Munda Airport
Encyclopedia
Munda Airport is an airport in Munda
on New Georgia Island in the Solomon Islands
.
and Henderson Field
.
Construction began in mid-November with a great emphasis on keeping the forward airfield secret. The majority of airfield work done before clearing the main runway and surfacing it with crushed coral. By wiring the tops of palm trees to keep them in place, allowing work to initially escape detection. Finally the trunks were cut away, and runway completed.
Despite these efforts, reports of the strip were relayed to Guadalcanal via coastwatcher Danny Kennedy and aerial reconnaissance spotted increased barge traffic and evidence of crushed coral being prepared at the strip, but the Japanese succeeded in buying enough time to complete a single 1094 x 44 yard all weather runway for fighters operational on 17 December 1942.
Opened on 1 December 1942, it was used by the Japanese Navy and Japanese Army Air Force as a forward operating base. As soon as it was operational, the airfield was hampered by the observation of coastwatchers in the area, including Kennedy and D.C. Horton who was observing the airfield from Rendova. It was heavily bombed from the air by the Allies prior to the American landing.
Munda airfield was the principal objective of the Central Solomons campaign, also known as Munda or Munda Point Airfield. It was captured by the US Army XIV Corps forces after 12 continuous days of fierce fighting in the jungle area. The high ground around the airfield fell on August 5, 1943.
Once seized, the Americans improved and expanded the airbase for their own operations. The first American aircraft landed at Munda on August 14, 1943 with landings by F4U Corsair
s piloted by Robert Owen of VMF-215
, a 44th Fighter Squadron
(44th FS) P-40 Warhawk
and a J2F Duck with Marine Brigadier General Francis P. Mulcahy
aboard.
Known American air units stationed at Munda Airfield were:
After the war, the airfield was turned into a commercial airport, used for regional flights by Solomon Airlines.
Munda (Solomon Islands)
Munda is the largest settlement on the island of New Georgia in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands, and consists of a number of villages...
on New Georgia Island in the 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...
.
History
A Japanese directive in late October 1942 called for an air base to be built at Munda Point, about 150 miles northwest of GuadalcanalGuadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
and Henderson Field
Henderson Field
Henderson Field is the name of several airports:* Henderson Field on Guadalcanal Island in the Solomon Islands, renamed to Honiara International Airport in 2003....
.
Construction began in mid-November with a great emphasis on keeping the forward airfield secret. The majority of airfield work done before clearing the main runway and surfacing it with crushed coral. By wiring the tops of palm trees to keep them in place, allowing work to initially escape detection. Finally the trunks were cut away, and runway completed.
Despite these efforts, reports of the strip were relayed to Guadalcanal via coastwatcher Danny Kennedy and aerial reconnaissance spotted increased barge traffic and evidence of crushed coral being prepared at the strip, but the Japanese succeeded in buying enough time to complete a single 1094 x 44 yard all weather runway for fighters operational on 17 December 1942.
Opened on 1 December 1942, it was used by the Japanese Navy and Japanese Army Air Force as a forward operating base. As soon as it was operational, the airfield was hampered by the observation of coastwatchers in the area, including Kennedy and D.C. Horton who was observing the airfield from Rendova. It was heavily bombed from the air by the Allies prior to the American landing.
Munda airfield was the principal objective of the Central Solomons campaign, also known as Munda or Munda Point Airfield. It was captured by the US Army XIV Corps forces after 12 continuous days of fierce fighting in the jungle area. The high ground around the airfield fell on August 5, 1943.
Once seized, the Americans improved and expanded the airbase for their own operations. The first American aircraft landed at Munda on August 14, 1943 with landings by F4U Corsair
F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
s piloted by Robert Owen of VMF-215
VMF-215
Marine Fighting Squadron 215 was a fighter squadron of the United States Marine Corps that was activated and fought during World War II. Known as "The Fighting Corsairs", they fought in many areas of the Pacific War, including the Battle of Bougainville...
, a 44th Fighter Squadron
44th Fighter Squadron
The 44th Fighter Squadron is part of the 18th Wing at Kadena Air Base, Japan.-Mission:The 44 FS operates operates the F-15 Eagle aircraft conducting air superiority missions.-History:...
(44th FS) P-40 Warhawk
Curtiss P-40
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
and a J2F Duck with Marine Brigadier General Francis P. Mulcahy
Francis P. Mulcahy
Print...
aboard.
- United States Navy
- VC-24 (SBD x 24)
- VC-40 (TBF)
- VF-33 (F6F)
- VF-38 (F6F)
- CASU 14 (Carrier Aircraft Service Unit)
- VB-98 (SBD)
- VB-148 (PV-1)
- VB-140 (PV-1)
- United States Army Air Forces
- 5th Bombardment Group, 4 February-7 April 1944
- 307th Bombardment Group307th Bombardment GroupThe 307th Air Refueling Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 47th Air Division, stationed at Travis Air Force Base, California...
, 28 January-29 April 1944
- United States Marine Corps
- ComAir New Georgia
- VMSB-236 (SBD)
- VMF-124 (F4U Corsair)
- VMF-213 (F4U Corsair)
- VMF-214 (F4U Corsair)
- VMF-215VMF-215Marine Fighting Squadron 215 was a fighter squadron of the United States Marine Corps that was activated and fought during World War II. Known as "The Fighting Corsairs", they fought in many areas of the Pacific War, including the Battle of Bougainville...
(F4U Corsair) - VMF-221VMF-221Marine Fighting Squadron 221 was a fighter squadron of the United States Marine Corps in World War II. During the war, they flew the Brewster Buffalo and after reconstitution in 1943, the venerable F4U Corsair...
(F4U Corsair) - MABS-1
- VMSB-142 (SBD Dauntless)
- VMTB-232 (TBF Avenger)
- VMSB-341 (SBD Dauntless)
- VMTB-143 (TBF Avenger)
After the war, the airfield was turned into a commercial airport, used for regional flights by Solomon Airlines.
See also
- USAAF in the South PacificUnited States Army Air Forces in the South Pacific AreaDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces engaged in combat against the Empire of Japan in the South Pacific Area. As defined by the War Department, this consisted of the Pacific Ocean areas which lay south of the Equator between longitude 159° East and 110° West...