As can be seen in the graphic above a single bomb could put a good size hole in the ground. This was used effectively to cause considerable problems for airfield runways. Each bomb that was dropped on a runway caused another hole that had to be filled back in before that runway was usable. That alone was a significant problem but there was another by-product. The filled in holes often became soft spots that created on-going problems. Planes taxiing, taking off, or landing could sink a wheel into that soft spot and crash. Rain could cause a soft hole to sink with the same hazardous effect. Air Forces on both sides of the conflict continued to bomb each others airfields trying to put them out of service, at least for a while. Another way to cripple an airfield was to have naval ships shell it. When the Japanese made their last-ditch effort to reinforce the garrison at Guadalcanal they preceeded the attempted landings with significant shelling from a number of navy ships. Fortunately for the Allies most of the shelling missed the mark. The Japanese thought they had knocked out Henderson Field. When the troop carriers attempted to land they discovered their mistake but it was too late and the ships carrying reinforcements were decimated and sunk.

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