13 Nov 1942

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Japanese troops arrived at Munda Point, New Georgia, to construct an airfield. Detecting this movement, three squadrons of US B-24 bombers flew to Iron Range airfield in northern Queensland, Australia to stage an attack on the future airfield. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Munda Point, New Georgia | CPC]
17 Dec 1942

British Western Pacific Territories
5 Jan 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • USS Grayback served as beacon ship for the US naval bombardment of Munda Point, New Georgia, Solomon Islands. While on this duty, after nightfall, she picked up six downed airmen from a beach at New Georgia. Commanding officer Edward Stephan would later be awarded a Navy Cross medal for the day's actions. ww2dbase [Grayback | Munda Point, New Georgia | CPC]
23 Jan 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
23 Feb 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
9 Mar 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • The Japanese Navy Kure 6th Special Naval Landing Force landed between Bairoko and Enogai and near the Munda airfield on New Georgia in the Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Munda, New Georgia | CPC]
  • Rear Admiral Minoru Ota, commanding officer of the Japanese Navy 8th Combined Special Landing Force, was given responsibility for the defense of New Georgia in the Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Minoru Ota | New Georgia | CPC]
13 Mar 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
21 Mar 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • PBY Catalina aircraft delivered a group of US Marine Corps scouts at Segi Plantation, New Georgia for a reconnaissance mission; they would later report that Segi's beaches would not accommodate a large landing force. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Segi, New Georgia | CPC]
31 May 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Japanese Army Major General Noboru Sasaki arrived at Kolombangara, New Georgia, Solomon Islands as the new commanding officer of the joint Army-Navy Southwest Detachment. ww2dbase [Noboru Sasaki | Kolombangara, New Georgia | CPC]
3 Jun 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
13 Jun 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • A contingent of US Army, US Navy, and US Marine Corps officers were landed at Segi, New Georgia to evaluate possible landing locations for an invasion. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Segi, New Georgia | CPC]
21 Jun 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • In Operation Toenails, US 4th Marine Raider Battalion was dispatched to Segi, New Georgia to assist coast watchers in the area who were threatened by a Japanese advance. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Segi, New Georgia | TH, CPC]
27 Jun 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Companies Q and P of the US Marine Corps 4th Raider Battalion arrived at Segi, New Georgia to join the remainder of the battalion which had already landed six days prior. They were immediately deployed to attack the small naval base at Viru Harbor. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Segi, New Georgia | CPC]
1 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • 1st Lieutenant Mel Wheadon of US 44th Fighter Squadron, flying a P-40 fighter, became an "ace in a day" by shooting down five Japanese D3A dive bombers while defending the invasion fleet at Rendova, New Georgia Islands, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Rendova, New Georgia | CPC]
2 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Major General Noboru Sasaki assumed sole command of all Japanese garrisons on New Georgia, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Noboru Sasaki | New Georgia | CPC]
4 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • US Marines and US Army troops secured Kaeruka and Cheke Point on Vangunu Island, just southeast of New Georgia in the Solomon Islands. On New Georgia, a 52-man special weapons unit of the US Marine Corps 9th Defense Battalion arrived with four 40mm anti-aircraft guns. To the south of New Georgia, the Japanese attempted attempted the last large daylight air raid on Rendova; 16 bombers were able to break through to drop bombs on the island, but 12 of them would be shot down. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | New Georgia | CPC]
5 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • The US Northern Landing Group under Colonel Harry Liversedge landed at Rice Anchorage on the northern coast of New Georgia, Solomon Islands. On the same day shortly after midnight, US cruisers USS Honolulu, USS Helena, and USS St. Louis escorted by destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Strong, USS Chevalier, and USS O’Bannon entered Kula Gulf to shell Japanese positions on Kolombangara and New Georgia in support of the landings at Rice Anchorage. At the same time, Japanese destroyers Niizuki, Nagatsuki, Yunagi, and Satsuki arrived at the north end of Kula Gulf loaded with 1,300 reinforcement troops and 180 tons of provisions bound for Vila, Kolombangara at the south end of Kula Gulf. Upon the commencement of the American shelling at Bairoka Harbor, New Georgia, the Japanese commander, Commander Kunizo Kanaoka, aborted the mission and ordered a withdrawal. As they turned, Niizuki, Nagatsuki, and Yunagi launched a spread of 14 Type 93 “Long Lance” torpedoes into the gulf. At a range of 22,000 yards (11 nautical miles), one of the torpedoes struck and sank destroyer USS Strong. This is believed to be the longest successful torpedo attack of the war. The Americans never detected the presence of the Japanese destroyers and believed Strong was torpedoed by a submarine. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Walden Ainsworth | Nagatsuki | Helena (St. Louis-class) | Honolulu | St. Louis | Nicholas | Type 93 | Kula Gulf, New Georgia | CPC]
8 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Companies N and Q of USMC 4th Raider Battalion were dispatched on a patrol on Gatukai Island in New Georgia, Solomon Islands after reports on the possible presence of a 50-100 men Japanese garrison on the island. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Gatukai Island, New Georgia | CPC]
9 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • In the Solomon Islands, the US New Georgia Occupation Force advanced westward in the Munda-Barike region, toward the airfield at Munda. Nearby, 1st Raider Battalion attacked the island of Enogai. To reinforce New Georgia, the Japanese 13th Regiment began transferring 3,700 men from Kolombangara to Bairoko on the northwestern shore of New Georgia; this reinforcement would be conducted over the following 3 days. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | New Georgia | CPC]
12 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Companies N and Q of the USMC 4th Raider Battalion departed New Georgia in the Solomon Islands, returning to join the rest of the battalion at Guadalcanal. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | New Georgia | CPC]
14 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • US Army Major General Oscar W. Griswold became the commanding officer of the command of the New Georgia Occupation Force, relieving US Army Major General John H. Hester. ww2dbase [New Georgia | CPC]
  • US Marine tanks, units of US Army 9th Defense Battalion, and units of US Army 103rd Infantry Battalion arrived at Laiana Beach, New Georgia, Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Laiana, New Georgia | CPC]
15 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • The Japanese Navy launched 24 G4M bombers, escorted by about 40 to 50 A6M Zero fighters, to attack various targets in the central Solomon Islands; the bulk of the attack force was intercepted by US Army and US Navy fighters in the Rendova Island, New Georgia, Solomon Islands area, and 15 G5M bombers and 30 A6M fighters were shot down at a loss of only 3 American fighters. On land at New Georgia, men of the US Army and US Marine Corps launched an offensive at Laiana Beach. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | New Georgia | CPC]
19 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • US aircraft detected the Japanese Night Battle Force in the Solomon Islands at 1905 hours and attacked, and the attack was repulsed. At 2100 hours, Japanese destroyer transports were ordered to separately proceed to Vila, Kolombangara, Solomon Islands. At 2220 hours, flares were sighted over the transport destroyers, but no American warships arrived to attack. At 2310 hours, Japanese warships of the Night Battle Force (Kumano, Yugure, Kiyonami, Yukikaze, and others) reversed course for Rabaul, New Britain, Bismarck Islands. ww2dbase [Kumano | Yugure | Yukikaze | Solomon Islands Campaign | Kolombangara, New Georgia | CPC]
20 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • On New Georgia in the Solomon Islands, the Northern Landing Group (1st Marine Raider Regiment, 4th Raider Battalion, and 3rd Battalion of the US Marine Corps and the 148th Division of the US Army) attacked Bairoko Harbor. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Bairoko Harbor, New Georgia | CPC]
23 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
25 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • The Americans launched what would be the final offensive against Japanese positions on New Georgia in the Solomon Islands. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | New Georgia | CPC]
1 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
3 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
7 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • The Munda airfield on New Georgia in the Solomon Islands, captured by the Americans from the Japanese on 1 Aug 1943, was declared operational for emergencies. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Munda, New Georgia | CPC]
8 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Battery B of the US Marine Corps 9th Defense Battalion was deployed at Kindu Point on New Georgia in the Solomon Islands to defend the southern coast of the island near Munda airfield. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Kindu Point, New Georgia | CPC]
9 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • The main body of the Japanese Southeast Detached Force was moved to Kolombangara, New Georgia, Solomon Islands. Elsewhere on New Georgia, the two groups of the American New Georgia Occupation Force (Northern Landing Group and Southern Landing Group) made contact at a roadblock southwest of Triri. Also on New Georgia, a light anti-aircraft artillery battery of the US Marine Corps 11th Defense Battalion arrived at Enogai. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | New Georgia | CPC]
14 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • US Marine Corps fighters at Munda, New Georgia were deemed operational. ww2dbase [Munda, New Georgia | CPC]
25 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
17 Sep 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • US Marine Corps squadron VMF-214 moved from the Russell Islands to Munda Airfield on New Georgia. ww2dbase [Munda, New Georgia | CPC]
31 Oct 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • The US Navy scored its first radar aided aerial victory when an F4U-2 Corsair fighter destroyed a Japanese aircraft it had intercepted over New Georgia. ww2dbase [F4U Corsair | New Georgia | AC]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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Aerial view of a glider training airstrip in Texas, 1943. Visible are C-47 Skytrain tow planes with Waco CG-4A gliders. Note the CG-4A in tow taking off.


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General Douglas MacArthur at Leyte, 17 Oct 1944


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