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 USN June 30, 1943  USMC July 4, 1943  U.S. Army July 1943  Solomon Airlines 1998 |
Location Lat 8° 31' 60S Long 157° 19' 60E Rendova Island is a large mountainous island to the south of New Georgia. To the north, borders Rendova Harbor (Rendova Lagoon) and offshore islands including Lumbaria Island (Lubaria) and Bau Island (Bou) and beyond Blanche Channel. To the west borders the Solomon Sea. To the east borders Blanche Channel. Prewar and during the Pacific War part of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate (BSIP). Today located in Western Province in the Solomon Islands. Wartime History During April 1942, occupied by the Japanese. By 1943, the force included detachments from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) 229th Infantry Regiment, 7th Company plus Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) 6th Kure Special Naval Landing Force (6th Kure SNLF), 2nd Company. By the middle of June 1943, the force was approximately 750 personnel. During the Japanese occupation, Allied coastwatcher Lt. Rhodes operated behind enemy lines. On June 30, 1943 in the early morning, the U.S. "Western Invasion Force" entered Rendova Harbor and began landing U.S. personnel and cargo on northern Rendova Island. For the first time during the Pacific War, the amphibious landings was conducted by Landing Ship Tank (LST). The U.S. Army 43rd Infantry Division, 172nd Infantry Regiment "Rendova Advance Unit" landed the C Company, G Company (each less one rifle platoon) on the northern tip of Rendova. Due to bad weather, two companies land in the wrong location. Over the next four days, additional landings brought ashore the remainder of the 172nd Infantry Regiment, plus the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) 9th Marine Defense Battalion, U.S. Navy (USN) 24th Naval Construction Battalion (24th NCB) "Seebees", 103rd Field Artillery Battalion and other supporting units. Rendova was developed as the principal base for operations against Munda only a few miles to the north. Japanese missions against Rendova June 30, 1943–July 4, 1943 Once secured, the American beachhead on Rendova was used as a heavy artillery base and supported the next phase of the New Georgia campaign to capture Munda Airfield. On July 2, 1943 155mm howitzers on Rendova begin shelling the Munda area, and continued to provide fire support for the remainder of the New Georgia campaign. SB-24D "Sergeant Stripes... Forever!" 42-63805 Pilot Robbins crashed April 1, 1944 located the day after the crash, remains recovered G4M1 Model 11 Betty Tail 2-343 Crashed June 30, 1943 on Rendova Island Bonieto Point Located at the western tip of Rendova Island. B-25C-5 Mitchell Serial Number 42-53404 Pilot 1st Lt. Eugene R. Brogan MIA June 22, 1943 References WWII Diary Of A Fallen Japanese Soldier 1943 Japanese Navy medical orderly attached to the SNLF on Rendova Island during May 20 to June 30, 1943 and killed in the U.S. landing Marines in the Central Solomons Chapter 3 Marine Support in the Munda Drive page 57 U.S. Army in World War II - Cartwheel: The Reduction of Rabaul Chapter VI Toenails: The Landings in New Georgia pages 78 New Georgia The Second Battle For the Solomons (2016) details Rendova during the New Georgia campaign Contribute
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 Map June 30, 1943 Map July 4, 1943 Map Nov 15, 1943 Map Fallingrain |
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