Lt. John P. Sigman - Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-212

The Battle for Guadalcanal

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The Battle for Guadalcanal (Aug 1942 - Feb 1943) was the first major land offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan. The Marines landed on Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942, their mission to capture a nearly completed Japanese airfield (soon to be named Henderson Field). The Japanese counterattacked with massive air, naval and ground forces.

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Marine Fighting Squadron 212 (VMF-212) -- the "Hell Hounds" -- and their Grumman F4F Wildcats were deployed in May 1942 to the South Pacific island of Efate in the New Hebrides in preparation for the Guadalcanal invasion. ("Efate looked like a tropical paradise, but combat there was a tropical hell of mud, malaria and madness.")

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During the early part of the Guadalcanal campaign, VMF-212 sent detachments to operate with Cactus Air Force squadrons at Henderson Field; by mid-October, the entire squadron was committed to the battle. The Hell Hounds acquired an enviable record by destroying over 60 Japanese planes; Lt. Sigman was credited with four kills. Lt. Col Harold Bauer, the squadron's first Commanding Officer, was credited with 11 kills and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his valor.