Location
Located on the south-east corner of Kolombangara.
Construction
Pre-war,
this was a Lever Brothers coconut plantation located at Vila / Stanmore. The airfield
was built by the Japanese beginning in mid-December 1942
after the completion of the Munda
Airfield. The soil proved
to be unsuitable, and the strip was used as a secondary
satellite strip only.
Wartime Usage
In early July 1943, B5N Kate staged through Vila to attack Guadalcanal. This airfield was neutralized
from the air aircraft attacks, and bombardment from ships
for several
months
prior
to the U.S. landings on nearby Arundel and New Georgia.
Allied Missions Against Vila
January 28, 1943 - October 2, 1943
American Occupation & Vegetable
Farm
Elements of the 27th Infantry landed on Kolombangara on September 25, 1943 and
established perimeter defense
around
Vila
Airfield. They were relieved
by the 1st Battalion, Fiji Infantry on October 11. In January 1944, the US Army dispatched a team of six soldiers
and 16 Solomon Islanders to build a farm for fresh
vegetables on the old airstrip.
William
Sabel, 350th Engineer Service Reg. recalls:
"I accepted the challenge and with 5 enlisted men whom had previous agricultural
experience and a landing craft borrowed from the navy, we set out for Kolombangara
Island 5 miles away, in January 1944. The British furnished 16 male natives to
help on the farm. Through the Red Cross, a variety of seeds were obtained from
Australia and New Zealand including watermelon, muskmelon, okra, tomatoes, lettuce,
beets, radishes and a bushel of field corn that made good roasting ears when
mature."
Captured Japanese Aircraft
At the airstrip were the remains of many disabled Japanese aircraft. US Army TAIU surveyed these wrecks.
G4M1 Betty Manufacture Number 2721
D3A2 Val Manufacture Number 3066
Built December 6, 1942
A6M3 Hamp Manufacture Number 3021
Built June 1942
A6M3 Hamp Manufacture Number 3271
Built November 9, 1942
A6M3 Hamp Manufacture Number 3291
Built November 1942 (estimated)
A6M2 Zero Manufacture Number 5359
Nakajima built Zero
A6M2 Zero Mark 2 Manufacture Number 5452
A6M2 Zero Mark 2 Manufacture Number 3478
A6M2 Zero Mark 2 Manufacture Number 3793
Today
Today the airfield still serves as a runway for a
logging company based at Vila. The runway composition of crushed
and compacted coral is still evident even today, but overgrown
with grass. Plane wreckage still lie in the undergrowth along
the runway, as are Japanese anti-aircraft guns.
References
Thanks to Richard Dunn for captured aircraft manufacture numbers and details.
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