- Munda Airport
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Munda Airport IATA: MUA – ICAO: AGGM Summary Location Munda, New Georgia island Elevation AMSL 10 ft / 3 m Coordinates 08°19′40.69″S 157°15′47.13″E / 8.3279694°S 157.2630917°E Runways Direction Length Surface ft m 07/25 4,593 1,400 Asphalt Source: World Aero Data [1] Munda Airport is an airport in Munda on New Georgia Island in the Solomon Islands (IATA: MUA, ICAO: AGGM).
Contents
Airlines and destinations
- Solomon Airlines (Gatokae, Honiara)
History
Looking eastward, over Munda Field, toward the scene of battle, this post-war picture shows how the jungle has already begun to encroach on what was the busiest Allied airstrip in the Solomons. Within a year dense vegetation had already obscured Bibilo Hill, while once bare Kokengolo (to the center left of the photograph) sprouts a thick growth.
A Japanese directive in late October 1942 called for an air base to be built at Munda Point, about 150 miles northwest of Guadalcanal 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 Corsairs 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.
The first fighter plane to land on Munda was a VMF-215 Corsair flown by Maj Robert G. Owens, Jr., on August 14, 1943.Known American air units stationed at Munda Airfield were:
- 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 Group, 28 January-29 April 1944
- United States Marine Corps
After the war, the airfield was turned into a commercial airport, used for regional flights by Solomon Airlines.
See also
- USAAF in the South Pacific
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.- Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0-89201-097-5
External links
USAAF Thirteenth Air Force in World War IIAirfields Pacific USAAF in the South Pacific · USAAF in the Southwest Pacific
Units Commands XIII Bomber · XIII FighterGroups Fighter 18th Fighter · 347th Fighter · 414th FighterBomber Reconnaissance Troop Carrier 403d Troop CarrierSquadrons Bombardment 100th Bombardment · 868th BombardmentNight Fighter 418th Night Fighter · 419th Night Fighter · 550th Night FighterReconnaissance 4th Photographic Charting · 17th Photographic Reconnaissance · 36th Photographic Reconnaissance · 38th Photographic ReconnaissanceTroop Carrier 13th Troop CarrierUnited States Army Air Forces
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- Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II
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