November 1942


December 1942

c1943



Justin Taylan 2004

Location
Located 17 miles from Port Moresby, to the north of the Waigani swamp. Known as '17 Mile' or sometimes 'Waigani'. Waigani swamp is located at the end of the airfield. Pilots feared crashing into during bad take offs or landings under the belief there were crocodiles in it.

Construction
A single main runway, running roughly NW-SE was constructed by the 808th Airborne Engineers, and completed in August 1942. The runway was separate from the dispersal and camp areas, where revetments were carved into hillsides and taxiways elevated for drainage. Gun pits built of 55 gallon drums for anti-aircraft were built on the surrounding hills, and buildings on concrete slabs, or tents on gravel from the nearby quarry.

The airstrip was active during late 1942 and all of 1943 as a frontline base, It became a rear area when units moved forward to the Dubodura area. In 1944, the RAAF operated a RSU at the strip and boneyard.

Naming
On November 10, 1942 it was officially renamed 'Durand' to honor MIA P-39 pilot Edward D. Durand missing on a mission to Lae.

Japanese Air Raids Against Durand
April 12, 1943 (plus later nighttime harassment raids)

Units Based at Durand
3rd BG, 13th BS (B-25) October 7, 1942 - ?
3rd BG, 90th BS (B-25)
38th BG, 71st BS (B-25) Breddan Oct 1, 42 - Mar 5, 44 Nadzab
38th BG, 405th BS (B-25) Oct 25, 42 - March 6, 44 Nadzab
49th FG, 7th FS (P-40) ? - ? to Dobodura
345th BG's, 499th BS (B-25) ? - Jan 15, 1944 to Dobodura

Veteran William Smith recalls:
"Dense jungle surrounded this Port Moresby strip. One time a crew bailed out only three miles from the base, but it took them a week to get back!"

Gurden Barnett, 38th BG, 405th BS recalls:
"We were afraid to swim in the swamp nearby, because one night some of the guys found and killed a snake.  In the morning, it proved to be 26 feet long! Occasionally the Japanese would bomb us, mostly harassment raids of one or a few Japanese planes.

Today
Located outside Port Moresby, the airfield has remained relatively isolated and disused since the war.  There are no settlements on the airfield, only occasionally do people pass thru the area searching for firewood or hunting.  The runway, revetments and taxiway system is still present, but only clearly visible in the dry season when the grass has been burned away.

B-25D "Blunder Bus" Serial Number 41-30028
Crashed July 8, 1943 after take off. Wreckage likely scrapped in 1980s.

Henry Mayer adds:
"I have made several trips down to the other end of the airstrip which seems to have had only a few campsites, but a lot of dugouts going all the way up to the highest point. Apart from the Australian tag belonging to Floyd Hammond /86 ord batt and a pair of a/craft manifolds lying on the lower part of the hill the place was quite bare and seemed to have been used for a short time only. Between the two jungle patches at the runways end is the small stream which actually drains the lake and has a road crossing it.  The crossing is still there but was on the point of collapse when i visited in 95 with just enough width (30cm) remaining in the middle to ride my bike across. The road continues around the hills along to the main road at Gerehu (wallaby ord dump then) suburb and still has dirt ordnance bays laid out neatly alongside it, not to mention the burnt out remains of a few stolen vehicles stippled and abandoned. I also checked out the middle section of the runway which in the shot shows a straight road/taxiway leading off at 90 degree on the right. In this area there are concrete foundations hidden among raintrees and further out in thick kunai i found quite a few metal scraps, drums, aircraft manifolds and a section with two metal gun box data plates attached for P-40E."

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