Buna Airfield was an aerodrome located near Buna,

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

. Built as an emergency landing ground, it was extended during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

by the

Imperial Japanese The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent forma ...

. A new runway was under construction until both runways were neutralized by Allied air bombing in late 1942.

American Bombing Attacks

Buna was first subjected to American fury during the early days of 1942. A few half-hearted bombing raids by the disillusioned & discouraged Fifth Air Force's

A-20 A20, A 20, A.20 or A-20 may refer to: Vehicles * A-20 Havoc, a U.S.-designed attack aircraft used in World War II * A20 heavy tank, a British tank which did not enter production but of which a downsized version became the A22 Churchill tank * A-20 ...

B-17 The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...

, and

B-25 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 e ...

bombers was about the worst Buna suffered. Then, in July 1942, General George C. Kenney assumed command of what was by this time, little more than a motley collection of exhausted men and exhausted planes.

Japanese Units based at Buna Airfield

*2nd

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 ...

( A6M3 Hamp, D3A2 Val) * Tainan Kōkūtai (A6M3 Hamp)

References

External links

Buna Airfield (Old Strip)
Transport in Papua New Guinea Airports in Papua New Guinea Oro Province {{PapuaNewGuinea-airport-stub