• LIFE

Portrait From the Brutal Pacific: ‘Skull on a Tank,’ Guadalcanal, 1942

7 minute read

In February 1943, LIFE magazine published a series of photographs from Guadalcanal—the largest of the Solomon Islands and the site of the Allies’ first, pivotal offensive in the Pacific during World War II.

One of those pictures, made by a 25-year-old LIFE photographer named Ralph Morse, instantly struck a nerve with the magazine’s millions of readers. Seven decades later, it remains one of the most unsettling images to emerge from any war. Morse’s picture (the first in this gallery) of a severed Japanese soldier’s head impaled on a tank captures more graphically and immediately than volumes of words ever could the relentless and often casual barbarity of war.

Here, seven decades after the end of that critical campaign, LIFE.com presents not only Morse’s memories of how he made that photograph but also other pictures from Guadalcanal, photos that ran in LIFE and many more (by Morse and two other staffers, the brothers Joe and Frank Scherschel) that were never published in the magazine.

The caption that accompanied Morse’s disquieting photo in the Feb. 1, 1943, issue of LIFE read, “A Japanese soldier’s skull is propped up on a burned-out Jap [sic] tank by U.S. troops. Fire destroyed the rest of the corpse.”

Morse, however—still remarkably spry at 96—remembers it a bit differently. As anyone with even a passing knowledge of World War II knows, U.S. troops (and troops of every other country who fought in the long, brutal conflict) sometimes engaged in the sort of grisly behavior evinced in Morse’s photograph. But in the photographer’s recollections of that day, it seemed just as likely that the Japanese were the ones who placed the torched skull on that ruined tank as a gruesome trap for curious Americans.

“The Army had taken over from the Marines,” Morse tells LIFE.com, setting the scene on Guadalcanal in late 1942, “and I was traveling with a group of soldiers on patrol. In the forests on those islands, you had to walk in a single line. The brush was so damn thick that if you didn’t keep your eye on the shoes of the guy in front of you, you were lost. I think it was three or four days of solid walking, but we were fine.” A pause. Then, “We were all young,” he says, a hint of wonder in his voice.

For its part, LIFE described Guadalcanal’s terrain this way: “The jungle is a solid wall of vegetable growth, a hundred feet tall. There are huge palm leaves, elephant-ear leaves of the taro, ferns and jagged leaves of the banana trees all tangled together in a fantastic web. Near the ground are thousands of kinds of insects, praying mantises, ants and spiders . . . In such hot, damp weather mosquitoes live luxuriantly. Sometimes they imbed themselves so deeply in the soldiers’ flesh, they have to be cut out.”

“We came to a big opening on the beach,” Morse says, “and there was a tank with a skull on it, right near the turret. The sergeant leading the patrol looks at it and says, ‘Guys, that skull has been put there for a reason, and the Japanese have probably got mortar shells aimed right at this spot.’ A disgusting scene like that will always draw people in, and the idea, of course, was that any American troops who came along would obviously want to stop and take a look.

“‘Everybody stay away from there,’ the sergeant says, then he turns to me. ‘You,’ he says, ‘go take your picture if you have to, then get out, quick.’ So I went over, got my pictures and ran like hell back to where the patrol had stopped.”

Asked when he was able to see the photos he made on Guadalcanal, or in any of the other places he shot during the war, in the Pacific and across Europe, Morse laughs and says, “Not until a copy of the magazine arrived—months later, sometimes—or until after we went back to the States.”

Unbidden, he offers a revealing glimpse into the logistics of photographing in a war zone in the early 1940s, and the creative measures photographers invented in order to get the job done.

“Before flying to where the fighting was, you went to the PX in Honolulu,” Morse explains—the PX (or post exchange) that operates on military bases all over the globe—”and you bought a big box of condoms. When you were out shooting in the jungle or on the beaches, you wrote your captions and dropped them into a condom with your undeveloped film, tied it in a knot and stuffed that in an envelope—and hoped everything would stay dry.

“Then, when you got to a place where there was a ship or a plane heading out, you’d send the film back to the States. It would always go straight to the censors in Washington, and then the stuff that was okay would be sent on to the magazine or newspaper or wherever. But because we didn’t see the developed film for weeks or months, sometimes we didn’t even know if our cameras were working! They could be broken, and we wouldn’t know. We just kept shooting. I think I first saw that picture of the skull after I got malaria and the Army shipped me back home. I finally saw the photo at the LIFE offices in New York.”

One last point worth stressing: Ralph Morse was lucky even to be alive in late 1942, when he made that photo of the skull. A few months before, he had been aboard the heavy cruiser U.S.S. Vincennes when it was sunk by Japanese torpedoes during the Battle of Savo Island, not far from Guadalcanal. In John Loengard’s 1998 book, LIFE Photographers: What They Saw, Morse describes the action on the Vincennes:

Off Guadalcanal in 1942, at one o’clock in the morning . . . they sound general quarters. I roll out of bed and throw on my clothes, run out and get up on deck because we’re being pounded.

It’s jet black, but we’re throwing flares up, and boats are blowing up. It was like a movie set. . . . Pieces of the boat kept getting blown away, and you don’t get scratched, but the people you’re with are no longer there. We started to list over, the deck was so slippery with blood that it was like an ice skating rink. The captain gave orders to get the wounded into the water. Well, at that point you’re not taking pictures. You’re throwing wounded. You’re covered with blood. Guys are screaming. . . . But it ends, and the battle’s over, the light went down.

Orders came to abandon ship. I went over the side with one of the ship’s photographers, and we were short one life preserver. We had five people and four life preservers. So we kept passing one around. You could float on your back for a while, and then, as we floated around, we met more and more groups. We used to play bridge, and two of my bridge partners floated by, so we spent the rest of the night floating by people asking if they played bridge — to keep from worrying about sharks. We were very lucky that night because there was all that blood in the water, but with all the depth charges being thrown I guess every shark in his right mind had got out of there. We were picked up around six hours later by destroyers.

Morse remained with LIFE, covering every imaginable type of storyfrom the Space Race to sports (he made the single most famous picture of Jackie Robinson) to Broadwayfor the next 30 years, until the magazine finally folded as a weekly in 1972.

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Severed head of a Japanese soldier, propped up on a disabled tank, Guadalcanal, 1942.
Severed head of a Japanese soldier, propped up on a disabled tank, Guadalcanal, 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
"By a foxhole near top of grassy knoll, battle-stained U.S. soldiers clean their guns after action. On Guadalcanal, it is wise always to be near a foxhole."
Caption from LIFE. "By a foxhole near top of grassy knoll, battle-stained U.S. soldiers clean their guns after action. On Guadalcanal, it is wise always to be near a foxhole."Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
"Through dense jungles near foot of grassy knoll, American soldiers make their careful way on patrol."
Caption from LIFE. "Through dense jungles near foot of grassy knoll, American soldiers make their careful way on patrol."Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
U.S. troops investigate an abandoned Japanese bivouac area, Guadalcanal, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. U.S. troops investigate an abandoned Japanese bivouac area, Guadalcanal, 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Jap [sic] bones and skulls are found in an evacuated Jap bivouac area. The stench of the dead bodies is always heavy in such places."
Caption from LIFE. "Jap [sic] bones and skulls are found in an evacuated Jap bivouac area. The stench of the dead bodies is always heavy in such places."Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
"Supplies are lugged to the front, down a hill and across a narrow valley to another steep hill. On the side of the hill are foxholes and dugouts where U.S. troops are living while waiting to be moved to the front line."
Caption from LIFE. "Supplies are lugged to the front, down a hill and across a narrow valley to another steep hill. On the side of the hill are foxholes and dugouts where U.S. troops are living while waiting to be moved to the front line."Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image
"On his back a wiry, stooped U.S. infantryman, smoking an old pipe, carries a heavy container filled with supplies up over the hills to the front."
Caption from LIFE. "On his back a wiry, stooped U.S. infantryman, smoking an old pipe, carries a heavy container filled with supplies up over the hills to the front."Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
"Barbed wire is carried forward. This will be useful, once a position has been secured, in defending it against further Jap [sic] attacks."
Caption from LIFE. "Barbed wire is carried forward. This will be useful, once a position has been secured, in defending it against further Jap [sic] attacks."Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
"Wounded on litters are carried back to a field hospital. Even such rescue parties must watch for Jap [sic] snipers."
Caption from LIFE. "Wounded on litters are carried back to a field hospital. Even such rescue parties must watch for Jap [sic] snipers."Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A Japanese truck captured by Marines is driven on a muddy road during the first Allied offensive in the Pacific, Guadalcanal, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. A Japanese truck captured by Marines is driven on a muddy road during the first Allied offensive in the Pacific, Guadalcanal, 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
"Trucks get stuck in hub-deep mud on their way back from the front over newly constructed road. In the background are huge coconut palm trees, planted in even rows in 1908 by Lever Bros. for their soap business."
Caption from LIFE. "Trucks get stuck in hub-deep mud on their way back from the front over newly constructed road. In the background are huge coconut palm trees, planted in even rows in 1908 by Lever Bros. for their soap business."Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Guadalcanal, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. Guadalcanal, 1942.Joe Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
"A lookout on Burnt Knoll makes himself comfortable in an old shell hole."
Caption from LIFE. "A lookout on Burnt Knoll makes himself comfortable in an old shell hole."Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Guadalcanal, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. Guadalcanal, 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
"Lookouts on Burnt Knoll, the hill just in front of Grassy Knoll, scan the dense jungles of the intervening valley and the lower slopes of Mt. Aesten."
Caption from LIFE. "Lookouts on Burnt Knoll, the hill just in front of Grassy Knoll, scan the dense jungles of the intervening valley and the lower slopes of Mt. Aesten."Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Guadalcanal, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. Guadalcanal, 1942.Joe Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image
U.S. troops, Guadalcanal, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. U.S. troops, Guadalcanal, 1942.Joe Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Guadalcanal, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. Guadalcanal, 1942.Joe Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image
U.S. Marines, Guadalcanal, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. U.S. Marines, Guadalcanal, 1942.Joe Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
U.S. Marines board a landing craft for a ride to awaiting ships after turning over control of Guadalcanal to Army troops following four months of fighting the Japanese on the island.
Not published in LIFE. U.S. Marines board a landing craft for a ride to awaiting ships after turning over control of Guadalcanal to Army troops following four months of fighting the Japanese on the island.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
The U.S. Army lands troops and supplies on Guadalcanal in 1942.
Not published in LIFE. The U.S. Army lands troops and supplies on Guadalcanal in 1942.Frank Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
U.S. troops on Guadalcanal, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. U.S. troops on Guadalcanal, 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
"Ammunition is passed out to troops near front. After the battle hand-grenade cartons, empty rifle shells, ammunition boxes with ragged holes quickly knocked in them will be strewn everywhere."
Caption from LIFE. "Ammunition is passed out to troops near front. After the battle hand-grenade cartons, empty rifle shells, ammunition boxes with ragged holes quickly knocked in them will be strewn everywhere."Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Exhausted U.S. Marines sprawl on the beach while waiting for landing craft to take them off Guadalcanal following four months of fighting the Japanese.
Not published in LIFE. Exhausted U.S. Marines sprawl on the beach while waiting for landing craft to take them off Guadalcanal following four months of fighting the Japanese.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
U.S. Marines, Guadalcanal, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. U.S. Marines, Guadalcanal, 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
U.S. troops, Guadalcanal, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. U.S. troops, Guadalcanal, 1942.Frank Scherschel & Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
U.S. troops, Guadalcanal, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. U.S. troops, Guadalcanal, 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
"Santa" arrives to entertain Allied troops, Guadalcanal, December 1942.
Not published in LIFE. "Santa" arrives to entertain Allied troops, Guadalcanal, December 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
U.S. troops greet "Santa" on Guadalcanal, December 1942.
Not published in LIFE. U.S. troops greet "Santa" on Guadalcanal, December 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
"Santa" greets wounded U.S. troops, Guadalcanal, December 1942.
Not published in LIFE. "Santa" greets wounded U.S. troops, Guadalcanal, December 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
U.S. troops, Guadalcanal, December 1942.
Not published in LIFE. U.S. troops, Guadalcanal, December 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Christmas, Guadalcanal, December 1942.
Not published in LIFE. Christmas, Guadalcanal, December 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Guadalcanal, December 1942.
Not published in LIFE. Guadalcanal, December 1942.Joe Scherschel—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Rehearsing for a Christmas concert, Guadalcanal, December 1942.
Not published in LIFE. Rehearsing for a Christmas concert, Guadalcanal, December 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal hold a service for the dead before leaving the island to the Army, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. U.S. Marines on Guadalcanal hold a service for the dead before leaving the island to the Army, 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
A U.S. Marine on Guadalcanal plays taps during a service for the dead before leaving the island to the Army, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. A U.S. Marine on Guadalcanal plays taps during a service for the dead before leaving the island to the Army, 1942.Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
American grave, Guadalcanal, 1942.
Not published in LIFE. American grave, Guadalcanal, 1942.Frank Scherschel & Ralph Morse—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

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