Corunna Downs Airfield was a secret
Royal Australian Air Force
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
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, anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...
(RAAF) base at
Corunna Downs, south of
Marble Bar
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphosed ...
in the
Pilbara
The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a g ...
region of
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
during
World War II
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 opposing ...
.
In 1942 the RAAF built a secret airbase on
Corunna Downs Station
Corunna Downs Station is a pastoral lease that was once a sheep station but now operates as a cattle station in Western Australia.
It is located approximately south of Marble Bar and south east of Port Hedland in the Pilbara region of Western ...
, adjacent to the 1891 homestead. The airfield, created especially for
B-24 Liberator long-range
heavy bomber
Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range (takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larges ...
s, comprised two intersecting
bitumen runways, a north–south (165°) runway and an east–west (107°) runway .
No. 73 Operational Base Unit was responsible for operating the airfield during World War II.
The RAAF
No. 24 Squadron,
No 25 Squadron and the
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...
380th Bomb Group flew long range missions against
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
shipping and base facilities in the
Dutch East Indies.
The base has been abandoned since World War II.
See also
*
List of airports in Western Australia
This is a list of airports in the Australian state of Western Australia.
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List of airports
The list is sorted by the name of the community served, click the sort buttons in the table header to switch listing order. Airports named in bo ...
References
External links
Travel Attractions Website
Former Royal Australian Air Force bases
World War II airfields in Australia
Defunct airports in Western Australia
Western Australia during World War II
State Register of Heritage Places in the Shire of East Pilbara
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