Seventy Years Ago: Guadalcanal From Japan Point Of View

I just came across a really interesting historical article on Japanese plans for Guadalcanal, what they were attempting and why, and the Battle of Savo Island from their point of view. The article makes it plain that senior Japanese officers were consummate professionals.

By comparison with their US counterparts, Japanese Naval Officers had more difficulty coordinating Naval Operations with those of the Army. Unlike Nimitz and Halsey, who moved Army aircraft around as they wished, Japanese Naval Officers had no control over Japanese Army aircraft. This was a serious operational problem.

Another operational shortcoming for the Japanese is that their communications intelligence organization was not nearly as effective as ours. That's why they were caught completely off guard when the Marines stormed ashore on Guadalcanal in August.

It's a long article, but tells a very interesting story.