Lat 3° 31' 60S Long 152° 13' 0E Located on the southern coast of New Ireland, near the center of the island. Alternate spellings of the name include: Komolus and Komoles.
Catholic Mission Station at Komalu
Established in the early years of the 1900s by Missionaries from Vunapope, with German Priests and Brothers established a school, dispensed medical aid, raised chickens, ducks and pigs. The missionaries patrolled up and down the coast on horse back, and followed bridle paths through the mountains to the east coast. Neighbouring the Mission was a large coconut plantation run by a German family, and relations between ,ission and Plantation were very close and friendly. When the Japanese arrived there was just one priest in residence at Komalu Mission. He was Father Henry Kholstette, MSC, and he was taken away and interned at Kavieng. All of them were executed by the Japanese as the war came to an end. The Station was totally destroyed by Allied bombing during the war and has never been re-established.
Copra Plantation
In 1942 this plantation was managed by German Rudolf Diercke. Also present was his mother, Nellie Hatton, her cousin Emma Kapple, and his grandmother, Phoebe Parkinsone. Also living on the plantation was a Japanese civilian overseer, Tadashi Imamura. In May 1942, there were no Japanese forces stationed anywhere in the local area. A year later, Diercke and his family were all removed by the Japanese and interned at the camp for civilian prisoners at Bopire Plantation a few miles north of Namatanai.
B-17F "Reckless Mountain Boys" 41-24518
Force landed, salvaged by the Japanese some wreckage remains
