Angkatan Udara Kaktus: Perbedaan antara revisi

{{Infobox military unit

|unit_name= Cactus Air Force

|caption=Pesawat Angkatan Udara Kaktus di [[Lapangan Udara Henderson]], [[Guadalkanal]], Oktober 1942

|dates= 20 Agustus 1942 – April 1943

Para ahli strategi Sekutu mengetahui [[Angkatan Laut Kekaisaran Jepang]] telah [[Invasi Tulagi|menduduki Tulagi]] pada bulan Mei 1942, dan telah membangun pangkalan pesawat terbang laut di dekat Tulagi. Kekhawatiran Sekutu makin bertambah besar setelah pada bulan Juli 1942, Angkatan Laut Jepang mulai membangun lapangan terbang yang cukup besar di Guadalkanal yang berdekatan dengan Tulagi, tepatnya di dekat [[Tanjung Lunga]]. Pangkalan-pangkalan Jepang tersebut, bila selesai, dapat dipakai Jepang untuk melindungi pangkalan utama mereka di [[Rabaul]], mengancam jalur komunikasi dan logistik Sekutu di Pasifik Selatan hingga ke Australia dan Selandia Baru, serta dipakai sebagai daerah tumpuan untuk ofensif berikutnya di [[Hebrida Baru]], [[Fiji]], [[Samoa]], dan [[Kaledonia Baru]].<ref>Frank, ''Guadalcanal'', p. 23-31, 129, 628.</ref><ref>Smith, ''Bloody Ridge'', p. 5.</ref>

 

Rencana Sekutu untuk menyerang selatan Kepulauan Solomon merupakan usulan dari Panglima Tertinggi [[Armada Amerika Serikat]] Laksamana [[Ernest King]]. King mengusulkan ofensif balas untuk menggagalkan usaha Jepang memakai Kepulauan Solomon selatan sebagai [[pangkalan militer]] untuk mengancam rute logistik antara Amerika Serikat dan Australia. Bila dapat direbut, Sekutu akan menggunakannya sebagai titik awal untuk melancarkan [[kampanye militer]] yang bertujuan mengisolir pangkalan utama Jepang di Rabaul, dan sekaligus untuk mendukung [[kampanye Nugini]] oleh Sekutu. Semua rencana Sekutu bertujuan akhir membuka jalan bagi Amerika Serikat untuk merebut kembali Filipina.<ref>Morison, ''Struggle for Guadalcanal'', p. 12.</ref> Panglima Tertinggi Sekutu untuk kawasan Pasifik, Laksamana (AS) [[Chester Nimitz]] menetapkan medan perang Pasifik Selatan berada di bawah komando Laksamana Madya Robert L. Ghormley pada 19 Juni 1942, sebagai pemimpin ofensif Sekutu di Kepulauan Solomon.<ref>Murray, ''War to be Won'', p. 199-200 dan Lundstrom, ''Guadalcanal Campaign'', p. 5.</ref>

 

 

== Lapangan Udara Henderson ==

 

Ketika pesawat-pesawat pertama mulai berdatangan, Lapangan Udara Henderson hampir tidak dapat dikatakan sebagai lapangan terbang. Lapangan terbang ini dibangun di bekas perkebunan kelapa. Landas pacu juga terlalu pendek dan hanya ada beberapa tembok pelindung untuk melindungi pesawat dari pecahan peluru.<ref>Hubler and Dechant ''Flying Leathernecks'', p. 40-41.</ref> Setelah mendarat di Lapangan Udara Henderson pada 4 September 1942, Kolonel W. Fiske Marshall, Perwira Komando Gugus Pesawat Marinir 25, menggambarkan kondisi lapangan terbang ini "terlihat seperti lukisan neraka karya [[Gustave Doré|Doré]]."<ref>Hubler and De Chant (1944) p.154</ref>

 

== Kondisi tempat tinggal ==

 

Kondisi kehidupan di Guadalkanal termasuk salah satu kondisi paling sulit yang pernah dihadapi penerbangan Marinir Amerika Serikat. Penerbang dan mekanik tinggal di tenda-tenda berlantai lumpur di hutan pohon kelapa yang selalu banjir, hingga tempat ini dijuluki "Kebun Nyamuk". Kondisi tempat tinggal selama bertugas di tempat ini menyebabkan sebagian besar Marinir terjangkit penyakit tropis seperti [[malaria]], [[disentri]], [[demam berdarah]], atau [[Mikosis|infeksi jamur]].<ref>Camp, ''Leatherneck Legends'', p.100.</ref> Pada malam hari, kapal-kapal perang Jepang secara periodik melakukan bombardemen terhadap lapangan terbang. Pada siang hari, tembakan artileri Jepang juga sering mengganggu. Tanggal 13-14 Oktober 1942 merupakan malam terburuk dari serangkaian bombardemen ke Lapangan Udara Henderson. Dua kapal tempur Jepang menembakkan lebih dari 700 peluru meriam kaliber besar ke tempat ini untuk memberikan perlindungan bagi tentara angkatan laut dan angkatan darat Jepang yang didaratkan jauh di bagian barat Guadalkanal.

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