Guadalcanal's Longest Fight

The Pivotal Battles of the Matanikau Front

Dave R. Holland, Colonel Jon T. Hoffman

$85

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Casemate
01 November 2025

History; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Military history; Second World War; Battles & campaigns

The Matanikau battles proved to be the critical turning points in the land campaign for Guadalcanal-the campaign's longest and bloodiest ground fight. A fivemonth conflict raged along the river and its basin. The real importance of this area has long remained unrecognized, yet the American and Japanese forces that fought over it knew that it wa the key to the ultimate prize of Henderson Airfield. In this milelong bloody tugofwar from the river across to the hills and ravines were fought seven major battles and countless smaller skirmishes. While countless books have been published on the Guadalcanal Campaign; none have concentrated on the pivotal battles of the Matanikau basin. Extensively researched, this first indepth study of these important battles, objectively showing all sides, fills in this crucial missing piece of the history of the Guadalcanal campaign. The wellknown Guadalcanal battlefield guide Dave Holland spent three years walking the battlefields, researching, and documenting what he found. His unparalleled knowledge of the ground enables him to take the reader along with the men on the ground. Using his investigative skills and military background, he provides a fresh, detailed, and often completely new view of the land campaign, establishing previously unknown facts and specifically illustrating their significance as the campaign's land turning points.

AUTHOR: Dave Holland is wellknown as an expert Guadalcanal battlefield guide. He served eight years in the U.S. Marines as an infantryman, along with over 26 years as a law enforcement investigator. He lived on Guadalcanal for three years, walking the ground, researching and documenting. Dave is also the owner of the very popular Facebook and YouTube sites: Guadalcanal-Walking a Battlefield. He has appeared in many podcasts and shows discussing the Guadalcanal land campaign. He lives in Canberra, Australia, and returns to Guadalcanal yearly. Guadalcanal's Longest Fight is a culmination of his years of research and walking the ground.

By: Dave R. Holland
Foreword by: Colonel Jon T. Hoffman
Imprint: Casemate
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781636245843
ISBN 10: 1636245846
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 01 November 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Preface Acknowledgements Chapter 1: The reaction of the enemy to our seizure of his Solomon bases was immediate Chapter 2: The Matanikau Hornet Nest Chapter 3: They Fought to Annihilation Chapter 4: Marines never retreat. What should I do? Chapter 5: If you didn’t have patience, you were going to die Chapter 6: They were tired men Chapter 7: We’ve had a killing day Chapter 8: Just give your soul to the Lord and let’s go Chapter 9: As rising suns sank ours rose Chapter 10: TBA Chapter 11: The truth is that we must starve to death Chapter 12: Conclusion

Dave Holland is wellknown as an expert Guadalcanal battlefield guide. He served eight years in the U.S. Marines as an infantryman, along with over 26 years as a law enforcement investigator. He lived on Guadalcanal for three years, walking the ground, researching and documenting. Dave is also the owner of the very popular Facebook and YouTube sites: Guadalcanal—Walking a Battlefield. He has appeared in many podcasts and shows discussing the Guadalcanal land campaign. He lives in Canberra, Australia, and returns to Guadalcanal yearly. Guadalcanal’s Longest Fight is a culmination of his years of research and walking the ground.

Reviews for Guadalcanal's Longest Fight: The Pivotal Battles of the Matanikau Front

""Drawing from previously unknown and unused sources, Holland paints a vivid picture of the desperate fights that broke the back of the Japanese forces ashore during that pivotal period of 1942. Holland's ground-breaking account is vital to the understanding of the struggle to secure America's first major land victory in the Pacific.""--Seth Paridon, Historian, Deputy Director, Mississippi Armed Forces Museum ""I am one of countless others who for decades have read everything I can find on Guadalcanal. Hence, I was amazed to read all the 'new material' in this professionally written book. Many of the fights are mentioned in other books, like USMC monograph[s] or personal accounts and histories. But never in the level of detail that is in this book. Not just the tactical maneuvering but vivid descriptions of individual Marines and small unit actions. Not just 1st or 5th Marines and the Raiders, but less covered units like the 6th and 8th Marines, units of the Army's Americal and 25th Infantry Division. If you consider yourself well-read on Guadalcanal, I think you will be surprised when you finish this book.""--Sergeant Major Bert Caloud, USMC (Ret.) ""Short of trekking to the Soloman Islands on your own, this book is as close to Guadalcanal as a reader can get.""--Colonel Barry F. Graham, USA (Ret.), College Station, Texas ""Guadalcanal's Longest Fight is an essential read for military history enthusiasts and scholars of the Pacific Theatre of World War II. It fills a significant gap in the historical record of the Guadalcanal campaign and provides valuable insights into a critical phase of the Pacific War.""--Dr Peter Williams, author of The Kokoda Campaign 1942: Myth and Reality