Woodstock Airport, Queensland
Encyclopedia
Donnington Airpark is located on the Flinders Highway at Woodstock
, a suburb of Townsville, Queensland
in Australia
. It is also called Woodstock Airport and is known for its airshows.
There are rumours that it was built in 1942, and that the hard surfaced wartime runways have been removed, along with all of the buildings and former wartime structures. This is not true. Donnington Airpark was NOT a World War II airstrip. The airpark and associated grass runways were constructed on virgin bushland by Ray Smith in 1969, as a satellite airfield to Townsville, for general aviation. It has never had a sealed surface. There are other airfields in the Woodstock area. This correction has been added to this article on behalf of the owner Ray Smith.
, the United States Army Air Force Fifth Air Force
may well have used an airfield in the vicinity of Woodstock during 1942 and 1943. More research will be needed to identify which airfields may have been used. American units assigned to this area were:
Woodstock, Queensland
Woodstock is a small rural community and suburb 40 km west in the rural area of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The Woodstock General Store is the local shop, cafe, news agent, service station, bank and post office...
, a suburb of Townsville, Queensland
Townsville, Queensland
Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Australia, in the state of Queensland. Adjacent to the central section of the Great Barrier Reef, it is in the dry tropics region of Queensland. Townsville is Australia's largest urban centre north of the Sunshine Coast, with a 2006 census...
in 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...
. It is also called Woodstock Airport and is known for its airshows.
There are rumours that it was built in 1942, and that the hard surfaced wartime runways have been removed, along with all of the buildings and former wartime structures. This is not true. Donnington Airpark was NOT a World War II airstrip. The airpark and associated grass runways were constructed on virgin bushland by Ray Smith in 1969, as a satellite airfield to Townsville, for general aviation. It has never had a sealed surface. There are other airfields in the Woodstock area. This correction has been added to this article on behalf of the owner Ray Smith.
World War II
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...
, the United States Army Air Force Fifth Air Force
Fifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
may well have used an airfield in the vicinity of Woodstock during 1942 and 1943. More research will be needed to identify which airfields may have been used. American units assigned to this area were:
- 22d Bombardment Group, (Headquarters) (5 July 1942 – 29 September 1942; 4 February 1943-October 1943)
- 19th Bombardment Squadron, B-26 MarauderB-26 MarauderThe Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
(4 July-15 September 1942; 4 February-11 July 1943) - 33d Bombardment Squadron, B-26 MarauderB-26 MarauderThe Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
(20 July-29 September 1942; 4 February-15 October 1943) - 408th Bombardment Squadron, B-26 MarauderB-26 MarauderThe Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
(20 July-29 September 1942; 4 February-15 October 1943)
- 35th Fighter Squadron, Curtiss P-40Curtiss P-40The 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...
(8th Fighter Group) (29 June-17 July 1942) - 39th Fighter Squadron, P-38 LightningP-38 LightningThe Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
(35th Fighter Group), (25 April-2 June 1942)
See also
- United States Army Air Forces in AustraliaUnited States Army Air Forces in AustraliaDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces established a series of airfields in Australia for the collective defense of the country, as well as for conducting offensive operations against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy...
(World War IIWorld War IIWorld 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...
)