The Mosquito Bowl: ‘Three hours of pure joy’ amid the horrors of war

A new book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger - of Friday Night Lights fame - brings to light an unusual and somewhat tragic American Football game on the Pacific island of Guadalcanal during the second world war.

Marine Lt David Scheiner and Cpl Anthony Butkovich shake hands at the ‘Mosquito Bowl’ game on Guadalcanal on Christmas Eve, 1944. Picture: United States Marine Corps

On the Pacific island of Guadalcanal, two Marine Corps regiments enjoyed a rare respite from the second world war in December, 1944. 

On Christmas Eve, the 4th and 29th regiments squared off in a football game nicknamed the Mosquito Bowl. This was no pick-up game. The teams included some of the top college football talent in the US, their rosters featuring All-Americans, captains from big-name schools and future NFL players or draftees.