145 - 973 rounds in 83 minutes. The Battleship Bombardment of Henderson Field

This episode looks at the IJN and IJA combined planning for the assault on Henderson's Field, including the naval gunfire from the Kongo and Haruna under Rear Admiral Kurita where 973 14-inch rounds were fired in 83 minutes. We also discuss the development of the Maruyama Trail for the approach march of the 2nd Sendai Division. This episode discusses: What happens when commanders visualise terrain from a distance rather than conduct ground reconnaissance? How does poor mapping degrade operational planning? How does confirmation bias infect intelligence assessment? What is the relationship between terrain and combat power? What munition selection tells us about the limits of naval gunfire support against land targets? How do you maximise the effect of a fire support mission through observation planning? What does the Henderson Field bombardment teach us about fire saturation and its psychological effects? How does loss of aviation fuel translate directly into loss of air superiority? What is the danger of planning based on the timeline you want rather than the timeline the terrain imposes?

Dave Holland is an ex-Marine and was posted to Guadalcanal with the Australian Federal Police. He regularly leads battlefield study tours through the area. He is a world-leading expert on the battles of Guadalcanal and author of Guadalcanal's Longest Fight - The Pivotal Battles of the Matanikau Front.

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Check out the show notes for the Guadalcanal series.

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