Page "Battle of Tassafaronga" Paragraph 4

The 2, 000 – 3, 000 Japanese personnel present on the islands were taken by surprise, and by nightfall on August 8 the 11, 000 Allied troops, under the command of Lieutenant General Alexander Vandegrift, secured Tulagi and nearby small islands as well as the Japanese airfield under construction at Lunga Point on Guadalcanal.

The Allies later renamed the airfield Henderson Field.

Allied aircraft operating out of Henderson were called the " Cactus Air Force " ( CAF ) after the Allied code name for Guadalcanal.

To protect the airfield, the US Marines established a perimeter defense around Lunga Point.

Additional reinforcements over the next two months increased the number of US troops at Lunga Point on Guadalcanal to more than 20, 000.