A phase of the Solomon Islands campaign, the New Georgia Campaign was fought as part of the U.S. effort to capture Rabaul, which was the principal base in Japan's southeast Pacific area of operations.

The New Georgia campaign commenced in June 20, 1943, when a U.S. Army Raider battalion landed at Segi Point on the main island of the group, New Georgia. Over the next two weeks, marines as well as troops of the U.S. Army 43rd Division landed on Rendova and Vangunu islands and on western New Georgia, where they seized a Japanese airfield at Munda point. The U.S. Navy coordinated with these assaults, fighting the naval battles of Kula Gulf and Kolombangara, yet the combined operations were unable to interdict some 4,000 Japanese reinforcements, which augmented the 10,500-man New Georgia garrison under Major General Noboru Sasaki.

Most of the reinforcements took up positions on Munda, which became the center of the Japanese defense. The Japanese troops did not content themselves with passive defense, but practiced night infiltration, which was extremely effective against the U.S. troops, many of whom were inexperienced. Japanese infiltration tactics took an enormous toll on U.S. morale, greatly increasing the incidence of battle fatigue and prompting the replacement of many troops by those of the 37th Division. The reinvigorated U.S. forces were ordered to go on the offensive, and an entire corps attacked on July 25. By August 1, the overwhelmingly outnumbered Japanese withdrew inland. Augmented naval forces prevented more Japanese reinforcements from reaching Munda; the Battle of Vella Gulf on August 6-7 sank three Japanese troop transports.

Munda was declared secure and became a base from which the marines launched an amphibious assault on Vella Lavella on August 15, bypassing--and isolating--the Japanese garrison on Kolombangara. Most of these men were able to withdraw on September 15, as were the Japanese survivors on Vella Lavella. Although the Americans prevailed at New Georgia, the campaign proved costly.

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