1942
23 January	Japanese seize Rabaul
6 March	Adm E. J. King, USN, proposes consideration of an approach toward Japan from the south
30 March	JCS assigns responsibility for conduct of Pacific combat operations to Adm Chester W. Nimitz and Gen Douglas MacArthur; sets boundary between South Pacific and Southwest Pacific at 160° east
20 April	The South Pacific Command established
3 May	Japanese forces seize Tulagi
4-8 May	Battle of the Coral Sea; Japanese southward thrust slowed
3-4 June	Battle of Midway; Japanese attempt to move eastward through the Central Pacific thwarted
2 July	JCS approves Operation WATCHTOWER; specifies Rabaul as a primary target for South and Southwest Pacific forces
2 July	Boundary between South and Southwest Pacific areas moved westward to 159° east
7 August	1st Marine Division lands on Guadalcanal in first American offensive of World War II; begins Solomons Islands campaign
8-9 August	Battle of Savo Island; while protecting Guadalcanal, U.S. Fleet suffers a defeat
23-25 August	Battle of Eastern Solomon Islands; Japanese attempt to land reinforcements on Guadalcanal turned back by U.S. naval forces
11 October	Battle of Cape Esperance, Guadalcanal; once again, the U.S. Fleet turns back a Japanese attempt to retake Guadalcanal from the sea
18 October	VAdm William F. Halsey, Jr., USN, relieves VAdm Robert Ghormley, USN as ComSoPac
26 October	Battle of Santa Cruz Island; U.S. planes and surface units inflict severe damage on the Japanese
13-15 November	Battle of Guadalcanal; Japanese navy suffers defeat in its attempt to engage in naval action in the southern Solomons
21 November	Japanese begin construction of

	an airfield at Munda Point
30 November	Battle of Tassafaronga, Guadalcanal; this naval engagement ended in a draw
4 December	South Pacific observers identify the Japanese airfield at Munda Point
25 December	Japanese Imperial Headquarters decides to abandon Guadalcanal and establish a holding line passing through New Georgia
1943
4-5 January	First naval bombardment of the Munda airfield area
23 January	Casablanca conference approves and directs implementation of ELKTON plan of operations against Rabaul
23 January	Adm Nimitz gives oral approval to Adm Halsey's CLEANSLATE operation plan for seizure of the Russell Islands
23-24 January	Vila-Stanmore district on Kolombangara bombarded by a naval task group
8 February	Radio Tokyo announces a successful enemy evacuation of Guadalcanal
21 February	Task Force 31 seizes the Russells; 3d Marine Raider Battalion and 10th Defense Battalion, FMF, participated
1-4 March	Battle of the Bismarck Sea; a small Japanese Task Force transporting troops to New Guinea destroyed
5-6 March	A US naval force bombards the Vila-Munda area
6 March	Japanese aircraft make first raids on Russell Islands
21 March	Marine amphibious patrols begin scouting the Central Solomons area
28 March	JCS directs that the Solomons campaign be conducted by Adm Halsey under Gen MacArthur's general direction
1 April	RAdm Marc A. Mitscher becomes ComAirSols
7 April	FAdm Isoroku Yamamoto begins the abortive Japanese "I" Operation, designed to drive the Allies out of the Solomons
15 April	Allied planes begin operations from Russell Islands' landing strips
18 April	Death of FAdm Yamamoto; Admiral Mineichi Koga becomes commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet
2 May	Japanese commanders at Rabaul create the "Southeast Detached Force" for the defense of the Central Solomons
6-7 May	American naval units mine Blackett Strait
12-13 May	A US naval force bombards the Vila-Munda area; mines the coast of Kolombangara
3 June	ComSoPac Operation Plan 14-43 published; envisages seizure of positions in the Central Solomons
4 June	RAdm Richmond K. Turner issues Operation Plan A8-43 to Task Force 31
8 June	Japanese MajGen Noboru Sasaki decides to drive the Allied coastwatchers from Segi Point
17 June	MajGen John H. Hester issues New Georgia Occupation Force order #1
19 June	RAdm Turner decides to occupy Segi Point immediately with a strong force
21 June	One-half of the 4th Marine Raider Battalion lands at Segi Point; begins operations in eastern New Georgia
27 June	4th Marine Raider Battalion begins approach to attack Viru Harbor

28 June	4th Marine Raider Battalion meets first organized resistance of the New Georgia campaign
29-30 June	RAdm Aaron S. Merrill's 12th Cruiser Division bombards the Vila-Munda and Shortland-Faisi areas and mines Shortland Harbor area
30 June	12th Defense Battalion and Army troops occupy the Trobriands
30 June	Task Force 31 lands on Rendova
30 June	Marines and soldiers land at Wickham Anchorage; begin operations on Vangunu Island
1 July	4th Marine Raider Battalion seizes Viru Harbor area
2 July	Japanese launch successful air raid against the American Rendova beachhead
5 July	Northern Landing Group lands at Rice Anchorage
5-6 July	Battle of Kula Gulf; US loses the cruiser Helena, Japan loses destroyers Niizuki and Nagatsuki. The Japanese succeeded in landing reinforcements on Kolombangara during this battle
7 July	Northern Landing Group seizes Maranusa I and Triri villages on Dragons Peninsula
8-9 July	Capt Thomas J. Ryan, Jr., leads a destroyer task unit in a bombardment of the Munda area in support of the advance of the 43d Division
10 July	Northern Landing Group attacks and takes Enogai
11 July	Segi Point landing-strip becomes operational
11 July	Adm Nimitz suggests that SoPac forces by-pass Kolombangara
11-12 July	Cruiser-destroyer force bombards Munda area to support advance of 43d Division; results unsuccessful
12 July	4th Marine Raider Battalion reassembles on Guadalcanal after operating in eastern New Georgia area
12 July	Adm Halsey directs his staff to prepare a plan for seizure of Vella Lavella
12-13 July	Battle of Kolombangara; marks the end of Japanese efforts to resupply and reinforce their New Georgia garrison via destroyer
15 July	MajGen Oscar W. Griswold, XIV Corps CG, relieves Maj Gen Hester as CG, NGOF and RAdm Theodore S. Wilkinson relieves RAdm Turner as CTF-31
16 July	Naval force rescues about 175 Helena survivors from enemy-held Vella Lavella
17 July	Daylight air strike against shipping in the Kahili-Buin area results in heavy destruction in enemy air and surface forces
17 July	161st Infantry of the 25th Division lands at Laiana and goes into position to the center of the XIV Corps front
17-18 July	Japanese 13th Infantry makes uncoordinated attacks against Laiana beachhead and the 169th Infantry on the 43d Division right
17-18 July	4th Raider Battalion rejoins parent regiment on Dragons Peninsula after a short rest on Guadalcanal
20 July	1st Raider Regiment launches unsuccessful attack on Bairoko Harbor
21 July	Covered by one of the heaviest air strikes of the Central Solomons campaign, the Northern Landing Group

	withdraws from vicinity of Bairoko to Enogai
21-22 July	Six-man amphibious patrol lands near Barakoma to scout area for proposed landing on Vella Lavella
23-24 July	Naval units engage shore batteries at Bairoko during a resupply operation for the Northern Landing Group
24-25 July	Heavy air and naval bombardments of Lambeti Plantation area have little effect. Participating forces included 52 TBF's, 53 SBD's, B-17's, B-24's and B-25's; seven destroyers under Cdr Arleigh A Burke
31 July	An amphibious reconnaissance patrol reports to RAdm Wilkinson that a landing at Barakoma on Vella Lavella is feasible
2 August	43d Division elements push across Lambeti Plantation and reach eastern end of Munda airstrip
3 August	The Japanese local commanders decide to abandon the Munda Point area and retire slowly to Kolombangara
4 August	25th and 37th Division elements drive to Hathorn Sound, north and west of Munda airfield
5 August	XIV Corps occupies Munda airfield
6-7 August	Battle of Vella Gulf; Americans smash Japanese attempt to furnish reinforcement for the Central Solomons area
8 August	Battery B, 9th Defense Battalion, goes into position on Kindu Point, New Georgia, to undertake the seacoast defense mission of Munda Point
8-9 August	Main body of "Southeast Detached Force" moves to Kolombangara
9 August	Northern and Southern Landing Groups of the New Georgia Occupation Force establish contact
10 August	Northern Landing Group passes to operational control of 25th Infantry Division; 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry, replaces 3d Battalion, 148th Infantry in Northern Landing Group
10 August	43d Infantry Division troops land on Baanga Island
11 August	RAdm. Wilkinson and BrigGen Robert B. McClure issue their operation orders for the Vella Lavella landings
12-13 August	A 25-man advance party lands at Barakoma, Vella Lavella
13 August	Japanese Imperial Headquarters issues Navy Staff Directive No. 267, authorizing abandonment of Central Solomons after imposing a delay on the Allies
15 August	Landings in force on Vella Lavella; 4th Defense Battalion, FMF, included in Landing Force
17-18 August	American destroyer force fails to prevent enemy from landing troops on northern Vella Lavella
20 August	Baanga Island secured
23 August	XIV Corps reaches Hathorn Sound; during night of 23-24 August, the last 19 barge loads of enemy withdraw from Bairoko area
24 August	3d Battalion, 145th Infantry, enters Bairoko
25 August	Japanese establish a barge-staging base at Horaniu, Vella Lavella, to facilitate the evacuation of the Central Solomons

27 August	172d Infantry lands on Arundel Island
29 August	1st Marine Raider Regiment withdrawn from New Georgia operation
30 August	Marine "long toms" begin shelling Kolombangara from positions at Piru Plantation
3 September	Amphibious phase of Vella Lavella operation ends; command passes from RAdm Wilkinson to BrigGen McClure
15 September	Vicious Japanese counterattack halts American drive to clear Arundel Island
16 September	Three platoons of Marine defense battalion tanks reinforce US Army troops on Arundel Island
17 September	Adm Halsey decides to establish a forward Marine staging base on Vella Lavella
18 September	3d New Zealand Division lands on Vella Lavella to relieve BrigGen McClure's landing force
19 September	Marines and soldiers sweep Arundel
20-21 September	MajGen Sasaki withdraws last Japanese survivors from Arundel; MajGen Griswold declares the island secure
25 September	Forward Echelon, Corps Troops, IMAC, lands at mouth of Juno River, Vella Lavella
27 September	ComAirSols planes begin operations from Barakoma airstrip
2-3 October	Last Japanese troops evacuated from Kolombangara
6-7 October	Naval Battle of Vella Lavella; Japanese succeed in evacuating Vella Lavella
9 October	3d New Zealand Division declares Vella Lavella secure