The Final Accounting Japanese forces on Guadalcanal reached a peak strength of approximately 36,000 personnel. Roughly 25,000-30,000 died: about 14,800 killed in combat, 10,000-15,000 from disease and starvation. American casualties were also severe but sustainable: approximately 1,600 killed in action, 4,200 wounded, several thousand temporarily disabled by tropical diseases. But American industry and manpower could replace these losses. New divisions were training. Ships and aircraft were being produced faster than they could be lost. The strategic initiative had permanently shifted. On February 9th, 1943, American patrols discovered Japanese forces had evacuated. General Alexander Patch sent his famous message: "Tokyo Express no longer has terminus on Guadalcanal."
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