The Solomon Islands, once the scene of bitter fighting during World War II between American and Japanese forces, are now recovering from four years of civil war. These islands boast not only stunning tropical beaches and pristine coral reefs, but also an incredible legacy of the ferocity of the war in the Pacific. Sweating profusely in the stifling tropical heat, amateur historian John Innes leads the way along a narrow dirt track, overgrown with chest-high grass and twisting vines. "Sixty years ago we would have been deep inside Japanese territory," he tells me. "You can imagine the ambush potential." The jungle surrounds us on every side: a wall of green which hums with the buzz of cicadas and a million other unseen insects. We are high on a ridge in the centre of Guadalcanal, where American and Japanese forces engaged in some of the bloodiest fighting of World War II. From August 1942 until February 1943, the two sides were locked in a desperate fight for the island's swamps, beaches and razor-back ridges. Seven thousand American and 24,000 Japanese soldiers lost their lives. The Battle of Guadalcanal ranks alongside Stalingrad and El Alamein as one of the turning points of the war. In the words of one US Navy Admiral: "Before Guadalcanal, the enemy advanced at his pleasure. After Guadalcanal, he retreated at ours." Reconstruction Six decades on, the near-bankrupt Solomons are emerging from four years of ethnic conflict with the help of a regional intervention force led by Australia. More than two thousand troops and police from Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and other Pacific nations arrived in the country last July. Since then they have restored law and order, overseen the surrender of hundreds of illegal weapons, and arrested several notorious warlords. All being well, the stage is now set for the Solomons to start repairing its battered economy. Not only is it a stunningly beautiful archipelago, but it also has huge potential for battlefield tourism. Guadalcanal is still littered with the detritus of war. Long abandoned tanks and half-tracks rust away beneath coconut palms and banana trees. An American jeep lies half-submerged on a beach in the middle of the capital, Honiara. So many US and Japanese war ships were sunk in the channel between Guadalcanal and the nearby island of Savo, that it is now known as Iron Bottom Sound. Buried treasure John Innes, who is Australian and runs a local computer business, has been painstakingly documenting Guadalcanal's battlefields for years. He is a walking encyclopaedia. He knows every attack, counter-attack and skirmish conducted throughout the bloody seven-month campaign, even down to the names of individual soldiers. At the end of the track he pushes aside a thicket of ferns to reveal a 3m deep hole. "Here you have a Japanese observation post," he tells me, crouching in the mud at the mouth of the dank cave. "It was occupied by a Japanese soldier for four months. He used to keep watch on the Americans at Henderson Field." Henderson Field airstrip was the key to Guadalcanal and, by extension, to the whole of the South Pacific. Originally built by the Japanese with Korean slave labour, it was seized by the Americans and defended against repeated counter-attack, notably along what became known as Bloody Ridge and Coffin Corner. Had it fallen back into Japanese hands it would have opened the way for the invasion of the rest of the South Pacific; even Australia and New Zealand. Battlefield tourism A few kilometres up the track lies Mt Austen, where the Japanese defended their most important command post with suicidal banzai counter-attacks. Out of 800 defenders, only 20 survived a dogged assault by US Marines and Army Raiders. Rusted water bottles and sardine cans still litter an American line of foxholes. In the nearby village of Banara, the wing of a Japanese bomber lies propped up against a big mango tree. "There is a lot of potential, but the government does not do much to preserve the battle sites," says Ellison Kyere, of the Solomon Islands Visitor Bureau. "We hope that more people will come now that the country is safe." So far, only one company in Honiara offers battlefield tours, although there are a few taxi drivers and freelance guides who will show foreigners the main sites. The many battleships, cruisers and transport ships which were bombed or torpedoed during the war have now become coral-encrusted artificial reefs, attracting schools of fish, sharks and manta rays. The cannons and heavy guns of the USS Aaron Ward, for instance, still point upwards, just as they did when trying to fend off attack by Japanese fighters. | | Divers can swim into the cockpits of sunken B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, while the wreck of a torpedoed Japanese freighter still contains unopened saké bottles. "Two million American troops passed through Guadalcanal and each of them has a story to tell," John Innes tells me, as we hike back to his 4x4 vehicle. Bullet casings can still be dug out of the ground, and a foxhole I explored was littered with corned beef tins and fragments of shrapnel. The hardships endured by both sides in the war can hardly be imagined today. But the battles which nearly destroyed the Solomons could, in the end, prove to be the country's greatest asset for the future.  |
TIMELINE: Solomon Islands | A chronology of key events: 1899 - Germany cedes the northern Solomon islands to the United Kingdom, which had declared a protectorate over the southern Solomon islands in 1893. 1942 - During World War II the islands are occupied by Japan. There is very heavy fighting, especially on and around Guadalcanal. The Japanese are forced from the islands by the Allies in 1945, and British rule is restored. 1946 - An independence movement, Marching Rule, is established. 1976 - The islands become fully self-governing. Independence 1978 - The islands achieve independence within the British Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth II remains head of state. 1988 - Solomon Islands join Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea to form the Spearhead Group, which aims to preserve Melanesian cultural traditions. 1997 - Bartholomew Ulufa'alu, a Malaitan, is elected prime minister. 1998 - Ulufa'alu's government narrowly survives a motion of no confidence. The Isatubu Freedom Movement, which says it represents the native people of Guadalcanal, begins to forcibly evict Malaitans, whom they accuse of taking jobs and land. The Malaitan Eagle Force (MEF) is formed in response. At least 20,000 Malaitans are forced off Guadalcanal. Fighting breaks out between the two rival militias. 2000 June - The MEF stages an attempted coup. It takes Batholomew Ulufa'alu hostage. He is subsequently forced to resign and replaced by Mannasseh Sogavare. Peace treaty 2000 October - A broad peace treaty between the two militias, brokered by Australia, is signed. Unarmed peacekeepers from Australia and New Zealand are deployed to supervise the handover of arms, many of which were bought after fighting on the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea ended in 1998. 2001 February - Marau peace agreement is signed bringing together the two warring factions, Marau Eagle Force and Isatabu Freedom Movement. It is aimed at ending two years of conflict. 2001 September - Murder of prominent rebel leader Selwyn Sake of the Isatabul Freedom Movement threatens peace agreement. 2001 December - Sir Allan Kemakeza of the People's Alliance Party is elected prime minister. International donors, including Australia and New Zealand, urge him to make law and order his priority. Growing lawlessness 2002 - Economic, social problems worsen, with the government unable to pay wages and fund services. In March, international peace monitors withdraw from some posts amid growing lawlessness. In August, a government minister is shot dead on the orders of a tribal warlord. 2002 December - Cyclone Zoe devastates the remote island of Tikopia and its neighbour, Anuta. A relief vessel is despatched amid fears of a large-scale loss of life, but it emerges that nobody was killed. 2003 June - Prime Minister Kemakeza asks for military help from Australia, New Zealand as country threatens to spiral into anarchy. Pacific foreign ministers back a multinational force. Solomons government approves peacekeeping plan in July. Peacekeepers arrive 2003 July - Australian-led peacekeeping force deploys, aiming to restore order and disarm militant groups. 2003 August - Prominent war-lord Harold Keke - leader of the Isatubu Freedom Movement - surrenders to Australian forces. He is charged with the 2002 murder of priest and MP Father Augustine Geve. 2003 October/November - Australia, New Zealand decide to scale back their military contributions, citing progress in restoring order. Peacekeepers declare the Weather Coast - an area badly hit by lawlessness - safe. |
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