Letourneau 1998 |
Location
Lat
8° 30' 0S Long 157° 19' 60E Large island in the geographic
center of the Solomon Islands. Kolombangara is to the north-west. Ghizo to the west.
History
Occupied by the Japanese in April 1942, to develop it into
a forward strategic base. This area was the next battlefield after Guadalcanal was
secured to the south. Imperial Headquarters Navy Staff Directive No.
267 instructed: 'Hold the Central Solomons as long as possible'.
The
operation was the first forward offensive probe into the Solomons by
the green US Army forces. On July 9, 1943 US Army forces invaded the
island. Initially, a very small number of Japanese succeeded in holding
up over 4,000 US troops. US forces asserted themselves and dug out
the enemy and successfully secured the island and central area as a
major base for future operations. General Sasaki withdrew from Arundel,
to Ghizo on the night of September
20-21, 1943.
New |
Georgia Island |
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July 9, 1943 US Army forces attacked |
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Japanese built, battlefield repaired and used |
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Hilltop overlooking Munda |
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Island near Munda Point |
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Small island near Munda |
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Airfield built record time. |
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Landing of the Northern
Landing Force July 4-5, 1943 |
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Attacked by Marine Raiders July 10, 1943 |
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Located on the north coast of the island |
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Allied airfield and base on the
southern tip |
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Island to the south-east of New Georgia |
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South-east New Georgia & Marovo Lagoon |
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Dumped US Equipment |
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Island of New Georgia, across from Munda |
Rendova |
Area |
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Island of New Georgia, across from Munda |
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Harbor on Rendova |
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Island in Rendova Harbor, Todd City USN base |
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Island in Rendova Harbor, PT Boat Base |
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Last Updated
May 14, 2011
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