On Guadalcanal the Marines continued to hold out in their base area around Henderson Field. As they began to receive reinforcements General Vandegrift pushed his men out on offensive patrols. The Seabees - United States Naval Construction Battalions - were able to build a bridge over the Matanikau River at the end of October.

This enabled a Marine assault group to set out on 1st November. They found a pocket of Japanese holding out in the Point Cruz area.

In this pocket1 they killed to the last man 350 odd Japanese and captured three cannons, nine thirty-seven millimetre guns and thirty-two heavy and light machine guns.