Emirau Airport is an

airfield An aerodrome ( Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) 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 pub ...

Emirau Island Emirau Island, also called Emira, is an island in the Bismarck Archipelago located at . It is currently part of the New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea. The local language is a dialect of the Mussau-Emira language. Emira is part of what on ...

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 ...

History

World War II

Emirau was seized unopposed by two Battalions of the

4th Marine Regiment The 4th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Based at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan, it is part of the 3rd Marine Division of the III Marine Expeditionary Force. Mission Close with and destroy the enemy by fi ...

on 20 March 1944. Naval Construction Battalions arrived shortly after the landings and began construction of two coral-surfaced by airfields on the island. Inshore Airfield had 35 double hardstands capable of parking 210 fighter or light-bomber planes, while North Cape Airfield had 42 hardstands with space for parking 84 heavy bombers. Both were fully equipped with towers, lighting, and a dispensary. The aviation tank farm consisted of three tanks and nineteen together with the appropriate filling and distribution points. A reserve of was stored in drums. Emirau was the staging point for attacks on the Japanese strongholds at Rabaul and

Kavieng Kavieng is the capital of the Papua New Guinean province of New Ireland and the largest town on the island of the same name. The town is located at Balgai Bay, on the northern tip of the island. As of 2009, it had a population of 17,248. Kavi ...

. US Marine Corps units based here included: * VMSB-243 operating SBDs from June–December 1944 * VMB-413 operating PBJs *

VMB-433 Marine Bombing Squadron 433 (VMB-433) was a United States Marine Corps medium bomber squadron during World War II. Nicknamed the 'Fork-tailed Devils", the squadron flew PBJ medium bombers which were the naval version of the B-25 Mitchell. The squ ...

operating PBJs * VMB-443 operating PBJs * VMB-611 operating PBJs Royal New Zealand Air Force units based here included: * No. 1 Squadron operating PV-1s from May–June 1945 * No. 3 Squadron operating PV-1s * No. 4 Squadron operating PV-1s from November 1944-February 1945 and June–July 1945 * No. 8 Squadron operating PV-1s from February–March 1945 * No. 9 Squadron operating PV-1s from March–May 1945 * No. 14 Squadron operating F4Us from July–August 1945 * No. 19 Squadron operating F4Us from November 1944-January 1945 * No. 22 Squadron operating F4Us from January–March 1945 * No. 23 Squadron from March–May 1945 * No. 25 Squadron operating F4Us from May–July 1945 There was also one Australian unit located on the island - the 474 Heavy Anti-aircraft Troop. Base roll-up commenced in December 1944 and was completed by May 1945.

Postwar

The runways remain usable.

References

External links

* Airports in Papua New Guinea New Ireland Province {{PapuaNewGuinea-airport-stub