The Guadalcanal Campaign, fought from August 1942 to February 1943, was a crucial turning point in the Pacific Theater of World War II. Allied forces, primarily U.S. Marines, landed on Guadalcanal and other nearby islands to seize a strategically important airfield (Henderson Field) and deny its use to the Japanese. The campaign involved intense land, naval, and air battles as both sides fought for control of the island and its vital airfield. Ultimately, the Allies secured a decisive victory, pushing back the Japanese and marking a major offensive success in the Pacific.