Military Snapshot - Henderson Field, October 1942

Named after USMC Major Lofton Henderson, Henderson Field was perhaps the most important airstrip of the entire Pacific War. Control of the airstrip was the focus of months of fighting in the Guadalcanal campaign. In 1942 the airfield was under construction by the Imperial Japanese Army when captured by American forces. When October 1942 ended, Henderson Field remained firmly in American hands and the soon-to-be-legendary Cactus Air Force was still flying, better and stronger than ever. Photo courtesy of USMC, from Guadalcanal: The U.S. Marines in World War II: A Pictorial Tribute by Eric Hammel.