13 Oct 1942

Photo(s) dated 13 Oct 1942
Damaged cruiser Aoba off Buin, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, 13 Oct 1942; photo taken from cruiser Chokai
19 Apr 1943

Photo(s) dated 19 Apr 1943
Wreck of G4M bomber whose crash killed Admiral Yamamoto, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Apr 1943
20 Apr 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
21 Apr 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
16 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
18 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
19 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
20 Jul 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
12 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • 24 B-24 bombers attacked Buin, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, destroying 13 A6M fighters, 10 D3A dive bombers, and 1 reconnaissance aircraft on the ground. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Buin, Bougainville | CPC]
15 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • 8 Corsair fighters of US Marine Corps squadron VMF-214 strafed Kahili Airfield on Bougainville island in the Solomon Islands just before sunset. The Americans claimed 3 Japanese aircraft shot down and several more damaged on the ground. ww2dbase [Kahili Airfield | Buin, Bougainville | CPC]
28 Aug 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Two US Corsair fighter squadrons attacked Kahili Airfield in Buin, Bougainville in the Solomon Islands. Lieutenant Al Jensen of US Marine Corps squadron VMF-214, flying a Corsair fighter, was credited with destroying 24 Japanese planes on the ground during this mission. ww2dbase [Solomon Islands Campaign | Kahili Airfield | Buin, Bougainville | CPC]
14 Sep 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Corsair fighters of US Marine Corps squadron VMF-214 attacked Kahili Airfield on Bougainville, meeting no opposition. ww2dbase [Kahili Airfield | Buin, Bougainville | CPC]
4 Oct 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Gregory Boyington led 8 US Marine Corps squadron VMF-214 F4U fighters to escort USAAF bombers over Kahili Airfield on Bougainville island; US Army Air Forces also launched P-38 fighters for escort duty. Boyington claimed 3 Japanese shot down while the USAAF claimed 4 more. Japanese records would later reveal that only 1 fighter was shot down and 2 were written off from heavy damage. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Kahili Airfield | Buin, Bougainville | CPC]
15 Oct 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Originally given the task of escorting US Army Air Force bombers to attack Kahili Airfield on Bougainville island, the US Marine Corps F4U fighters arrived earlier than the bombers, thus the mission became a fighter sweep of the Japanese airfield. 22 Japanese A6M fighters rose to defend. USMC pilot Bill Case claimed 2 victories, Tom Emrich 2, Burney Tucker 1, and Gregory Boyington 1. Japanese records would later reveal that only 1 fighter was destroyed on this day. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Kahili Airfield | Buin, Bougainville | CPC]
17 Oct 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • US Marine Corps squadrons VMF-214 and VMF-221 conducted a fighter sweep over Kahili Airfield on Bougainville island in the morning. More than 30 A6M fighters of Japanese Navy Air Group 201 rose to defend. VMF-214 pilots would claim 9 Japanese aircraft shot down, while VMF-221 claimed 2; Japanese records would later reveal that only 2 aircraft were lost on this day. The Japanese pilots claimed 3 US aircraft shot down, but the Americans only suffered 2 aircraft lightly damaged and 1 aircraft heavily damaged and written off after its return. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Kahili Airfield | Buin, Bougainville | CPC]
18 Oct 1943

British Western Pacific Territories
  • 3 divisions of US Marine Corps squadron VMF-214, led by Gregory Boyington, attacked Ballale Airfield in the Shortland Islands. Later in the day, the same 3 divisions joined VMF-221 in the attack of Kahili Airfield on Bougainville island. 22 Japanese fighters rose to defend Kahili. US airmen claimed 14 Japanese aircraft shot down with 6 probables. Japanese records later revealed the loss of 4 aircraft in combat, 1 heavily damaged and written off, and 3 lightly damaged. ww2dbase [New Guinea-Papua Campaign, Phase 3 | Kahili Airfield | Buin, Bougainville | CPC]
27 Sep 1944

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Four TDR-1 drones, controlled from TBM-1c aircraft, were launched against beached Japanese freighter used as antiaircraft emplacement off Kahili airstrip, Bougainville. Two drones hit the ship, one crashed just short (bomb did not explode) and one was lost enroute. ww2dbase [TDR | Kahili Airfield | Buin, Bougainville | CPC, DS]
23 Oct 1944

British Western Pacific Territories
  • Six TDR drones were flown against beached Japanese ships in Moisuru Bay, Bougainville and off the south end of the Kahili airstrip. Two TDRs scored a direct hits on a beached Japanese freighter serving as an antiaircraft gun platform at Kahili, and one hit another beached merchantman in Moisuru Bay. ww2dbase [TDR | Kahili Airfield | Buin, Bougainville | DS]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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