Location
Lat 8° 0' 0S Long 157° 4' 60E  Located to the north of ArundeI Island and Wana Wana Island, 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.