Guadalcanal's Longest Fight by Dave R. Holland

Guadalcanal's Longest Fight: The Pivotal Battles of the Matanikau Front by Dave R. Holland -304 pages

The Matanikau River bordered the right (western) flank of the U.S. Marines’ position on Guadalcanal Island and became heavily contested through six battles against the Japanese. The Japanese were trying to retake the airfields on Guadalcanal and pressed toward the Matanikau to place large artillery close enough to shell the U.S. perimeter. Many books on the campaign have covered the fighting closer to the U.S. perimeter, but this maybe the only book that has focused on the battles to the west. The author has spent many years as a guide on the island and is very familiar with the locations described. The author also had access to Japanese records not previously evaluated. It was enlightening to learn about the vast amount of artillery, aircraft, and naval resources involved in this campaign in addition to the hard fighting on the ground by marines and army units.