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Location
Located in the Markam Valley at Nadzab,
outside of Lae.
Wartime History
Occupied by the Japanese with only occasional Japanese
Army patrols through the area. Some
references incorrectly show a Japanese emergency strip at this location. In fact, there was no airfield here.
Site of the only Allied paratrooper
assault in New Guinea mainland on September 5, 1943 by the
US Army's 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment
and Australian AIF 2/4th Field Gun Volunteers landing with short barrel 25
pounders. The operation was successful and met little resistance.
Construction
Built by the US Army and surfaced with marston matt (PSP) running east to west. Developed into a massive airbase complex. Home
to many
air
units during
the war when it was a forward base of operations against Japanese
positions, and was vital afterwards as a staging area.
Two parallel runways were built, running roughly east to west. No. 1 Strip was located to the north. Parallel and to the south was No. 2 Strip, closest to the Markham River.
American & Japanese Missions Against Nadzab
March 23 - November 9, 1943
American Units Based at Nadzab
5th Air Force & RAAF
Veteran
John Farrell recalls:
"As
a pilot in the 319th Squadron of the 90th Bomb Group I remember
well my time at Nadzab. Many early morning take offs
were in foggy conditions and on the return trip from a mission
we often encountered stormy conditions. It rained every day and
was hotter than the hinges of hell. Mountains loomed very close
at takeoff and landing. Altogether a scary place."
Veteran Jack Heyn recalls:
"The one event that sticks very prominently in my mind
was not a pleasant one. The 90th Bomb Group was also stationed at Nadzab with their B-24's. There was about a six day stretch when you could almost set
your watch at 7:00 A.M. by an explosion. It would be a B-24 fully loaded with
bombs and fuel, exploding on take-off. Never did hear what the problem was,
but they made a hell of a racket and a hell of a crater in the runway. And that
was a hell of a way for those poor guys to go -- but then there ain't no easy
way."
Joe Potts, 40th Fighter Squadron recalls:
"It was at Nadzab that I saw the Ki-61 Tony for the first time, that was a sweet looking plane. They came down and strafed us. We all dived into the nearest trench, all falling on top of each other. We could hear the bullets whistling by as they strafed, they really did whistles, just like in the movies! They were sleek looking planes with that inline engine. They looked like our P-51s! Also at Nadzab, I remember getting a 'speeding ticket' in a jeep, doing 35 mph in a 30 mile an hour zone! The MPs followed me and matched my speed. There was no one else on the whole road! But, you know how cops are! "
Late War Activity
Towards the end of the war, the 21st Air Depot Unit
at Nadzab was a bone yard for scrapped planes and
salvage area for repairs. The CRTC (Combat Replacement Training
Center) flew out of the base into 1945.
Post War Scrapping
Most of the wrecks
at Nadzab were scraped immediately after the
war, permits
being awarded to private contractors who were
given
rights to scrap aircraft, sell aviation fuel and
oil. As early as September of
1945, hundreds of wrecks were scrapped by a private
Australian
smelting company. Two expatriates involved with the
scrapping were Eric Snook(s) and Arthur Scott.
Although
most wartime wreckage was scrapped or otherwise
disappeared According to Charles
Darby,
in the mid 1970's other wreckage remained,
including a Stinson L-1
and 11 Hadrian
gliders.
Today
The former 'East Base' or No.
1 & No. 2 runways are still in use
by Air Nugini and for civil aviation,
mainly servicing Lae which
is 45 km away. Nearly every road in the area
was built by American forces, and even as
you land at Nadzab today, you can still see
WWII era taxiways in the overgrown areas
outside the modern landing area.
References
Engineers in Theater Operations [Pacific] "Advance Area Airdromes 31 January 1944", Map No. 24
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Last Updated
October 1, 2009
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