Henderson Field is a former military airfield on Guadacanal, Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

 during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. Today it is Honiara International Airport.

Japanese construction

After the occupation of the Solomon Islands in April 1942, the Japanese military planned to capture Port Moresby

Port Moresby

Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...

 in New Guinea

New Guinea

New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...

. Also part of the plan was a navy operation to capture Tulagi

Tulagi

Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...

 in the southern Solomons. The objective of the operation was for the Japanese to extend their southern defensive perimeter and to establish bases to support possible future advances to seize Nauru

Nauru

Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country in Micronesia in the South Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati, to the east. Nauru is the world's smallest republic, covering just...

, Ocean Island

Ocean Island

Ocean Island is a name given to two unrelated islands in the Pacific Ocean, and one in the Southern Ocean:* Kure Atoll, the last atoll in the Hawaiian Islands chain.* Banaba Island, in Kiribati, an island mined until recently for its phosphate....

, New Caledonia

New Caledonia

New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...

, Fiji

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

, and Samoa

Samoa

Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...

 and thereby cut the supply lines between Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, with the goal of reducing or eliminating Australia as a threat to Japanese positions in the South Pacific.

The airfield on Guadacanal was first surveyed by Japanese engineers when they arrived in the area in early May, and was known as "Lunga Point", or "Runga Point" to the Japanese, and code named "RXI". The airfield would allow Japanese aircraft to patrol the southern Solomons, shipping lanes to Australia, and the eastern flank of New Guinea.

There were two major construction units involved: 1,379 men and 1,145 in another, arriving on 6 July 1942. This team was originally scheduled to work on Midway Island once it was in captured. Work commenced after 9 July. Construction was observed and reported by coastwatcher and this airfield's presence spawned American plans to capture Guadalcanal and use the airfield for Allied aircraft.

About the middle of July, 250 additional civilians of the "Hama Construction Unit" arrived known as the under the command of Inouree Hama, who had had 50 men on Gavutu

Gavutu

Gavutu is a small islet in the Central Province of the Solomon Islands, some 500 metres in length. It is one of the Nggela Islands....

 previously. Also specialists from the 14th Encampment Corps that established the radio stations on Tulagi, Gavutu and at RXI plus the C. O. installing a radar set. Local labor was also used in the construction.

Airfield construction proceeded rapidly, ahead of schedule. On the night of 6 August 1942 just prior to the American landing, the construction troops were given an extra sakai ration for completing construction of the airfield ahead of schedule.

United States seizure and Battle of Guadalcanal

See: Guadalcanal Campaign

Guadalcanal campaign

The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...

 and Battle for Henderson Field

Battle for Henderson Field

The Battle for Henderson Field, also known as the Battle of Henderson Field or Battle of Lunga Point by the Japanese, took place from 23-26 October 1942 on and around Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands...

 for more information

On 7 August 1942, Allied forces, predominantly United States Marines, landed on the islands of Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida in the southern Solomon Islands with the objective of denying their use by the Japanese to threaten the supply and communication routes between the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. The Allies also intended to use Guadalcanal and Tulagi as bases to support a campaign to eventually capture or neutralize the major Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain.

The Allies overwhelmed the outnumbered Japanese defenders and captured Tulagi and Florida, as well as the RXI airfield which was built by the Japanese on Guadalcanal. The captured airfield was named Henderson Field in honor of United States Marine Corps Major Lofton Henderson, commanding officer of VMSB-241 who was killed in action at the Battle of Midway while leading his squadron into action against the Japanese carrier forces thereby becoming the first Marine aviator to perish during the battle.

Surprised by the Allied offensive, the Japanese made several attempts between August and November 1942 to retake Henderson Field. Three major land battles, seven large naval battles (five nighttime surface actions and two carrier battles), and continual, almost daily aerial battles culminated in the decisive Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

Naval Battle of Guadalcanal

The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, The Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, as the , took place from 12–15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles...

in early November 1942, in which the last Japanese attempt to bombard Henderson Field from the sea and land enough troops to retake it was defeated.

In December 1942, the Japanese abandoned further efforts to retake Guadalcanal and evacuated their remaining forces by 7 February 1943 in the face of an offensive by the U.S. Army's XIV Corps, conceding the island to the Allies.

Cactus Air Force

Postwar use

Henderson Field was abandoned after the war. The field was modernized and reopened in 1969 as the Solomons' main airport. In the late 1970's the runway was expanded and lengthened.

United States Navy

• VF-5 (F4F) September 1942
• VC-40 (SBD, TBF)
• VMSB-131 (Avenger) 1943
• VF-26 (F4F) Mar 10 - April 25 & June 26 - Aug 5, 1943
• VF-27 (F4F) Mar 10 - April 25 & June 26 - Aug 5, 1943
• VF-28 (F4F) Mar 10 - April 25 & June 26 - Aug 5, 1943

• CAG 11 (Carrier Air Group 11)
• VF-11 (VB-11) 1943
• VB-21(SBD) 1943
• VT-11 (TBF Avenger) 1943
• CASU-11 (Carrier Aircraft Service Unit) Feb 1943 - July 1944
• VS-54 (SBD, OS2U) June 11, 1943 - August 3, 1944

United States Marine Corps

• VMTB-132 (SBD) Oct 30 - Dec 24, 1942
• VMTB-233 (SBD / TBF) August 1943 - October 29, 1943
• VMF-121 (F4F) October 1942
• VMF-122 "Wolf Pack" (F4U) May 1943 - July 28, 1943 - 3rd tour
• VMF-122 (F4U) June 1943 - July 23, 1943 - 1st MAW
• VMF-124 (F4U) April 4, 1943 - ?

• VMSB-132 (SBD) June 23, 1943 - Aug 2, 1943 - 3rd tour
• VMSB-143 (TBF) November 12, 1942 - ? Munda
• VMSB-144 (SBD-3) June 13, 1943 - June 26, 1943 then to Russells
• VMSB-236 (SBD) Espiritu Santo Nov 43 - Nov 25, 1943 to Munda
• MABS-1 (Marine Air Base Squad-1) Feb 1, 1943 - Nov 43 to Ondonga

United States Army Air Forces

• 44th FS
• 38th BG, 70th BS (B-26) Fiji January - Feb 4, 1943 Fiji
• 42nd BG, 69th BS (B-26, B-25) New Hebrides January - Oct 43 PDG
• 42nd BG, 75th BS (B-25) ? - Oct 21, 1943 Renard
• 38th BG, 70th BS (B-25) Fiji ? - Oct 22, 43 Russells
• 347th FG, 67th FS (P-39) New Caledonia Aug 22, 42 - June 43
• 42nd BG, 390th BS (B-25) Fiji May 11 - Oct 22, 1943 Renard