During the campaign on Guadalcanal, a motley collection of Marine Corps pilots and downed Naval aviators unable to return to their ships were instrumental in defending the Marines’ tenuous foothold on the island. They came to be known as the Cactus Air Force (Cactus was the island’s code name), and flew from Henderson Field, a captured airstrip named after a Marine pilot killed during the Battle of Midway.
For weeks and months, the two sides battled for the island, and control of the airfield was pivotal to the American defenses. The Marines held the perimeter around Henderson Field, enduring frequent air strikes, shelling by Japanese ships, and repeated attacks by Japanese ground forces. The primary aircraft flown by the Marine and Navy pilots was the F4F Wildcat fighter, which was generally slower and less maneuverable than the Japanese A6M Zero fighters they faced, but also far more durable. The American pilots also adapted techniques to level the playing field, and the results were impressive. Any pilot who downed at least five enemy planes was considered an ace, but Marine Captain Joseph Foss, raised just outside Sioux Falls, South Dakota, proved a master at aerial combat. Despite not arriving on Guadalcanal until October 1942, Foss shot down more than two dozen enemy planes with his Wildcat in just six weeks. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his exploits, and after the war, became the governor of South Dakota and later commissioner of a professional football league. He passed away in 2003 at the age of 87.
