Munda Airfield (WWII)

The airstrip at Munda Point was the prize the Japanese and Americans fought over through the bloody summer of 1943. The New Georgia campaign was part of Operation Cartwheel, the Allied strategy to strangle Rabaul by seizing its forward airfields one by one. American forces landed at Rendova Island on 30 June 1943, then crossed to New Georgia, fighting through dense jungle and determined Japanese resistance for weeks before finally taking Munda Point on 5 August.

Today the airfield operates as Munda Airport (MUA), the main entry point for the western Solomons. The tarmac and runway lights are thoroughly modern, but the history is everywhere: rusting equipment sits at the jungle edge, and locals will point out bits of wreckage if you ask. A small war memorial stands near the terminal.

The airport perimeter is freely walkable. Ask at your lodge about guided walks to nearby wartime sites in the jungle — bunkers, gun emplacements, and the remains of Japanese equipment still lie in the bush around Munda Point.

things to do sight wwii
A story
The capture of Munda Point airfield was the primary objective of the New Georgia campaign in 1943. Japanese engineers had concealed its construction under the jungle canopy for months — American reconnaissance only spotted it in late 1942. The battle to take it cost the Allies over a thousand dead and took six weeks longer than planned. Today, the same strip is New Georgia's main airport.