But few Kiwis know of the courage and tenacity their soldiers, sailors and airmen displayed during the battle for the Solomon Islands in 1942, just 3300 kilometres away from New Zealand.
Close on 4000 Kiwis joined US forces in the Guadalcanal campaign, a ferocious conflict destined to become one of the bloodiest conflicts seen in the South Pacific.
It would take six long months of gruelling fighting and the loss of some 40,000 lives, including 31,000 Japanese soldiers, before the US Forces and their allies could wrest complete control of the islands from the enemy and as importantly, place the Japanese Imperial Army on the backfoot for the first time.
Today, reflecting huge interest in the country’s WWII history, battlefield tours are readily available via local guides who offer memorable and moving tours.
Sites include Henderson Airfield, Bloody Ridge, the Matanikau and White Rivers, the American memorial at Skyline Ridge in Honiara and the Japanese Solomons Peace Memorial on nearby Mount Austin.
Many of the battle sites remain virtually untouched, and wartime artefacts, from rusting jeeps and tanks to amphibious vehicles and mountains of equipment, remain where they were left when the Allied forces moved on.
Given the intense sea and air battles that took place, many relics remain on the seabed including destroyers, troop ships, oil tankers, submarines and aircraft, several of which can be readily snorkelled lying just a short distance from shore. Others are only accessible by experienced divers.
Small wonder the Solomon Islanders say that when you visit their islands, every step is a step into history.
A short ride from Honiara, and well worth a visit, the Vilu War Museum houses the remains of American and Japanese equipment left over from the campaign including aircraft, cannons, huge shells, bombs and other military paraphernalia.
Go to visitsolomons.com.sb for more information, or contact Richard Skewes, trade manager NZ, Tourism Solomons, +61 412 524 699, trade@tourismsolomons.com.sb