Neptune’s Inferno: The U. S. Navy at Guadalcanal by James D. Hornfischer

From the Prologue: “The American landing on Guadalcanal developed into the most sustained and vicious fight of the Pacific war. Seven major naval actions were the result, five of them principally ship-versus-ship battles fought at night, coined for the waters that hosted most of the carnage, “Ironbottom Sound,” suited the startling scale of destruction: The U. S. Navy lost twenty-four major warships; the Japanese lost twenty-four. Aircraft losses, too, were nearly equal: America lost 436, Japan 440. The human toll was horrific. Ashore, U. S. Marine and Army killed in action were 1,592 (out of 60,000 landed). The number of Americans killed at sea topped five thousand. Japanese deaths set the bloody pace for the rest of the war, with 20,800 soldiers lost on the island and probably 4,000 sailors at sea.”

Read about Guadalcanal through the eyes of the Navy: 940.54265933 HORNF in the new book section of the library.