October 13, 1942
(13th AF) 6 B-17s bomb
Tonolai
October 16, 1942
(USN) Aircraft from USS
Hornet,
Task Group 17 hit targets in the Tonolei area
October 31, 1942
(5th AF) B-17s bomb shipping in the Tonolai area
November 1, 1942
(5th AF) Five 19th
BG B-17s strike shipping at Tonolei at night
November 11, 1942
(13th AF) Search aircraft from Guadalcanal report at least 61 Japanese ships in the Buin-Tonolai area.
November 12, 1942
(5th AF) B-17s bomb shipping at Tonolai
Harbor.
November 13, 1942
(5th AF) B-17s bomb
shipping off Tonolai-Komaleai Point
March 20, 1943
(USN, USMC) 42 Navy and Marine Corps Avengers, on a night flight from Henderson
Field, mine Tonolei Harbor.
May 23, 1943
(13th AF) 9 B-17's
and B-24's, in a diversionary raid, bomb the Buin-Kahili-Tonolai shoreline
area.
October 16, 1943
(USMC)
VMF-214 Black Sheep five divisions (20 planes) took off in the morning,
three to escort some SBD's on a strike against Kara Airfield, the
other two on a fighter sweep. Bolt flew with the fighter sweep, which
Boyington was leading. As they flew over Kahili's Tonolei Harbor,
they saw that it was filled with Japanese barges. "Nobody
shoot" ordered
the normally aggressive Boyington, who led the eight Corsairs on
a long, erratic route. While Boyington proceeded back to Munda, Bolt
and the rest could only make Vella Lavella. At Vella, Bolt decided
to fly back to Tonolei Harbor himself, to shoot up those barges. "The
skipper will be pissed," a
pilot warned. Bolt went anyway, and at Tonolei, he blasted one barge
full of troops, an empty barge, a tug, and another small cargo vessel.
Most of the vessels, he left burning and sinking. Back at Munda,
Boyington was indeed "pissed", and the incident became know as 'Bolts
War'. But Admiral Halsey was more supportive
writing a cable: "That one man war... conducted by Lieut. Bolt
against Jap stuff in Tonolei Harbor, Warm Heart (Stop) Halsey"
October 30, 1943
(13th AF & USN) Tonolai harbor area is hit by 8 P-40's and 17 USN planes.
November 15, 1943
(13th AF) B-24's destroy 2 fuel dumps at Tonolai
November 16, 1943
(13th AF) 30+ P-40's
and P-39's also carry out sweeps over the area, including Tonolai Harbor.
November 28, 1943
(13th AF) Fighters
strafe barges at Tonolai
November 30, 1943
(13th AF) Fighter aircraft (AAF and USN) attack barges and AA guns at Tonolai Harbor
December 1, 1943
(13th AF) P-39's strafe Tonolai Harbor
December 10, 1943
(13th AF) P-39's
bomb the supply area and AA positions at Tonolai and strafe 4 barges in the
harbor
December 11, 1943
(13th AF) 8 P-39's bomb Tonolai
December 12, 1943
(13th AF) Fighter aircraft strafe Tonolai Harbor
January 4, 1944
(13th AF) B-25's pound gun
positions at Tonolai
January 5, 1944
(13th AF) B-24's attack Tonolai
May 28, 1944
(13th AF) Fighter-bombers hit a suspected barge hideout near Tonolai
June 1, 1944
(13th AF) 30+ P-39s attack Tonolai
June 4, 1944
(13th AF) 9 P-38s weathered out of the Rabaul strike
the Tonolai supply area
