Wanigela is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

along Collingwood Bay,

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 ...

. The village is served by Wanigela Airport.

History

Wanigela became an

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

forward staging base 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 opposin ...

. Troops staged at Wanigela before troops moving to

Pongani Pongani is a village on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in Dyke Ackland Bay, Oro Province. History During World War II, the area around the village was used as a staging area for allied forces for the Battle of Buna-Gona. The United States 12 ...

to strike 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 ...

during the Battle of Buna-Gona. Between 5 October & 6 October 1942, the

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

n 2/10th Battalion of the 18th Brigade together with

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

engineers and anti-aircraft gunners were flown from

Milne Bay Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea. More than long and over wide, Milne Bay is a sheltered deep-water harbor accessible via Ward Hunt Strait. It is surrounded by the heavily wooded Stirling Range to t ...

to Wanigela Airfield by

C-47 Dakotas The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota (RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

21st Troop Carrier Squadron 021 is: * in Brazil, the telephone area code for the city of Rio de Janeiro and surrounding cities (Greater Rio de Janeiro) * in China, the telephone area code for the city of Shanghai. * in Indonesia, the area code for the city of Jakarta and ...

and 22nd Troop Carrier Squadron of the 374th Transport Group. On 14 October 1942, the United States Army

128th Infantry Regiment The 128th Infantry Regiment ("Les Terribles") is a United States military unit of the Wisconsin National Guard, currently represented by the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment. The 128th has served as part of the American Civil War, Spanish� ...

of the 32nd Infantry Division and the

n 2/6th Independent Company were flown from 14-Mile Drome to Wanigela Airfield.

References

Wanigela

Populated places in Oro Province {{OroProvince-geo-stub