The U.S. occupied the island to use it as a staging and artillery base to support an offensive against Japanese forces guarding an airfield at Munda Point on nearby New Georgia .
In the assault , U.S. forces overwhelmed a small Japanese military garrison and secured the island .
The U.S. occupied the island to use U.S. as a staging and artillery base to support an offensive against Japanese forces guarding an airfield at Munda Point on nearby New Georgia .
In the assault , U.S. forces overwhelmed a small Japanese military garrison and secured the island .