Strauss Airfield was an

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

in the locality of

Noonamah Noonamah is an outer rural suburban area of Darwin. it is 45 km southeast of the Darwin CBD. Its Local Government Area is the Litchfield Municipality. The suburb is mostly a rural area, but has been experiencing strong growth in populati ...

constructed between 19 March to 27 April 1942 during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. It was also known as 27 Mile Field or Humpty Doo Strip.

History

Drakeford visits 76 Squadron RAAF at Strauss NT May 1942 AWM NWA0420

Constructed by sections of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

808th Engineer Aviation Battalion 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. Etymology English ''eight'', from Old English '', æhta'', Proto-Germanic ''*ahto'' is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European '' *oḱtṓ(w)-'', and as such cognate wi ...

, they built a single runway of wide with associated taxiways and dispersals. The airfield was officially dedicated as Strauss Field in memory and honour of

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Captain Allison W. Strauss who was killed piloting a

P-40 Kittyhawk 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 ...

from the 8th Pursuit Squadron ("The Blacksheep") of the

49th Fighter Group The 49th Fighter Group was a fighter aircraft unit of the Fifth Air Force that was located in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II. Activation and training The group was constituted as 49th Pursuit Group (Interceptor) on 20 November ...

after crashing into Darwin harbour during a Japanese air raid on the Darwin RAAF airfield on 27 April 1942. On 13 October 2003, the Strauss Airfield was added to the

Northern Territory Heritage Register The Northern Territory Heritage Register is a heritage register, being a statutory list of places in the Northern Territory of Australia that are protected by the Northern Territory statute, the '' Heritage Act 2011''. The register is maintained ...

Japanese Bombing Raids against Strauss Airfield

*26 November 1942 (03.20 am) *27 November 1942 (03:56 – 04:46 am)

Units based at Strauss Airfield

* No. 76 Squadron RAAF (P-40) *

No. 452 Squadron RAAF No. 452 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) air traffic control unit. It was established in 1941 as a fighter aircraft, fighter squadron, in accordance with Article XV Squadrons, Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme during Wo ...

(

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. It was the only British fighter produced continuously throughout the ...

) * No. 457 Squadron RAAF (Spitfire)

References

External links

Lt. Col Bernard L. Robinson Reports on the NT June 1942
Former Royal Australian Air Force bases World War II airfields in Australia Defunct airports in the Northern Territory Airports established in 1942 1942 establishments in Australia Northern Territory Heritage Register {{NorthernTerritory-stub

History

Japanese Bombing Raids against Strauss Airfield

Units based at Strauss Airfield

See also

References

External links