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Keravat Airfield
Kerevat Airfield (prewar: Tavilo Plantation; variant: "Keravat") was an aerodrome located near Kerevat, East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. Situated on the northern coast, it was south west of Rabaul. The airfield was constructed by the Imperial Japanese in World War II during September 1943. Kerevat Airfield was neutralized by Allied Powers' air bombing from 1944, who ran missions on the airfield between June 20, 1943, and May 16, 1944. The airfield was abandoned after the cessation of hostilities; however, the airstrip is still visible. Structure The airfield's single runway was located on Ataliklikun Bay east of Vunakanauwas. The runway was long and wide and ran parallel to the Keravat River in an east–west direction, to the southwest of Rabaul. It was not an all-weather concrete runway. Though the runway was upgraded, it was never fully operational, and its use was limited to crash landing as the airstrip, riddled with problems, was generally subject to draina ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South West Pacific Theatre Of World War II
The South West Pacific theatre, during World War II, was a major theatre of the war between the Allies and the Axis. It included the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies (except for Sumatra), Borneo, Australia and its mandate Territory of New Guinea (including the Bismarck Archipelago) and the western part of the Solomon Islands. This area was defined by the Allied powers' South West Pacific Area (SWPA) command. In the South West Pacific theatre, Japanese forces fought primarily against the forces of the United States and Australia. New Zealand, the Netherlands (mainly the Dutch East Indies), the Philippines, United Kingdom, and other Allied nations also contributed forces. The South Pacific became a major theatre of the war following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Initially, US war plans called for a counteroffensive across the Central Pacific, but this was disrupted by the loss of battleships at Pearl Harbor. During the First South Pacific ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kōkūtai
A ''Kōkūtai'' () was a term used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service (IJNAS) to designate a military aviation unit, similar to the Air Groups in other air arms and services of the time. (''Group'' in the British Royal Air Force, ''Gruppe'' in the German Luftwaffe, ''Groupe'' in the French Armée de l'Air etc.) A Kōkūtai could be based at land or on board aircraft carriers and could contain up to hundreds of men and aircraft. For example, the famous 343 Kōkūtai was a land based fighter group while the 652nd Kōkūtai was a carrier-based bomber group. Kōkūtai were divided into smaller units called Hikōtai, which were the equivalent of a squadron. Kōkūtai were usually divided into three Hikōtai. In general, most pilots and aircrew in the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service were non-commissioned officers. The word Kōkūtai is abbreviated with the abbreviation "Ku" (空). 343 Ku, for example, stands for 343 Kōkūtai. In the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJA ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
East New Britain Province
East New Britain is a province of Papua New Guinea, consisting of the north-eastern part of the island of New Britain and the Duke of York Islands. The capital of the province is Kokopo, not far from the old capital of Rabaul, which was largely destroyed in a volcanic eruption in 1994. East New Britain covers a total land area of , and the province's population was reported as 220,133 in the 2000 census, rising to 328,369 in the 2011 count. Provincial coastal waters extend over an area of . The province's only land border is with West New Britain Province to the west, and it also shares a maritime border with New Ireland Province to the east. East New Britain has a dual economy: a cash economy operates side by side with the subsistence-farming sector. The main crops produced for export are cocoa and copra. Tourism continues to be an increasingly important sector of the provincial economy. Languages There are sixteen Austronesian languages spoken in the province, of which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PBJ-1
The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in every theater of World War II, and after the war ended, many remained in service, operating across four decades. Produced in numerous variants, nearly 10,000 B-25s were built. These included several limited models such as the F-10 reconnaissance aircraft, the AT-24 crew trainers, and the United States Marine Corps' PBJ-1 patrol bomber. Design and development The Air Corps issued a specification for a medium bomber in March 1939 that was capable of carrying a payload of over at North American Aviation used its NA-40B design to develop the NA-62, which competed for the medium bomber contract. No YB-25 was available for prototype service tests. In September 1939, the Air Corps ordered the NA-62 into production as the B-25, along with th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tobera Airfield
Tobera airfield was an aerodrome located near Tobera, near Keravat, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. The airfield was constructed by the imperial Japan during World War II (during August 1943). Tobera was later neutralized by Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ... air bombing from 1944. The airfield was abandoned after the cessation of hostilities. Japanese units based at Tobera airfield *Kanoya Kōkūtai ( G4M1 Betty) *201st Kōkūtai ( A6M Zero) *253rd Kōkūtai (A6M Zero) * Zuikaku detachment (A6M Zero) *105th Air Force (A6M Zero) Further reading * * External links *http://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfields/png/tobera/index.html Transport in Papua New Guinea Airports in Papua New Guinea East New Britain Province {{PapuaNewGuinea-struct-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vunakanau Airfield
Vunakanau Airfield was an aerodrome located near Vunakanau, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. The airfield was constructed as a Royal Australian Air Force aerodrome and consisted of an unpaved single runway during World War II. The airfield was captured during the battle of Rabaul in 1942 by the Imperial Japanese and was extensively modified and expanded. Vunakanau was later neutralized by Allied air bombing from 1944. The airfield was utilised as an emergency landing strip for Rabaul (former airport) until 1983, however it was no longer needed when the new Rabaul Airport Rabaul Airport, also called Tokua Airport, is an airport serving Kokopo and Rabaul, the current and former capitals of East New Britain Province on New Britain island in Papua New Guinea. Before the 1994 volcanic eruption destroyed the town of ... was built at Tokua. The runways are now overgrown. Allied Units based at Vunakanau Airfield *No. 24 Squadron RAAF, CAC Wirraway and Lockheed Hudson Japa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lakunai Airfield
Lakunai Airfield, later known as Rabaul Airport; was an aerodrome located near Rabaul, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. It was located at the foot of Tavurvur volcano, near Matupit Island. The airport was destroyed by the 1994 eruption that destroyed the town of Rabaul and subsequently a new airport was built and opened at Tokua, on the opposite side of the Rabaul caldera. The former airport was located at . World War II The airfield was constructed by the Royal Australian Air Force as an emergency landing strip for Vunakanau Airfield and consisted of an unpaved 4,700 foot single runway during World War II. The airfield was captured during the battle of Rabaul in 1942 by the Imperial Japanese and was extensively modified and expanded. Lakunai was later neutralized by Allied air bombing from 1944. Allied Units based at Lakunai Airfield * No. 8 Squadron RAAF, Bristol Beaufort (1945) Japanese Units based at Lakunai Airfield * Chitose Kōkūtai ( A5M Claude) *4th Kōkūtai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
North American B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in every theater of World War II, and after the war ended, many remained in service, operating across four decades. Produced in numerous variants, nearly 10,000 B-25s were built. These included several limited models such as the F-10 reconnaissance aircraft, the AT-24 crew trainers, and the United States Marine Corps' PBJ-1 patrol bomber. Design and development The Air Corps issued a specification for a medium bomber in March 1939 that was capable of carrying a payload of over at North American Aviation used its NA-40B design to develop the NA-62, which competed for the medium bomber contract. No YB-25 was available for prototype service tests. In September 1939, the Air Corps ordered the NA-62 into production as the B-25, along with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models designated as various LB-30s, in the Land Bomber design category. At its inception, the B-24 was a modern design featuring a highly efficient shoulder-mounted, high aspect ratio Davis wing. The wing gave the Liberator a high cruise speed, long range and the ability to carry a heavy bomb load. Early RAF Liberators were the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean as a matter of routine. In comparison with its contemporaries, the B-24 was relatively difficult to fly and had poor low-speed performance; it also had a lower ceiling and was less robust than the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. While aircrews tended to prefer the B-17, General Staff favored the B-24 and procured it in huge numbers for a wide variety of roles. At approximately ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thirteenth Air Force
The Thirteenth Air Force (Air Forces Pacific) (13 AF) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It was last headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stationed in the continental United States. It was one of the oldest continuously active numbered air forces in the United States Air Force. The command plans, commands and controls, delivers, and assesses air, space, and information operations in the Asia-Pacific region—excluding the Korea theater of operations—across the security spectrum from peacetime engagement to major combat operations. Established on 14 December 1942 at Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield, on New Caledonia, 13 AF was a United States Army Air Forces combat air force deployed to the Pacific Theater of World War II. It engaged in operations primarily in the South Pacific, attacking enemy forces in the Solomon Islands, Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaigns; Mariana and Pala ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aichi D3A
The Aichi D3A Type 99 Carrier Bomber ( Allied reporting name "Val") is a World War II carrier-borne dive bomber. It was the primary dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and was involved in almost all IJN actions, including the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Aichi D3A was the first Japanese aircraft to bomb American targets in the war, commencing with Pearl Harbor and U.S. bases in the Philippines, such as Clark Air Force Base. They sank more Allied warships than any other Axis aircraft. Design and development In mid-1936, the Japanese Navy issued the 11-Shi specification for a monoplane carrier-based dive bomber to replace the existing D1A biplane then in service. Aichi, Nakajima, and Mitsubishi all submitted designs, with the former two subsequently being asked for two prototypes each. The Aichi design started with low-mounted elliptical wings inspired by the Heinkel He 70 ''Blitz''. It flew slowly enough that the drag from the landing gear was not a seriou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keravat River
Kerevat (or Keravat) is a town and seat of Gazelle District in East New Britain Province, on the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea. It is home to a prison, the Kerevat National High School, the Kerevat Education Centre, and the Cocoa and Coconut Research Institute. Its principal crop is cocoa. An airfield was constructed here by the Imperial Japanese in World War II during September 1943. Geography Kerevat lies near Ataliklikun Bay, east of Vunakanau. The Kerevat River flows through Keravet, from the beach to the prison (known as "Kindaim", meaning “crayfish" or “shrimp”). The river flows between the Keravat High School and the prison fence. A coastal road connects Kerevat to Rabaul in the north-east. The average annual rainfall in Kerevat is . History Keravat Airfield was constructed September 1943 by the Imperial Japanese during World War II, but was never fully operational. The airfield was neutralized by Allied air bombing from 1944, and was abandoned ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
_underway_off_Tulagi%2C_circa_7_August_1942.jpg "Click for more on -> South West Pacific Theatre Of World War II")
