The basic sources for this pamphlet were the second volume in the series _History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II, Isolation of Rabaul_, written by Henry I. Shaw, Jr. and Maj Douglas T. Kane, USMC (Washington: Historical Branch, G-3 Division, HQMC, 1963), and Maj John T. Rentz, USMCR, _Marines in the Central Solomons_ (Washington: Historical Branch, HQMC, 1952). Other books used in this narrative were: Adm William F. Halsey and J. Bryan III, _Admiral Halsey’s Story_ (New York, McGraw Hill, 1947); Saburo Hayashi and Alvin D. Coox, _Kogun, The Japanese Army in the Pacific_ (Quantico: Marine Corps Association, 1959); RAdm Samuel E. Morison, _Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier: History of U.S. Naval Operations in World War II_, vol VI (Boston: Little Brown and Company, 1950); Robert L. Sherrod, _History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II_ (Washington: Combat Forces Press, 1952); Charles A. Updegraph, Jr., _U.S. Marine Corps Special Units of World War II_ (Washington: History and Museums Division, HQMC, 1972); Col Joseph E. Zimmer, _The History of the 43d Infantry Division_ (Baton Rouge, LA: Army and Navy Publishing Co., 1947); John Miller, Jr., _Cartwheel: The Reduction of Rabaul_ (Washington: Office of the Chief of Military History, Department of the Army, 1959). In addition, in the Marine Corps Historical Center, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., are the Marine Corps Archives, which contain much primary source material produced by the Marine Corps units in the fighting in the Central Solomons. Also in the Center are the Oral History and Personal Papers Collections, containing many first-hand accounts of the operation. The author wishes to thank members of the raider, aviation, and defense battalion reunion groups and associations which provided letters, manuscripts, and recollections to aid in the writing of this history. _About the Author_ [Illustration] Major Charles D. Melson, USMC (Retired) is originally from the San Fransciso Bay area. He is married to Janet Ann Pope, a former Navy Nurse. Major Melson completed graduate education at St. John’s College in Annapolis. He is a coauthor of _The War that Would Not End_, a volume in the official history of Marine Corps operations in Vietnam, and is the author of _Vietnam Marines_. He served as a historian in the Marine Corps Historical Center, Washington Navy Yard, for six years and continues to deal with the past as the director of The Queen Anne’s Museum of Eastern Shore Life in Maryland. Major Melson was a Marine for 25 years, 1967 to 1992, and served in Vietnam in a variety of Fleet Marine Force positions. He was a history instructor at the United States Naval Academy, and served also at Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps. [Illustration]