[Dixiecapt]

Greetings,

I didn't want to Hijack the Slot Thread, but seeing as this is a discussion about locations on a player made map I thought it would be ok to place here.

Firstly I've tried Google Earth, and other map programs. Research has given me great Naval Chats of the solomons at that time, but they are next to impossible to read because they are small.

The Locations I'm looking for are:

Vangunu = (I think this is near Segi on New Georgia)
Lolobinauri = (I have no clue)
Rekota Bay = (I have no clue)
Vanga Vanga = (I know this is near the Blackett Strait now)

Here are the charts I have:

They are pretty but thats about all since you can't read them.




I was hoping someone in the community might have any more clues as to the locations of these places in the Solomons, and/or tips to help me find them.

These Locations are mentioned in the VMF-213 records and Journels I am following to create a Historical Campaign for the new Slot Map.

Thanks!

[spud]

Rekata Bay is on the NW corner of Santa Isabel. It's useful to check variant spellings as there are different ways to transliterate the names.

Larger version of the strip map:




Vangunu is the 2d large island in the New Georgia group coming up from the SE.

[Zorin]

[spud]

Rekata

[Dixiecapt]

Thank You Greatly for the Larger map and the Information.

[spud]

Lolabinauri (2 a's, one o) is the only one I am confused about.

[Zorin]

Wednesday 28 April
118th Day, 247 Days to come

Big day today. 0600 - 1045 raid on Lolabinauri. Repeated this afternoon. My hind end is absolutely numb. SBDs & TBFs bombed the hell out of everything; but I think we will have to attain final objective by fighter sweep. The Japs certainly are good at camouflage. Air Raid warning this evening - False.

~~~~~~~~~

NOTE: Japanese engineers built the entire runway beneath palm tree tops which were suspended from cables strung from the live palms lining the runway. Very effective until the cut tree tops began to turn brown, though by then they were mostly finished.

So we are looking for an airfield.

[spud]

That is referring to Munda (the camo).



Munda, Dec 9. You can see the camo over the runway and taxiways. They also had trees left, but by this point they had cut those down leaving the nets.

[spud]

Mea culpa!

I assumed he meant Mnnda, I totally spaced it while I read it thinking it was editorial in that link.

Wonder if it's Vila.

The painful rear end implies a longer flight than others, so Vila would fit the bill...

[Zorin]

Vila and Munda are not that far apart. Plus, he referred to Vila and Munda in other reports so this one has to be another airfield.

[spud]

The next airfields are Ballale and Kahili. Kahili was already built, and Ballale was not partially built then, either, it was obvious in images.

Kara was not yet built, so it is possible. The next possibilities are kieta and bonis.

[Dixiecapt]

I don't see anything in these entries that define the location as a Airbase.

I mean the author speaks of Fighter Sweeps, but could that just be for strafing, or does Fighter Sweep specificly mean the removal of enemy fighters?

again, thanks for the help with this...

Your right about the Camo though, if they were trying to hide Lolabinauri then there would have to be something such as an Airbase, Anchorage, and/or SPB.

To be sure just like the American Civil War where the Yankees called a Battle Bull Run because the Creek was on their maps, and the Confederates Mannassas because that was on their maps, Maybe Lolabinauri refers to a village near the target, or somthing of that sort.

The search Continues!

[spud]

Wednesday 28 April

118th Day, 247 Days to come

Big day today. 0600 - 1045 raid on Lolabinauri. Repeated this afternoon. My hind end is absolutely
numb. SBDs & TBFs bombed the hell out of everything; but I think we will have to attain final
objective by fighter sweep. The Japs certainly are good at camouflage. Air Raid warning this
evening - False.

~~~~~~~~~

NOTE: Japanese engineers built the entire runway beneath palm tree tops which were suspended
from cables strung from the live palms lining the runway. Very effective until the cut tree tops
began to turn brown, though by then they were mostly finished.

They flew 2 missions in 1 day, that's why his ass is sore.

The next fields are Ballale, then Kara, then Kieta, then Bonis. All are FAR away though. 2 missions in one day... Hmmm.

Wonder if there were any that were barely started before being wrecked, and since they never got even to the point of being emergency strips, they are not mentioned.

tater

[Zorin]

I'm no SBD expert so could one of you try to estimate the radius they could cover from Henderson with the mission time being ~5 hours. Cruise speed figures and ETA of roughly 2 1/2 hours should give a decent action radius in which to look for Lolabinauri.

[Dixiecapt]

I'm no SBD expert so could one of you try to estimate the radius they could cover from Henderson with the mission time being ~5 hours. Cruise speed figures and ETA of roughly 2 1/2 hours should give a decent action radius in which to look for Lolabinauri.

Very Smart!