Operation Ke

Operation Ke.
Operation Ke was the largely successful withdrawal of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands during World War II. All attempts by the Japanese army to recapture Henderson Field, the only airfield on the island being used by Allied aircraft, had been repulsed with heavy losses. Japanese ground forces had been reduced from 36,000 to 11,000 through starvation, disease, and battle casualties. Attempting to reinforce and resupply the ground forces on the island, Japanese naval forces were also suffering heavy losses of troops and matériel, including a submarine sunk in late January (wreckage pictured). The main withdrawal was carried out on the nights of 1, 4, and 7 February by destroyers. The Japanese evacuated 10,652 men from Guadalcanal, of whom 600 died during the withdrawal. On 9 February, Allied forces realized that the Japanese were gone and declared Guadalcanal secure, ending the six-month campaign for control of the island.