Carlson's patrol

Carlson's Patrol
Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II
Native Solomon Islanders guide US 2nd Marine Raiders in pursuit of Japanese forces on Guadalcanal in November 1942
Date 6 November – 4 December 1942 Location Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands Result Allied victory
Belligerents
United States  Australia British Solomon Islands	Imperial Japan
Commanders and leaders
Alexander Vandegrift Evans Carlson	Harukichi Hyakutake Toshinari Shōji
Strength
700[1] 2nd Marine Raider Battalion	2,500[2]
Casualties and losses
16 killed 17 wounded 2 wounded[3]	488 killed[4]

9°26′6.33″S 159°57′4.46″E / 9.4350917°S 159.9512389°E / -9.4350917; 159.9512389

Carlson's patrol, also known as The Long Patrol or Carlson's long patrol, was an operation by the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion under the command of Evans Carlson during the Guadalcanal campaign against the Imperial Japanese Army from 6 November to 4 December 1942. In the operation, the 2nd Raiders attacked forces under the command of Toshinari Shōji, which were escaping from an attempted encirclement in the Koli Point area on Guadalcanal and attempting to rejoin other Japanese army units on the opposite side of the U.S. Lunga perimeter.

In a series of small unit engagements over 29 days, the 2nd Raiders killed almost 500 Japanese soldiers while suffering 16 killed, although many were afflicted by disease. The Raiders also captured a Japanese field gun that was harassing Henderson Field, the Allied airfield at Lunga Point on Guadalcanal.