Guadalcanal 'A Darkness Without Time'-- Part 3: Iron Bottom Sound and "Starvation Island"

So many ships were sunk from both sides in one area north of the island that it became known as Iron Bottom Sound.

There were numerous land battles, most of which ended with grim losses for the Japanese, who called Guadalcanal "Starvation Island."

Historian Richard Frank, author of the 1990 book, "Guadalcanal," said, "there's nothing really ... comparable to it in all of World War II, in terms of sustained combat in land, sea and air."

The island essentially was the line drawn in the sand for the two nations.  Despite heavy losses, both sides sent in reinforcements.  Up until now, the mighty Japanese army had rarely tasted defeat in its conquest across the Pacific and Asia.  And, it wasn't clear whether the Americans were up to stopping it.

--GreGen