Yep, the Solomons and New Guinea campaigns from mid 1942-early 1944 was where the IJN and IJA air arms were chewed up and destroyed in a battle of attrition. One of the best periods for IL2 campaigns, as the opposing forces are pretty evenly matched and you have to make the best use of the aircraft that you fly (although shame about the FMs and DMs currently in the game) to survive.
The Slot map together with Lowengrin's DCG are a great combination to recreate this struggle. The New Guinea map will be a fantastic addition to the game and open lots of new possibilities.
Almost obligatory reading for anyone interested in aerial warfare in the SW Pacific during this period, and anybody else who likes reading a well written history of aerial warfare in general, is
"Fire In The Sky: The Air War in the South Pacific" by Eric M. Bergerud (2000). Its a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it. Great sections on the aircraft involved, tactics, and interesting pilot interviews. Actually I just noticed that you can read the entire book on line at
http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=82355094!!