Saturday 3 December 2011

The War in the Pacific - The Battle for Munda Airfield.

The War in the Pacific circa 1943 was big, go read about it. This is where John Kennedy in his PT103 got sunk by Jap destroyers.
The Japs started building an airfield at the original Lambete Plantation under the cover of the coconut palms.
The Australian Coast watchers spotted it, told the Yanks who came to chase the Japs out, A good book to read is "The Munda Trail". It took the yanks a few months to push through from Laiana to Lambete and push the Japs back out past Noro. A TV series called "Black Sheep Squadron" was based on this, and the movies of the PT103 were based around here & Rendova Harbour.
We are told that Hombupeka was used as an anti-aircraft combat point, with the two or so mounds - one at our front door, being the gun emplacements. Given the amount of spent shells & cartridges and coke bottles around - makes sense.
These pics are historical and not mine, thanks to whomever, but are great in history, those who know the area will pick the locations.






These two pictures below are great finds, of the Ondongo Airstrip at Diamond Narrows near Noro.




6 comments:

  1. what's Ondongo look like these days? A friend of mine flew with VF-17 and was stationed there in 1943, he's the last original pilot still alive

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    1. Hi, Virtually nothing to see of the airstrip these days, is all overgrown, has been lots of discussion for years regarding trying to resurrect it as the airstrip for the nearby local fishing Port of Noro. But to no avail, as Munda airport is being fully reconstructed.

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  2. Warfare is a fascinating subject. Despite the dubious morality of using violence to achieve personal or political aims. It remains that conflict has been used to do just that throughout recorded history.

    Your article is very well done, a good read.

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  3. Warfare is a fascinating subject. Despite the dubious morality of using violence to achieve personal or political aims. It remains that conflict has been used to do just that throughout recorded history.

    Your article is very well done, a good read.

    ReplyDelete
  4. in Noro for a week
    found the coral rock circle in the jungle with number #1 in it designating runway 1

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    Replies
    1. Many thx,, the pacific has so many treasures to find!

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