AirSols

AirSols was an abbreviation of Air Solomons, the Allied air units in the Solomon Islands campaign of World War II, from April 1943 to June 1944. Its units came from the United States Navy (USN), United States Marine Corps (USMC), United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). AirSols superseded and absorbed the Cactus Air Force of 1942-43. It was under the Allied Supreme Command known as Pacific Ocean Areas (POA).

The Allied fliers fought the Japanese 11th Air Fleet and 4th Air Army, based at Rabaul, New Britain.

On June 15, 1944, AirSols was replaced by AirNorSols (Air North Solomons), which would have 40 squadrons (including 23 USMC squadrons). That same day, responsibility for Allied units west of 159° East Longitude and south of the Equator passed from POA to the South West Pacific Area (SWPA). However, seven USAAF squadrons in AirNorSols were transferred, as part of the Thirteenth Air Force, to the U.S. Far East Air Forces (SWPA) and eight USN and RNZAF squadrons were moved to garrison duty in South Pacific.

Commanders

* Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher (USN): April 1, 1943
* Maj. Gen. Ralph J. Mitchell (USMC): November 20, 1943.
* Maj. Gen. Hubert R. Harmon (USAAF): March 15, 1944
* Maj. Gen. Field Harris (USMC): April 20, 1944
* Maj. Gen. James T. Moore (USMC): May 31, 1944

ee also

* United States Marine Corps Aviation
* No. 14 Squadron RNZAF
* No. 15 Squadron RNZAF
* Marine Aircraft Group 23
* VMF-214
* VMF-223

References

Books

*cite book
last = Bergerud
first = Eric M.
authorlink =
year = 2000
chapter =
title = Fire in the Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific
publisher = Westview Press
location = Boulder, CO, USA
id = ISBN 0-8133-3869-7
*cite book
last = Blackburn
first = Tom
authorlink =
year = 1989
chapter =
title = The Jolly Rogers
publisher = Orion Books
location = New York, NY, USA
id = ISBN 0-5175-7075-0
*cite book
last = Boyington
first = Gregory "Pappy"
authorlink = Pappy Boyington
year = 1958 (reissue 1977)
chapter =
title = Baa Baa Black Sheep
publisher = Bantam Books
location = New York
id = ISBN 0-553-26350-1
*cite book
last = Gamble
first = Bruce
authorlink =
year = 2000
chapter =
title = Black Sheep One : The Life of Gregory "Pappy" Boyington
publisher = Ballantine Books
location = New York
id = ISBN 0-89141-801-6
*cite book
last = Griffith
first = Brig. Gen. Samuel B (USMC)
authorlink =
year = 1974
chapter = Part 96: Battle For the Solomons
title = History of the Second Wold War
publisher = BPC Publishing
location = Hicksville, NY, USA
id =
*cite book
last = McGee
first = William L.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 2002
chapter =
title = The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville--Pacific War Turning Point, Volume 2 (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII)
publisher = BMC Publications
location =
id = ISBN 0-9701678-7-3
*cite book
last = Morison
first = Samuel Eliot
authorlink = Samuel Eliot Morison
coauthors =
year = 1958
chapter =
title = Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier, vol. 6 of History of United States Naval Operations in World War II
publisher = Castle Books
location =
id = ISBN 0-7858130-7-1
*cite book
last = Sakaida
first = Henry
authorlink =
year = 1996
title = The Siege of Rabaul
publisher = Phalanx
location = St. Paul, MN, USA
id = ISBN 1-883809-09-6
*cite book
last = Sherrod
first = Robert
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 1952
chapter =
title = History of Marine Corps Aviation in World War II
publisher = Combat Forces Press
location = Washington, D.C.
id =

Web

*cite web
last = Craven
first = Wesley Frank
authorlink =
coauthors = James Lea Cate
date =
year =
month =
url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/IV/index.html
title = Vol. IV, The Pacific: Guadalcanal to Saipan, August 1942 to July 1944
format =
work = The Army Air Forces in World War II
pages =
publisher = U.S. Office of Air Force History
language =
accessdate = October 20
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
last = Mersky
first = Peter B.
authorlink =
coauthors =
date =
year = 1993
month =
url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-C-Aces/index.html
title = Time of the Aces: Marine Pilots in the Solomons, 1942-1944
format =
work = Marines in World War II Commemorative Series
pages =
publisher = History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
language = English
accessdate = October 20
accessyear = 2006 Account of U.S. Marine involvement in air war over Solomon Islands and Rabaul.
*cite web
last = Miller
first = John, Jr.
authorlink =
coauthors =
date =
year = 1959
month =
url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Rabaul/index.html
title = CARTWHEEL: The Reduction of Rabaul
format =
work = United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific
pages = 418
publisher = Office of the Chief of Military History, U.S. Department of the Army
language = English
accessdate = October 20
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
last = Shaw
first = Henry I.
authorlink =
coauthors = Douglas T. Kane
date =
year = 1963
month =
url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/II/index.html
title = Volume II: Isolation of Rabaul
format =
work = History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II
pages =
publisher =
language =
accessdate = 2006-10-18
accessyear =
*cite web
url = http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-1Epi-c1-WH2-1Epi-d.html
title = Title: THE ASSAULT ON RABAUL. Operations by the Royal New Zealand Air Force December 1943 — May 1944
accessdate = 2006-05-30
* [http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/chapter.asp?volume=27 Air War Against Japan, 1943–1945 (RAAF)]
* [http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Paci.html The Pacific]

Notes