Cape Gloucester Airport is an airport in West New Britain Province,
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
. . The airport is a single runway general aviation facility; at the present time there is no scheduled commercial service to the airport.
History
Construction of Cape Gloucester Airport originally began in 1942 by the Australians. When the area was seized by the Japanese, it was improved into a two-runway airfield. Later, the area was liberated by the
United States Marines
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...
on 30 December 1943. Three American aviation engineer battalions were sent to the airfield where they found their work impeded by heavy rains. Marine L-4 aircraft (military versions of the
Piper Cub
The Piper J-3 Cub is an American light aircraft that was built between 1938 and 1947 by Piper Aircraft. The aircraft has a simple, lightweight design which gives it good low-speed handling properties and short-field performance. The Cub is P ...
) began operating from a road near the airfield as early as 2 January, and other aircraft were able to make emergency landings. The available engineering forces planned to have the airfield operational for fighters by 1 February but American aircraft did not start operating from the strip until February 1944, but moved out by the end of March.
Cape Gloucester was later developed as an American and an Australian air base but it was never a particularly significant one. After the war, the airfield remained in use for civilian aircraft to service the Cape Gloucester area. It is not used by larger commercial flights, and is occasionally closed due to volcanic activity in the area.
Major USAAF units assigned
*
8th Fighter Group 008, OO8, O08, or 0O8 may refer to:
* "008", a fictional 00 Agent of MI6
* '' 008: Operation Exterminate'', a 1965 Italian action film
* ''Explosivo 008'', a 1940 Argentine crime film
* Tyrrell 008, a Formula One car
* Balls 8, NASA NB-52B mothersh ...
(20 February – 14 March 1944)
: Headquarters, 35th Fighter Squadron,
P-40 Warhawk
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry ...
; 80th Fighter Squadron,
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinc ...
* 8th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (6th Photo Reconnaissance Group) (dates undetermined)
In addition, the 12th Defense Battalion (USMC) was assigned to the airfield between 30 December 1943 and late May 1944.
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...
units based at Cape Gloucester consisted of
No. 78 Squadron, equipped with
P-40 Warhawk
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry ...
s. The facility, however, was not very usable, as the mud during the winter rainy season was so bad most aircraft could not use the airfield.
See also
*
USAAF in the Southwest Pacific
References
* Maurer, Maurer (1983). ''Air Force Combat Units of World War II''. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. .
www.pacificwrecks.com
External links
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Airports in Papua New Guinea
Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Papua New Guinea
West New Britain Province
Airports established in 1942
1942 establishments in the Territory of New Guinea