No. 18 Squadron RAAF
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No. 18 Squadron RAAF
No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron was a joint Dutch and Australian bomber squadron of World War II. Formed in April 1942, the squadron was staffed by a mixture of Dutch and Australian personnel and placed under Royal Australian Air Force operational command. Initially it undertook anti-submarine patrols on the east coast of Australia, before moving to northern Australia and taking part in operations against the Japanese in the islands of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI). At the conclusion of hostilities, the squadron came under Dutch control and Australian personnel were transferred out. The squadron then undertook operations during the Indonesian National Revolution, before eventually being disbanded in July 1950 after being transferred to Indonesia. History World War II No. 18 (NEI) Squadron was formed at RAAF Station Canberra on 4 April 1942, under the operational command of the Royal Australian Air Force's No. 79 Wing. Like the other two joint Australian-Dutch ...
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Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration – 31 March , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles = * Second World War * Berlin Airlift * Korean War * Malayan Emergency * Indonesia–Malaysia Confrontation * Vietnam War * Operation Astute, East Timor * War in Afghanistan (2001–present), War in Afghanistan * Iraq War * American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–present), Military intervention against ISIL , decorations = , battle_honours = , battle_honours_label = , flying_hours = , website = , commander1 = Governor-General of Australia, Governor-General David Hurley as representative of Charles III as Monarchy ...
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MacDonald Airfield
MacDonald Airfield was an airfield built alongside the former northern road, west of Stuart Highway, north of Pine Creek, Northern Territory, Australia during World War II. History The airfield was constructed by the 43rd Engineer Regiment (US Army) in March 1942 with further improvements undertaken by the 808th Engineer Aviation Battalion between 11 May 1942 and 16 July 1942 and later by the Allied Works Council and No 1 Airfield Construction Unit RAAF. Originally known as ''Burkholder Field'', the runway was long and wide. Renamed MacDonald Airfield in honour of Wing Commander Joshua Roger Gray McDonald of No. 13 Squadron RAAF who was killed at Laha on 10 December 1941. The Royal Australian Air Force occupied the base on 24 November 1942 when No. 54 Operational Base Unit administered the base. The airfield became an Australian Army communication camp and was abandoned in 1945. Image:McDonald Airfield - Layout.jpg, MacDonald Airfield Layout Units based at MacDonal ...
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Leo Wattimena Airport
Leo Wattimena Airport, formerly known as Pitu Airport is a private airport located on the southern coast of Morotai Island, North Maluku, Indonesia. History World War II Morotai island was the final island invasion in Netherlands New Guinea before the liberation of the Philippines. The island was recaptured by the 31st Infantry Division on 15 September 1944, meeting only light opposition. General MacArthur and Rear Admiral Barbey landed on the day of the invasion to make an inspection. At the time, the island had only five hundred Japanese defenders. After the landings, Navy Seabees constructed two airfields on the island, Wama and Pitu. Wama was constructed almost along the shoreline and was used as a fighter airfield. It was abandoned after the war. Pitu was built as a bomber airfield to the north inland, and is currently used as a commercial airport. After the war, the island was one of the largest Fifth Air Force aircraft reclamation center in the Pacific. A smelting ...
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Japanese Cruiser Isuzu
was the second of six vessels in the of light cruisers, and like other vessels of her class, she was intended for use as the flagship of a destroyer flotilla. She was named after the Isuzu River, near Ise Shrine in the Chūbu region of Japan. She saw action during World War II in the Battle of Hong Kong and in the Solomon Islands campaign, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf before being sunk by American submarines in the Netherlands East Indies in April 1945. Background Following the production of the five s, an additional three 5,500-ton class light cruisers authorized under the 8-4 Fleet Program were ordered by the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1920. Due to minor changes in design, primarily due to advances in torpedo technology, these three vessels were initially designated as "modified Kuma-class", or "5500-ton class Type II", before being re-designated as a separate class named after the lead vessel, . A second set of three vessels was authorized in late 1920.Stille, '' Imperial ...
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Jacquinot Bay Airport
Jacquinot Bay Airport is an airport near Jacquinot Bay in the East New Britain Province on the island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea. The airstrip was liberated by the Australian Army in 1944, and an airstrip was built by 1945. There is no scheduled airline service. History World War II The Jacquinot Bay area was liberated by the Australian Army on 4 November 1944. The 2/3 Railway Construction Company and the 17th Field Company RAE began construction of an airfield and in February 1945, No. 1 Airfield Construction Squadron expanded the base. The airfield had a single coral runway. Royal Australian Air Force units based here included: * No. 79 Squadron operating Mark VIII Spitfires * No. 18 (NEI) Squadron operating North American B-25 Mitchell from February–June 1945 Royal New Zealand Air Force units based here included: * No. 2 Squadron operating Lockheed Venturas from June–September 1945 * No. 16 Squadron operating F4Us from August–October 1945 * No. 19 Squadro ...
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New Britain
New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dampier and Vitiaz Straits) and from New Ireland by St. George's Channel. The main towns of New Britain are Rabaul/Kokopo and Kimbe. The island is roughly the size of Taiwan. While the island was part of German New Guinea, it was named Neupommern ("New Pomerania"). In common with most of the Bismarcks it was largely formed by volcanic processes, and has active volcanoes including Ulawun (highest volcano nationally), Langila, the Garbuna Group, the Sulu Range, and the volcanoes Tavurvur and Vulcan of the Rabaul caldera. A major eruption of Tavurvur in 1994 destroyed the East New Britain provincial capital of Rabaul. Most of the town still lies under metres of ash, and the capital has been moved to nearby Kokopo. Geography New Britain e ...
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Western Australian Emergency Of March 1944
During March 1944, the Allies of World War II rapidly reinforced the military units located in the state of Western Australia to defend against the possibility that Japanese warships would attack the cities of Fremantle and Perth. This redeployment began on 8 March after concerns were raised about the purpose of Japanese warship movements near the Netherlands East Indies, and ended on 20 March, after it was concluded that an attack was unlikely. In February 1944, the Allies became alarmed that the movement of the main Japanese fleet to Singapore could be a precursor to raids in the Indian Ocean, including against Western Australia. The emergency began when Allied code breakers detected the movement of a powerful force of Japanese warships in the Netherlands East Indies in early March. After a United States Navy submarine made radar contact with two Japanese warships near one of the entrances to the Indian Ocean on 6 March, the Allied military authorities and Australian Governme ...
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Exmouth, Western Australia
Exmouth is a town on the tip of the North West Cape and on Exmouth Gulf in Western Australia, north of the state capital Perth and southwest of Darwin. The town was established in 1967 to support the nearby United States Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt. It is named after Exmouth Gulf. Beginning in the late 1970s, the town began hosting United States Air Force personnel assigned to Learmonth Solar Observatory, a defence science facility jointly operated with Australia's Ionospheric Prediction Service. The town is served by Learmonth Airport. History In 1618, Dutch East India Company ship ''Mauritius'', under command of Willem Janszoon, landed near North West Cape, just proximate to what would be Exmouth, and named Willem's River, which was later renamed Ashburton River. The location was first used as a military base in World War II. US Admiral James F. Calvert in his memoir, '' Silent Running: My Years on a World War II Attack Submarine'', and US Vice Admiral ...
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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 18,5 ...
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Batchelor Airfield
Batchelor Airfield, is an airport located south of Batchelor, Northern Territory, Australia. The airport currently has no commercial air services; however, it is utilised by the Northern Australian Gliding Club and the Alice Springs Aero Club as a flight training base. History Built during World War II, the airfield accommodated many Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), United States Army Air Forces and Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force units, flying bombing and escort missions against Japanese positions in the Dutch East Indies and the South-West Pacific. U.S. Army General MacArthur arrived at Batchelor from Corregidor Island via Mindanao on 17 March 1942 aboard a USAAF B-17 Flying Fortress, before making his way to Melbourne. During December 1941, the 19th Bombardment Group began reconnaissance and bombardment operations against Japanese shipping and landing parties. By the end of the year, ground personnel joined infantry units defending the Philippines, while th ...
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Kai Island
The Kai Islands (also Kei Islands) of Indonesia are a group of islands in the southeastern part of the Maluku Islands, located in the province of Maluku. The Moluccas have been known as the Spice Islands due to regionally specific plants such as nutmeg, mace, and cloves that originally intrigued the European nations of the 16th century. Though originally Melanesian, many islanders were exterminated in the 17th century during the spice wars, particularly in the Banda Islands. A second influx of Austronesian immigrants began in the early 20th century under the Dutch and continued in the Indonesian era. Administrative divisions The Kai Islands consist of the two distinct second-tier administrations, both in Maluku Province. The Southeast Maluku Regency (Maluku Tenggara) is sub-divided into eleven administrative districts (''kecamatan''). Though it is geographically in the Kai Islands, the city of Tual forms a separate regency-level administration and is not part of the Sout ...
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Tanimbar Islands
The Tanimbar Islands, also called ''Timur Laut'', are a group of about 65 islands in the Maluku (province), Maluku Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. The largest and most central of the islands is Yamdena; others include Selaru to the southwest of Yamdena, Larat and Fordata (island), Fordata to the northeast, Maru and Molu to the north, and Seira, Wuliaru, Selu, Wotap and Makasar to the west. The Indonesian phrase ''timur laut'' means "east of the sea" or "northeast". The Tanimbar Islands are administered as the ''Tanimbar Islands Regency'' ( id, Kabupaten Kepulauan Tanimbar), a Regencies of Indonesia, regency of Maluku (province), Maluku. The Regency covers a land area of 10,102.92 km2, and it had a population of 105,341 at the 2010 census, rising to 123,572 at the 2020 census. The principal town and administrative centre lies at Saumlaki. Geography Geographically, the northeast islands are still part of the Lesser Sunda Islands. The Aru Islands Regency, Aru Isla ...
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