma along with various other support troops, under the overall command of Harukichi Hyakutake. After inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese defenders, U.S. forces halted the offensive and temporarily withdrew because of a perceived threat from Japanese forces elsewhere in the Guadalcanal area.

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