Horn Island Airport is an airport in Horn Island, Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

.

World War II

The Civil Constructional Corps and the Department of Main Roads

Department of Main Roads (Queensland)

The Queensland Government Department of Transport and Main Roads plans, designs, builds and maintains the 34,000km of Queensland state-controlled roads, under the Minister for Local Government and Main Roads. Warren Pitt is the current Minister for Local Government and Main Roads.The department is...

 began construction of an advanced operational airbase on the island during World War II

World 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...

, commencing in 1940. The aerodrome was completed in January 1942. It was used as a staging base for Allied

Allies of World War II

The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...

 aircraft moving between Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 and New Guinea

New Guinea

New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...

. The airfield consisted of two intersecting runways, with revetments for aircraft parking.

Japanese bombing raids against Horn Island Aerodrome

• 14 March 1942
• 18 March 1942
• 30 April 1942
• 11 May 1942
• 6 July 1942
• 30 July 1942
• 1 August 1942
• 17 June 1943

Units based at Horn Island Aerodrome

• 7th Fighter Squadron
  7th Fighter Squadron
  The 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...
  
   of 49th Fighter Group
  49th Fighter Wing
  The 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....
  
  , March 1942 - 18 April 1942 (Curtiss P-40
  Curtiss P-40
  The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
  
  s)
• No. 6 Squadron RAAF
  No. 6 Squadron RAAF
  No. 6 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force training and bomber squadron. The squadron was first formed in 1917 and served as a training unit based in England during World War I. It was disbanded in 1919 but re-formed at the start of 1939...
  
  
• No. 7 Squadron RAAF
  No. 7 Squadron RAAF
  No. 7 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force flying training squadron of World War I and medium bomber squadron of World War II. The Squadron was first formed in October 1917 and was disbanded in December 1945 after seeing action during the Pacific War....
  
  
• No. 24 Squadron RAAF
  No. 24 Squadron RAAF
  No. 24 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron. The Squadron was formed in 1940 and saw action as a bomber squadron during World War II. Since the end of the war the Squadron has been an RAAF Reserve squadron located near Adelaide, South Australia....
  
  
• No. 32 Squadron RAAF
  No. 32 Squadron RAAF
  No. 32 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force unit based at RAAF East Sale in Victoria. It currently flies training and transport operations.- World War II :...
  
  
• No. 75 Squadron RAAF
  No. 75 Squadron RAAF
  No. 75 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force fighter unit based at RAAF Base Tindal in the Northern Territory. The squadron was formed in 1942 and saw extensive action in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II, operating P-40 Kittyhawks. It was disbanded in 1948, but reformed the...
  
  
• No. 84 Squadron RAAF
  No. 84 Squadron RAAF
  No. 84 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron of World War II.-History:No. 84 Squadron was formed at RAAF Base Richmond on 5 February 1943 and was the first RAAF Squadron to be equipped with the Australian-designed Boomerang fighter. In April 1943 No...
  
  
• No. 28 Operational Base Unit RAAF

Airlines and destinations

Aircraft crashes

• Aero Commander, 500-S, VH-UJP
• A number of B-17 Flying Fortresses crash landed during World War II
  World 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...
  
  :
  • B-17E Serial Number 41-2636 - crashed during night take off 13 July 1942
  • B-17E Serial Number 41-2655 - crashed during night take off 13 July 1942
  • B-17E "G.I. Issue" Serial Number 41-2421 - crashed landed on 16 July 1942
  • B-17E "Tojo's Nightmare" Serial Number 41-2497 - crashed attempting landing 24 March 1944

External links

• Aviation Safety Investigation Report VH-UJP