Allied forces, mainly consisting of American troops, had landed on Guadalcanal in August 1942 in order to deny the Japanese the use of the Solomon Islands as a base. Very early in the campaign, the US forces had captured an airfield which was under construction near Lunga Point. This airfield would later be renamed Henderson Field.
The Japanese responded to the landings on Guadalcanal by moving many regiments into the Solomon Islands. The following weeks saw many Japanese attacks on the US defences attempting to recapture the airfield and destroy the bridgehead. These were bloodily repulsed and Japanese troops were forced to retreat back into the jungle to the west of Lunga Point, withdrawing to a small village called Matanikau.
American forces began to strengthen their defensive perimeter around Lunga Point, with reinforcements arriving via naval convoys. At the same
