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'Visiting Guadalcanal is like standing on the shores of Spain and looking toward Trafalgar, like walking the fields of Gettysburg. The entire island is a monument to the courage of free men who threw back the rampaging enemy. Although I knew it well during the war, I was moved to deep spiritual excitement when I saw it again, and I feel certain that any American visitor will have the same reaction.'
'This area is a virgin battlefield of unexplored and fascinating dimensions for the history buffs of WW2 battles. With advance preparation, any RAIDER who fought here would feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise as he made discovery after discovery of his memories. The jungle smells and sounds along with the silent unchanged war relics arouse emotions of war...long since thought buried and forgotten.'
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7 August 2022 to 9 February 2023 will mark the 80th anniversary of the Guadalcanal Campaign - the turning point of the Pacific War. Admiral "Bull" Halsey famously wrote: 'Before Guadalcanal, the enemy advanced at his pleasure. After Guadalcanal, he retreated at ours.'
Guadalcanal was America’s first amphibious offensive of WW2, the first major Allied offensive of the Pacific War, and Allied victory on Guadalcanal turned the tide and shattered the very real and permeating myth of Japanese invincibility. As a result, Japan was on the retreat for the first time in the war, and the Allied offensive continued up the long Solomons archipelago, and thus began, the hard, long, and bloody island-hopping road to Tokyo. The Allied land offensive in the Solomon Islands lasted from 7 AUG. 1942 to 21 AUG. 1945. Allied victory on these "islands of destiny" turned the tide of WW2 in the Pacific. The Solomon Islands was a major theatre of the war; one of the longest lasting and one of the largest areas of operation of the entire Pacific War. In light of the 80th anniversary, and to maximize participation for this special anniversary expedition, we will be offering three options to join our VICTORY IN THE SOLOMONS expedition to the remote and WW2 heritage-rich Solomon Islands.
Throughout the course of the expedition we will be visiting battlefields in Solomon Islands where elements of the following US and New Zealand units and divisions (and elements attached to) were engaged in combat: 
EXPEDITION OPTIONS
OPTION #1: The full 27-day expedition to Guadalcanal and all significant WW2 sites in Solomon Islands, and WW2 sites on Viti Levu, Fiji. Islands in the Solomons that will be visited:
OPTION #2: Guadalcanal 14-day expedition. Islands in the Solomons that will be visited:
OPTION #3: Guadalcanal 10-day expedition. Islands in the Solomons that will be visited:
INCLUSIONS
INCLUSIONS: roundtrip airfare from LAX or SFO (TBD); all hotel accommodations; ground, air, & sea transport; all entrance & land access fees; some meals; services of expert historians & guides; two 1 QT bottled waters per day; expedition hat; expedition t-shirts; expedition drawstring bag; expedition luggage tags; expedition field book containing historical information & maps; name badge. NON-NORTH AMERICAN TRAVELERS
We welcome, encourage, and invite participants from anywhere in the world to join us on our Guadalcanal 80th anniversary expedition to the Solomon Islands. For travelers outside of North America, the expedition cost will be reduced as it will not include airfare to and from the Solomon Islands. Non-North American travelers will have to coordinate and purchase their own airfare to and from the Solomon Islands. Please contact us at expeditions@war-historian.com for further information. People from anywhere in the world can go on our expeditions! VACCINE REQUIREMENTS & HEALTH PRECAUTIONS
Being fully vaccinated with one of the COVID-19 vaccines is a requirement for entry into Solomon Islands and Fiji, and a requirement for participation in our expedition, and what looks to be a requirement for international travel for the foreseeable future. Currently, with the exception of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate, there are no other required vaccinations to enter Solomon Islands and Fiji. Although not a requirement to participate in our expedition, we strongly recommend taking the following health precautions: Vaccinations:
Additional Measures:
WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF YOUR ANCESTOR
We make every effort to get you to the exact spots where your ancestor(s) served. Our expeditions are bespoke, and we take great pride in getting you to the exact spots where they were and to walk in their footsteps. SEE THE PLACES YOU WANT TO SEE
Our expeditions are bespoke and designed for customization based on participant’s requests. We make every effort to visit places of special interests to our guests (be it WW2, cultural, or otherwise). If you have any specific requests please do let us know in advance of the expedition, but chances are it is already on our itinerary as our expeditions are very in-depth. We go to many places that are difficult to get to and few to no organized tours attempt to go to. Working on writing a book or researching a particular subject? We will get you to the places you need to see and experience first-hand! MEDAL OF HONOR BATTLEFIELDS
Walk in the footsteps of Medal of Honor heroes!
34 Medals of Honor were awarded for the campaigns in the Solomon Islands. Throughout the course of the expedition we will be visiting many sites associated with the Medal of Honor. WAR HISTORIAN BATTLEFIELD EXPEDTIONS is unique in that we are the only tour operator that gets to all of the land Medal of Honor action sites in the Solomons! This is something we take a great deal of pride in, and have done considerable work and research to make happen as many of the locations are difficult to get to. Some of the Medal of Honor actions we even have the ability to retrace in almost real-time! For participants of the 27-day, 14-day, and 10-day expedition options, sites on Guadalcanal will be visited associated with the following 10 Medal of Honor recipients (plus 5 more from the naval actions - Norman Scott, Daniel J. Callaghan, Bruce McCandless, Herbert E. Schonland, Reinhardt J. Keppler - if you count the waters between Guadalcanal and Savo Island)(Also, the runways where Medal of Honor missions took off from and the airfields where these famous aviators operated from will be visited). We will be on Guadalcanal for the 80th anniversaries of the John Basilone and Mitchell Paige Medal of Honor actions, and we plan to be at those respective sites on their respective anniversaries. GUADALCANAL:
For participants of the full 27-day expedition, sites in the New Georgia Islands associated with the following 4 Medal of Honor recipients will be visited (Jefferson DeBlanc's Medal of Honor action happened over the skies of the New Georgia Islands, but we will pick up his footsteps from the point when he gets shot down and his escape and evasion).
NEW GEORGIA ISLANDS:
For participants of the optional 6-day Tarawa extension, sites associated with the following 4 Medal of Honor recipients will be visited.
TARAWA:
MARINE RAIDER BATTLEFIELDS
Throughout the course of the expedition we will be visiting many sites associated with the elite US Marine Raiders. We will be going to many places in Solomon Islands of significance to the Raiders that are difficult to get to and few to no organized tours attempt to go to.
No organized tours go to Tasimboko, and with the exception of maybe Mount Austen, none go to sites related to Carlson's Long Patrol. So WAR HISTORIAN BATTLEFIELD EXPEDITIONS is quite unique in this regard!
Additionally, for participants of the full 27-day expedition, battlefields in the New Georgia Islands associated with the 1st and 4th Raider Battalions will be visited. Very few people have explored these battlefields. Key Raider sites to include (but not limited to): NEW GEORGIA ISLANDS
PT BOATS, JFK & PT-109
War Remnants Abound
The battlefields of the Solomon Islands are remote and among the best preserved of the entire Pacific War. Relics, large and small, abound and the Pacific War is still very much tangible. The Solomons offers more war sites and relics than any other locale in the Pacific. Today, largely undeveloped, virgin, and overgrown by jungle, the islands of the Solomons remain full of remnants of WW2: shipwrecks, vehicles, crashed planes, military gear, battlefield debris, and many bodies still lie where they fell.
SIGN UP & Registration
The first step is to complete this requisite online form. Upon receipt of the completed online form, we will be in contact and provide you with the expedition registration form along with our terms & conditions. Along with the completed expedition registration form a deposit of $3,500.00 USD per person will be required to secure your spot(s). PAYMENT
4-ways to pay:
A deposit of $3,500.00 USD per person is required to secure a spot on the expedition. The balance is due 30 days prior to expedition departure. Installment payments are accepted, with final installment being made 30 days prior to expedition departure. QUESTIONS
Please direct any questions you may have to: expeditions@war-historian.com WHY TRAVEL WITH WHBE
Why travel with WAR HISTORIAN BATTLEFIELD EXPEDITIONS? Here are just a few reasons...
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'The very atmosphere of a battle defies description and eludes the imagination. Words cannot convey even a suggestion of the sounds heard and the emotions felt, when every faculty is heightened, when every nerve is tense.' |
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