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Suggest pagesHenderson Field (Guadalcanal)
| Henderson Field | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II | |
| Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands | |
 Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, April 1943 Looking southeast to northwest |
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| Coordinates | 09°25′40.8″S 160°03′17.24″E / 9.428°S 160.0547889°E |
| Built | 1942 |
| Built by | United States |
Henderson Field is a former military airfield on Guadacanal, Solomon Islands during World War II. Today it is Honiara International Airport.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Japanese construction
After the occupation of the Solomon Islands in April 1942, the Japanese military planned to capture Port Moresby in New Guinea. Also part of the plan was a navy operation to capture Tulagi in the southern Solomons. The objective of the operation was for the Japanese to extend their southern defensive perimeter and to establish bases to support possible future advances to seize Nauru, Ocean Island, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Samoa and thereby cut the supply lines between Australia and the United States, with the goal of reducing or eliminating Australia as a threat to Japanese positions in the South Pacific.
The airfield on Guadacanal was first surveyed by Japanese engineers when they arrived in the area in early May, and was known as "Lunga Point", or "Runga Point" to the Japanese, and code named "RXI". The airfield would allow Japanese aircraft to patrol the southern Solomons, shipping lanes to Australia, and the eastern flank of New Guinea.
There were two major construction units involved: 1,379 men and 1,145 in another, arriving on 6 July 1942. This team was originally scheduled to work on Midway Island once it was in captured. Work commenced after 9 July. Construction was observed and reported by coastwatcher and this airfield's presence spawned American plans to capture Guadalcanal and use the airfield for Allied aircraft.
About the middle of July, 250 additional civilians of the "Hama Construction Unit" arrived known as the under the command of Inouree Hama, who had had 50 men on Gavutu previously. Also specialists from the 14th Encampment Corps that established the radio stations on Tulagi, Gavutu and at RXI plus the C. O. installing a radar set. Local labor was also used in the construction.
Airfield construction proceeded rapidly, ahead of schedule. On the night of 6 August 1942 just prior to the American landing, the construction troops were given an extra sakai ration for completing construction of the airfield ahead of schedule.
[edit] United States seizure and Battle of Guadalcanal
- See: Guadalcanal Campaign and Battle for Henderson Field for more information
On 7 August 1942, Allied forces, predominantly United States Marines, landed on the islands of Guadalcanal, Tulagi, and Florida in the southern Solomon Islands with the objective of denying their use by the Japanese to threaten the supply and communication routes between the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. The Allies also intended to use Guadalcanal and Tulagi as bases to support a campaign to eventually capture or neutralize the major Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain.
The Allies overwhelmed the outnumbered Japanese defenders and captured Tulagi and Florida, as well as the RXI airfield which was built by the Japanese on Guadalcanal. The captured airfield was named Henderson Field in honor of United States Marine Corps Major Lofton Henderson, commanding officer of VMSB-241 who was killed in action at the Battle of Midway while leading his squadron into action against the Japanese carrier forces thereby becoming the first Marine aviator to perish during the battle.
Surprised by the Allied offensive, the Japanese made several attempts between August and November 1942 to retake Henderson Field. Three major land battles, seven large naval battles (five nighttime surface actions and two carrier battles), and continual, almost daily aerial battles culminated in the decisive Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in early November 1942, in which the last Japanese attempt to bombard Henderson Field from the sea and land enough troops to retake it was defeated.
In December 1942, the Japanese abandoned further efforts to retake Guadalcanal and evacuated their remaining forces by 7 February 1943 in the face of an offensive by the U.S. Army's XIV Corps, conceding the island to the Allies.
[edit] Cactus Air Force
[edit] Postwar use
Henderson Field was abandoned after the war. The field was modernized and reopened in 1969 as the Solomons' main airport. In the late 1970's the runway was expanded and lengthened.
[edit] United States military use
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[edit] United States Marine Corps
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[edit] United States Army Air Forces
- 44th FS
- 38th BG, 70th BS (B-26) Fiji January - Feb 4, 1943 Fiji
- 42nd BG, 69th BS (B-26, B-25) New Hebrides January - Oct 43 PDG
- 42nd BG, 75th BS (B-25) ? - Oct 21, 1943 Renard
- 38th BG, 70th BS (B-25) Fiji ? - Oct 22, 43 Russells
- 347th FG, 67th FS (P-39) New Caledonia Aug 22, 42 - June 43
- 42nd BG, 390th BS (B-25) Fiji May 11 - Oct 22, 1943 Renard
[edit] References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
