We should think of the August 42 map as representing Guadalcanal from August to October 42.
Yes it shows, what became Henderson Field, named as Munda on the map, but this single airfield and camp base represents how far the US had developed it's aviation facilities on Guadalcanal up to Oct 42.
In August/Sept the SeaBees engineers completed and developed the original Japanese airfield site, which was only half-finished at the time of the invasion by US Marines on August 7th 1942.
This airfield was called Lunga or Munda by the Japanese, perhaps because it was near to the coastal feature Lunga Point, and was renamed Henderson Field in honour of the Marine aviator Lofton R. Henderson who was killed at the battle of Midway.
In my August 42 map, I have named the airfield Munda, but it is shown as the completed early Henderson Field would have looked, towards the end of August, so it is more or less accurate for the period August to October 42.
After October further airfields began to be added, as portrayed in the December 42 map.
Thank you for answering me.
My English is poor. I'm sorry.
But I can't understand why you call Lunga and Munda the same airfield.
In mid-August 1942, Lunga Point airfield was renamed Henderson Field in honor of Major Lofton Henderson. Later, as the Americans built other airfields on Guadalcanal, it was also called "Bomber 1".
Munda is an airfield on the New Georgia island, which the Japanese built from mid-November 1942 to mid-December 1942.
As far as I understand, on the Kolombongara island, Kikuli Airfield is another name for Vila Airfield, which the Japanese began building in mid-December 1942, after they completed construction of Munda Airfield.
Ballale airfield on the Ballale Island the Japanese built from early November 1942 to January 1943.
As you correctly noted, on the Guadalcanal island the Japanese Lunga Point airfield was expanded by the Americans in August-September 1942, so it began to look like on your map of December 42.
In addition to Henderson Airfield on Guadalcanal, the Americans built Fighter No 1 in September 1942. Later, from early November 1942 to early January 1943, the Americans built Fighter No 2.
That is why I am asking you to make a map that would reflect the period from approximately mid-September to mid-November 1942, called sq_Coral-Sea_Solomon-Sea_October-42.
Unlike the sq_Coral-Sea_Solomon-Sea_Aug-42 map, it would already have larger runways at Buin and Henderson Field airfields, as well as the presence of Fighter No 1 airfield.
Unlike the sq_Coral-Sea_Solomon-Sea_Dec-42, the airfields of Ballale, Kikuli, Munda and Fighter No 2 would not be on it.
Just please remove these 4 airfields from the sq_Coral-Sea_Solomon-Sea_Dec-42 map and we will get another wonderful map, called sq_Coral-Sea_Solomon-Sea_Oct-42, like Daidalos Team Solomon Islands Oct 42 map, but including Rabaul.
I took all this information about building times from pacificwrecks.com.
Unfortunately, I did not find information about the building time of Giza seaplane base.
Best regards, Rasta
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Topic: Coral Sea & Solomon Sea including Rabaul (Read 51372 times)
