Finschhafen Airport
Encyclopedia
Finschhafen Airport is a general aviation airport in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea
. . It is located on the south-east tip of Huon Peninsula at Finschafen. A half mile inland, parallel to Schneider Harbor, with Dregerhaffen to the south-east. It has no scheduled commercial airline service.
in late 1943 by the United States Army
807th and 808th Aviation Engineer Battalions which constructed a 6,000' x 100' coral and steel matting single runway running NNW to SSE. The tower was code named 'Harvest'. In mid-November 1943, US Navy Seabees performed rough grading on the northern end of the strip, and crushed coral for the entire area. On 5 January the 808th departed, and the Seabee 60th Battalion completed the airfield, building fighter and medium bomber hardstands, mostly located to the north, with more to the east and a few on the southern side of the runway. Many aircraft shipped from the United States were assembled at Finschafen and then flown to other airfields for operations.
At the war's end, millions of dollars of equipment both new and used was bulldozed into a huge holes in the area and abandoned.
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
. . It is located on the south-east tip of Huon Peninsula at Finschafen. A half mile inland, parallel to Schneider Harbor, with Dregerhaffen to the south-east. It has no scheduled commercial airline service.
History
The airport was built during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in late 1943 by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
807th and 808th Aviation Engineer Battalions which constructed a 6,000' x 100' coral and steel matting single runway running NNW to SSE. The tower was code named 'Harvest'. In mid-November 1943, US Navy Seabees performed rough grading on the northern end of the strip, and crushed coral for the entire area. On 5 January the 808th departed, and the Seabee 60th Battalion completed the airfield, building fighter and medium bomber hardstands, mostly located to the north, with more to the east and a few on the southern side of the runway. Many aircraft shipped from the United States were assembled at Finschafen and then flown to other airfields for operations.
Allied units assigned to Finschhafen
- 86th Fighter Wing86th Fighter Wing (World War II)The 86th Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit which operated during the Second World War. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces, based at San Marcelino Airfield, Philippines...
(1 May-1 August 1944) - 8th Fighter Group8th Fighter WingThe United States Air Force 8th Fighter Wing is the host unit at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea and is assigned to Seventh Air Force...
(23 December 1943-20 February 1944)
- Headquarters, 35th35th Fighter SquadronThe 35th Fighter Squadron is part of the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea.-History:The 35th Fighter Squadron heritage dates back to 12 June 1917, when the unit activated as the 35th Aero Squadron. Originally an aircraft maintenance squadron, the unit served in France from...
, 36th Fighter Squadron36th Fighter SquadronThe 36th Fighter Squadron is part of the 51st Fighter Wing at Osan Air Base, South Korea. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions.-Mission:...
s, P-40 Warhawk, P-47 ThunderboltP-47 ThunderboltRepublic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
- 49th Fighter Group49th Fighter WingThe 49th Wing is an air combat unit of the United States Air Force and the host unit at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. The 49 WG is part of the Air Combat Command Twelfth Air Force....
(19 April-17 May 1944)
- 49th Fighter Group
- Headquarters, 7th Fighter Squadron7th Fighter SquadronThe 7th Fighter Squadron is part of the 49th Fighter Wing at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.-Mission:The 7th Fighter Squadron as a part of the 49th Operations Group supports national security objectives, as directed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, by utilizing the F-22A Raptor aircraft.The 7 FS...
, P-40 Warhawk- 348th Fighter Group108th Air Refueling WingThe 108th Air Refueling Wing is a unit of the New Jersey Air National Guard tasked with aerial refueling and other air mobility missions. It is based at McGuire Air Force Base and operationally gained by the Air Mobility Command . The current Commander of the 108th is...
(16 December 1943-29 March 1944)
- 348th Fighter Group
- Headquarters, 340th340th Fighter SquadronThe 340th Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 348th Fighter Group, based at Itami Air Base, Japan...
, 341st341st Fighter SquadronThe 341st Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 348th Fighter Group, based at Itami Air Base, Japan...
, 342d Fighter Squadrons, P-47 ThunderboltP-47 ThunderboltRepublic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
- 317th Troop Carrier Group317th Airlift GroupThe 317th Airlift Group is a United States Air Force unit, stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Assigned to Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force, the 317 AG operates as a tenant unit to the 7th Bomb Wing, Air Combat Command ....
(April-June 1944)
- Headquarters, 319th Troop Carrier Squadron, C-47 SkytrainC-47 SkytrainThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
- 22d Troop Carrier Squadron, (375th Troop Carrier Group), C-47 SkytrainC-47 SkytrainThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
- 8th Combat Cargo Squadron, (2d Combat Cargo Group2d Combat Cargo GroupThe 2d Combat Cargo Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last duty station was at Yokota Air Base, Japan, where it was inactivated on 15 January 1946.-Lineage:...
), C-46 CommandoC-46 CommandoThe Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C... - 418th Night Fighter Squadron418th Night Fighter SquadronThe 418th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing, being inactivated at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona on 1 October 1976.-World War II:...
, (380th Bombardment Wing), (28 March-12 May 1944)
- 22d Troop Carrier Squadron, (375th Troop Carrier Group), C-47 Skytrain
At the war's end, millions of dollars of equipment both new and used was bulldozed into a huge holes in the area and abandoned.
See also
- USAAF in the Southwest PacificUnited States Army Air Forces in the South West Pacific TheatreDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces engaged in combat against the air, ground and naval forces of the Empire of Japan in the South West Pacific Theatre....