Lat
8° 0' 0S Long 157° 4' 60E Located to the north of Arundel and
Wana Wana Islands, just to the north-west of New
Georgia and Kula Gulf.
History
For the defense of the New Georgia, the 'South-East Detachment'
Headquarters
were based on Kolombangara, headed by Major General
Noboru Sasaki who arrived on May 31, 1943. Units based there included
the 13th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battaltion of 229th
Infantry
and
Yokosuka
7th Special Naval Landing Force, commanded by Koshin
Takeda. The garrison remained until September 25, 1943 Operation "SE-Go" when the Japanese begin the evacuation of the garrison on Kolombangara by assault boats and barges.
Allied Occpuation
An Australian Coastwatcher, Arthur Reginald "Reg" Evans had
an operation post in the peak of the island, and reported information
on enemy movements. Bypassed by direct assault during the Central
Solomons campaign, the island was neutralized by the 25th Infantry Division
on September 25, 1943 and elements of the 27th Infantry landed on Island and
established perimeter defense
around
Vila
Airfield. They were releved
by the 1st Battalionn, Fiji Infantry on October 11. In early 1944,
an engineering detachment established gardens at the airfield.
Vila
Located on the south coast of Kolombangara Island.
Vila
Airfield
Japanese airfield neutralized from the air, later ocupied by Allied forces.
F4F-4 Wildcat Bureau
Number 11983
Pilot Feliton crashed January 31, 1943
Disappointment
Cove (Vilu Harbor, Hamberi Cove)
Known locally as Disappointment Cove,
this is where the Japanese maintained a supply depot for the Tokyo
Express when it was resupplying Guadalcanal.
Pontoon
Wreckage (?)
Underwater at 15.7m, this pod
still has some air in it. It is torpedo shaped, with only
a hook at the front end for securing, and a rudder fin at
the back.
A6M
Zero
Intact at 50m
Ropa Point
Located at the north of the island. Several
Japanese barges were sunk here by PT-126,the next morning, this PT
Boat was damaged by friendly fire.
F4U-1 Corsair
Piloted by Alexander crashed September 30, 1943