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Kukum Field
Part of the Pacific Theater of World War II
Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
Aerial view of Kukum Field
Coordinates	09°25′34″S 160°00′39″E / 9.42611°S 160.01083°E / -9.42611; 160.01083Coordinates: 09°25′34″S 160°00′39″E / 9.42611°S 160.01083°E / -9.42611; 160.01083
Site information
Controlled by	USAAF Royal New Zealand Air Force
Condition	abandoned
Site history
Built	1942-3
Built by	Seebees/Marine Aviation Engineers
In use	1943-69
Materials	Coral

Kukum Field

Location of Kukum Field, Solomon Islands

Kukum Field also known as Fighter 2 Airfield is a former World War II airfield on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.

World War II

From the beginning of the Guadalcanal Campaign it was planned that the area would be developed into a major air base. In November 1942 the 6th Naval Construction Battalion began work on a fighter strip at Lunga Point, the 6th Battalion was later replaced by the First Marine Aviation Engineers who completed the coral-surfaced runway by 1 January 1943. In June–July 1943 the 46th and 61st Battalions built a second coral-surfaced 4,000 feet (1,200 m) by 150 feet (46 m) runway with 75 feet (23 m) shoulders, coral taxiways 80 feet (24 m) wide, and 121 hardstands.^[1] The 26th Battalion built a tank farm providing storage for 2,000,000 US gallons (7,600,000 l; 1,700,000 imp gal) of aviation gasoline, 1,000,000 US gallons (3,800,000 l; 830,000 imp gal) of motor gasoline, and 42,000 US gallons (160,000 l; 35,000 imp gal) of diesel oil.^[2]

USAAF units based at Kukum included:

• 
  12th Fighter Squadron operating P-39s from 7 February 1943 – 19 February 1944


• 
  68th Fighter Squadron operating P-38s and P-39s from January–December 1943


• 
  339th Fighter Squadron operating P-38s from 2 October 1942 (det) - 1 December 1943 and 29 December 1943 - 15 January 1944

USMC units based at Kukum included:

• 
  VMF-124 operating F4Us from 12 February–September 1943

F4Us of VMF-124 on Guadalcanal

Royal New Zealand Air Force units based at Kukum included:

• 
  1 Squadron operating Lockheed Venturas from October 1944^[3]
  


• 
  2 Squadron operating Venturas from August–October 1944^[4]
  


• 
  3 Squadron operating Venturas from July–August 1944^[4]
  


• 
  14 Squadron operating P-40s from 11 June-25 July 1943^[5]
  


• 
  15 Squadron operating P-40s 26 April–June 1943^[6] and from mid-September-mid-November 1943^[7]
  


• 
  16 Squadron operating P-40s from 25 July - September 1943^[8]
  


• 
  17 Squadron operating P-40s from mid-September-20 October 1943^[7]
  

Postwar

Kukum Field remained operational after the war as a civilian airfield until 1969 when Henderson Field was modernized and reopened as Honiara International Airport. The airfield is now part of the Honiara Golf Course.

See also

• Carney Airfield


• Henderson Field (Guadalcanal)


• Koli Airfield


• United States Army Air Forces in the South Pacific Area

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.