“Cactus,” Carney Field, Guadalcanal

Forgot to mention that yesterday morning we had an earthquake of about 30 seconds duration. Dishbreaking intensity.

Flew to Cactus this morning. Beautiful weather. Clearest horizon I’ve ever seen in the South Pacific. Landed at Koli point and was immediately involved in a dispute as to whether we’d stay at Carney Field or go to Henderson Field in the Hotel de Gink, which, I hear, has become a pretty nice place to stay with Quonset huts and good food — a far cry from the February days we spent there.

After much arguing and unnecessary flying back-and-forth between the two fields, it was decided we’d stay at Carney with VB-102. The trouble was caused by the Army which wants the whole field for itself. They’ve usurped 3/4th of the field and parked planes 400 feet apart while ours are all jammed together wingtip to wingtip and nose to tail, making it extremely difficult to get out. Altogether, there are about 60 B-24s on the field (14 of VB-101’s, 15 of VB102’s, and the rest Army) and two squadrons of B-25s (Army).

VB102 has build itself a damn nice Officers Club in the camp. Three beers per day per officer are allowed. Also cokes, crackers, and peanuts. The walls are decorated with some very excellently drawn nudes, around which everyone stands with an evil gleam in their eye, commenting on the various fine points of feminine anatomy.

To the best of my knowledge the “big push” is only a few days off. It most certainly includes the taking of Munda and Vila fields and all of the New Georgia Group. Whether it will also include the strong island of Bougainville, I don’t know. It should, from a strategical standpoint, but I doubt if we have a strong enough force to do the whole job. However, with the taking of Munda in villa fields the fighter and bomber strips at Ballale Island and Kehili will be completely neutralized, as Munda and Vila have have been, since the development of Henderson and its satellites.