AWM 014700 No 3 Strip and Stephens Ridge at Milne Bay

Turnbull Field was an

aerodrome 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 inc ...

near Gili Gili,

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 ...

History

Built by the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary 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 the United Stat ...

2nd Battalion of 43rd Engineer General Service Regiment (less Company E), during the

Battle of Milne Bay The Battle of Milne Bay (25 August – 7 September 1942), also known as Operation RE or the Battle of Rabi (ラビの戦い) by the Japanese, was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese naval infantry, known as ''Kaigun ...

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 ...

with assistance from the 105th

Naval Construction Battalion United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Forces (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Dependi ...

. Originally known as ''No. 3 Strip'', the airfield was renamed ''Turnbull Field'' on 14 September 1942 in honour of

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 ...

Squadron Leader Peter Turnbull, who was killed in an aircraft crash. The single runway was long x wide surfaced with marston matting. Taxiways and

revetment A revetment in stream restoration, river engineering or coastal engineering is a facing of impact-resistant material (such as stone, concrete, sandbags, or wooden piles) applied to a bank or wall in order to absorb the energy of incoming water an ...

s extended off both sides of the runway. The aerodrome was abandoned in February 1944 and has been disused since the end of World War II.

Allied Units Based at Turnbull Field

* 36th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group (18 September 1942 – 22 February 1943),

P-39 The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by th ...

* 403d Bombardment Squadron, 43d Bombardment Group (23 November 1942 – 21 January 1943),

B-17 The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

* 82d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 71st Tactical Reconnaissance Group (6–23 November 1943),

B-25 The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served ...

, P-39 * 418th Night Fighter Squadron (2–22 November 1943),

P-38 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 ...

, P-70 *

421st Night Fighter Squadron 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...

(4 January – 1 February 1944), P-70 * No. 6 Squadron RAAF, (Lockheed Hudson) * 9 Battery, 2/3 Australian Light Anti-aircraft RegimentRae, CJE, Harris, AL & Bryant, RK 1987
''On target: the story of the 2/3 Australian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment from formation on 18th July 1940 until disbandment on 14 July 1943 and the subsequent service of 7th Battery, 8th Battery, and 9th Battery, until the end of World War II''
2/3rd Australian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment Association, elbourne

References

External links

Turnbull Field detailsPacific War Airfields Project
Airports in Papua New Guinea Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Papua New Guinea World War II airfields in Papua New Guinea {{PapuaNewGuinea-struct-stub

History

Allied Units Based at Turnbull Field

See also

References

External links