Battle of Munda Point

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Munda Point


caption= US Army soldiers attack Japanese fortifications with flamethrowers on or around August 1, 1943 during the battle for the airfield.
partof=the Pacific Theater of World War II
date= July 22 – August 4, 1943
place=New Georgia, Solomon Islands
result=United States victory
combatant1= flagicon|USA|1912 United States
combatant2= flagicon|Japan|alt Empire of Japan
commander1= William Halsey
Millard Harmon
Theodore S. Wilkinson
Leonard F. Wing
Oscar Griswold
J. Lawton Collins
commander2= Minoru Sasaki
Genjiro Hirata
strength1=30,000
strength2=9,000
casualties1=
casualties2=|

The Battle of Munda Point was a battle, from July 22 – August 4, 1943, between primarily United States Army and Imperial Japanese Army forces during the New Georgia Campaign in the Solomon Islands in the Pacific War. In the battle, US forces captured a Japanese airfield constructed at Munda Point on New Georgia.

After losing the battle for the airfield, Japanese forces abandoned New Georgia entirely and redeployed to defend nearby Kolombangara. The US employed the airfield in its campaign as part of Operation Cartwheel to isolate the major Japanese base at Rabaul, New Britain.

References

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last = Altobello
first = Brian
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year = 2000
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title = Into the Shadows Furious
publisher = Presidio Press
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id = ISBN 0-89141-717-6
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last = Feldt
first = Eric Augustus
authorlink = Eric Augustas Feldt
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year = 1946 (original text), 1991 (this edition)
chapter =
title = The Coastwatchers
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*cite book
last = Hammel
first = Eric M.
authorlink = Eric M. Hammel
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year = 1999
chapter =
title = Munda Trail: The New Georgia Campaign, June-August 1943
publisher = Pacifica Press
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id = ISBN 0-935553-38-X
*cite book
last = Hayashi
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year = 1959
chapter =
title = Kogun: The Japanese Army in the Pacific War
publisher = Marine Corps. Association
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last = Horton
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year = 1970
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title = Fire Over the Islands
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id = ISBN 0589070894
*cite book
last = Lord
first = Walter
authorlink = Walter Lord
coauthors =
year = 1977 (Reissue 2006)
chapter =
title = Lonely Vigil; Coastwatchers of the Solomons
publisher = Naval Institute Press
location = New York
id = ISBN 1-59114-466-3
*cite book
last = McGee
first = William L.
authorlink =
coauthors =
year = 2002
chapter =
title = The Solomons Campaigns, 1942-1943: From Guadalcanal to Bougainville--Pacific War Turning Point, Volume 2 (Amphibious Operations in the South Pacific in WWII)
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*cite book
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year = 1982
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title = A Diary of a Coastwatcher in the Solomons
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chapter =
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location = Oxford and New York
id = ISBN 1-84176-870-7

External links

*cite web
last = Craven
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work = The Army Air Forces in World War II
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publisher = U.S. Office of Air Force History
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accessyear = 2006
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year = 1995
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url = http://www.nps.gov/archive/wapa/indepth/extContent/usmc/pcn-190-003130-00/sec11.htm
title = New Georgia
format = brochure
work = FROM MAKIN TO BOUGAINVILLE: Marine Raiders in the Pacific War
pages =
publisher = Marine Corps Historical Center
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accessdate = 2006-11-21
accessyear =
*cite web
last = Lofgren
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year =
month =
url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-C-NSolomons/index.html
title = Northern Solomons
format =
work = The U.S. Army Campaigns of World War II
pages = 36
publisher =
language = English
accessmonthday = October 18
accessyear = 2006 Same publication also located at: [http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/brochures/northsol/northsol.htm]
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title = UP THE SLOT: Marines in the Central Solomons
format =
work = WORLD WAR II COMMEMORATIVE SERIES
pages = 36
publisher = History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
language = English
accessmonthday = September 26
accessyear = 2006
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year = 1993
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title = Time of the Aces: Marine Pilots in the Solomons, 1942-1944
format =
work = Marines in World War II Commemorative Series
pages =
publisher = History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
language = English
accessmonthday = October 20
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
last = Miller
first = John, Jr.
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date =
year = 1959
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url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-P-Rabaul/index.html
title = CARTWHEEL: The Reduction of Rabaul
format =
work = United States Army in World War II: The War in the Pacific
pages = 418
publisher = Office of the Chief of Military History, U.S. Department of the Army
language = English
accessmonthday = October 20
accessyear = 2006
*cite web
last = Rentz
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year = 1952
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url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/USMC-M-CSol/USMC-M-CSol-5.html
title = Marines in the Central Solomons
format =
work =
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publisher = Historical Branch, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
language = English
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accessyear = 2006
*cite web
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coauthors = Douglas T. Kane
date =
year = 1963
month =
url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USMC/II/index.html
title = Volume II: Isolation of Rabaul
format =
work = History of U.S. Marine Corps Operations in World War II
pages =
publisher =
language =
accessdate = 2006-10-18
accessyear =
*cite web
last = U.S. Army Center of Military History
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
date =
year =
month =
url = http://www.army.mil/cmh/books/wwii/MacArthur%20Reports/MacArthur%20V2%20P1/macarthurv2.htm#contents
title = Japanese Operations in the Southwest Pacific Area, Volume II - Part I
format =
work = Reports of General MacArthur
pages =
publisher =
language =
accessdate = 2006-12-08
accessyear =- Translation of the official record by the Japanese Demobilization Bureaux detailing the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy's participation in the Southwest Pacific area of the Pacific War.