Pacific · United States and New Zealand vs Japan
New Georgia Campaign
30 June 1943 – 7 October 1943
The first step up the Solomons from Guadalcanal was aimed at the Japanese airfield at Munda on New Georgia. Green American divisions took five weeks to cover the few miles of jungle to the airfield while destroyer forces fought a string of night actions in Kula Gulf. Vella Lavella was then taken by bypassing the stronger garrison on Kolombangara.
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Day by day
— Rendova
The 43rd Division lands on Rendova at 06:40, ten kilometres across the water from the airfield at Munda, and has its 155-millimetre guns firing on it within two days. Smaller parties take Segi Point, Viru Harbour and Wickham Anchorage to cover the flanks. The Japanese answer with air attacks from Rabaul that sink the transport McCawley that evening.
— Kula Gulf
The 43rd crossed to Zanana on 2 July and started west through mangrove and coral toward Munda, five kilometres away; it takes them a month. On the night of the 6th Ainsworth's cruisers meet a reinforcement run in Kula Gulf: the Japanese lose two destroyers and the cruiser Helena is broken in half by Long Lance torpedoes and sunk.
— Kolombangara
Ainsworth intercepts another run north of Kolombangara at 01:00 on the 13th and sinks the cruiser Jintsu with Admiral Izaki aboard; the escorting destroyers then torpedo Honolulu, St Louis and Leander and sink the destroyer Gwin. Ashore the advance has stopped short of Munda and Griswold's XIV Corps takes over, bringing up the 37th and 25th Divisions.
— Munda
With the 25th Division coming down on the airfield from the north and the 43rd and 37th pressing from the east, Sasaki's line breaks on 4 August. The airstrip is taken on the 5th after thirty-five days for five kilometres. American engineers have it flying fighters within a fortnight, which was the point of the whole campaign.
— Vella Lavella
Rather than assault the 10,000 men on Kolombangara, Halsey steps past them and lands the 35th Regimental Combat Team at Barakoma on Vella Lavella. Nine days earlier Moosbrugger's six destroyers had come through Vella Gulf and sunk three Japanese destroyers with torpedoes alone, without being seen or hit. The barge traffic to Kolombangara is now cut at both ends.
— The last night action
The 14th Brigade of the 3rd New Zealand Division has taken over on Vella Lavella and squeezed the garrison into the north-west corner. On the night of 6 October three American destroyers run into Ijuin's covering force off Marquana Bay: Chevalier is sunk and the Japanese lose Yugumo, but the barges get the last 600 men away. Kolombangara had been emptied of 9,400 men by the same method a week before.
