Location
Located inland of Awar Plantaion, between Condor Point and Awar Point along Hansa Bay. To the south are Old Nubia Airfield and Nubia Airfield (Hansa South).

Japanese Occupation
Built by the Japanese, this airfield was a single runway 4,000' x 180'. A single taxiway look ran the length of the runway, several heavy AA batteries were loacted near Condor Point. It was a refueling base or "operational airfield" for the Japanese Army Air Force.

Japanese Units Based At Awar
208th Sentai (Ki-48) November 1943
248th Sentai (Ki-43) November 1943 a refueling base

Only one 248th pilot landed there in November 1943. He apparently left his a/c behind because he was hospitalized at Wewak 4 days later. Allied photo coverage but in late Dec 43 only 3 fighters were spotted on each. Thanks to Richard Dunn's Hansa Bay History for additional historicial information.

American Missions Against Awar
August 25, 1943 - May 4, 1944

Australian Liberation
The airfield area was occupied by Australian Army on June 14, 1944.

RAAF Use as Emergency Strip
There are at least two instances of RAAF aircraft landing at Awar Airfield: Boomerang A46-138 on June 27, 1944 and Boomerang A46-??? on February 9, 1945.

On June 27, 1944, a Boomerang A46-138 piloted by F/O N. L. Oliver, 436020 attempted an emergency landing at Awar, but collided with a deralict aircraft on the overgrown runway and crashed and burned.

On February 9, 1945 Boomerang A46-??? code QE-A flown by F/L C.A. Phillips was flying a tactical reconnassnace mission over the Sepik. Returning its engine began to overheat. He successfully landed at Awar, and his plane was guarded by members of the 5th Australian Division, 30th Battalion (Sepik Force). After two days, an engine fitter from 4 Squadron was flown to the airfield to repair it oil cooler, and its fuel tank was topped off with abandoned Japanese aviation gas!

Postwar
The airfield was abandonded after the war. It was put back into civilian air service to the Hansa Bay area until 1982 when abandoned again.

Today
Disused since 1982 and overgrown with kunai grass.

Justin Taylan adds:
"There is little evidence of any bombing, probably because it was cleaned up and used until 1982. Locals talked about another engine in the kunai grass but we were unable to locate it."

John Douglas adds:
"We found two revetments on the other side of the Awar strip, built for bombers."

Ki-49-II Helen Manufacture Number 3342
Damaged on the ground at Awar

References
Hansa Bay History by Richard Dun for additional information.

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Last Updated
July 31, 2011