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Location
Lat 152 8 Long 4 19 Located approximately 10 miles south-west of Rabaul.
Construction
Australian built unpaved single runway with a single building. Also know as 'West Airfield'.
Australian RAAF Base
Based
ten Wirraways and
four Hudsons of
24 Squadron. On January 20, 1942
eight of the Wirraways attempted to intercept over
100 Japanese carrier aircraft attacking Rabaul.
Before the base fell
to the Japanese, the CO, Squadron Leader J. M. Lerew sent
the message "Nos Morituri
To Salutamus" (Latin: "from those who are about to die, we salute you") to Melbourne headquarters.
On January 22, 1942 the Squadron’s
last Hudson bomber was loaded with wounded, and departed
to Port Moresby and abandoned
the base. Returning to Port Moresby via various methods including flying
boat and small vessels.
Japanese Usage
Occupied by the Japanese, it was known as 'Rabaul Upper' and developed into their main airfield base in the Rabaul area. Additional construction was required prior to the arrival of 4th Kokutai G4M1 Bettys between February 14-17, 1942.
The base was continually expanded throughout 1943, eventually including two parallel strips each 5,100' (as of November 10,
1943) with taxiways and revetments on both sides of the runways, including (64) bomber and (81) fighter
revetments. A well developed anti-aircraft defense was created
with 15 heavy, 14 medium and 12 light guns, and 3 searchlight
batteries (as of November 10,
1943).
Japanese Naval Units Based at Vunakanau
4th Kokutai (G4M1) Feb 14-18, 1942 - ?
Misawa Kokutai (9 x G4M1) Aug 7, 1942
- Oct
1942
705th Kokutai (G4M1 formerly Misawa) Jan 1943 - April
1943
702nd Kokutai (G4M1 Betty) Late 1942 - Late 1943
751st Kokutai (G4M Betty) Oct 11, 42 - May 1943
Tainan Kokutai (A6M Zero) April 1942 - November 1942 also Lakunai
251st Kokutai (former
Tainan Kokutai A6M / J1N1) Nov 1942 - Mid 1943v
Japanese Army Air Force Units Based at
Vunakanau
1st Sentai (Ki-43 Oscar) January - August 1943
11th Sentai (Ki-43 Oscar) December 18, 1942 - June 1943 to
Wewak
13th Sentai (Ki-45 Nick) May - September 1943
68th Sentai (Ki-61 Tony) April - July 1943 to Wewak
78th Sentai (Ki-61 Tony) June - July 1943 to Wewak
Missions Against Vunakanau
Japanese & Allied January 4, 1942 - June 2, 1944
American aircraft pounded Vunakanau from the air, neutralizing the base by February 14, 1944 when remaining flyable aircraft were evacuated to Truk, but anti-aircraft defenses were active until the end of the war.
Postwar
One of the two runways was maintained until 1983, as an emergency landing strip for Rabaul. It was no longer maintained when Tokua Airfield was built.
Today
The runways are overgrown, but still visible. Not much
of the Japanese airbase complex remains, except for
a few tracks that follow the runway and taxiways. Much
of the remaining wreckage was transported to the Kokopo
Museum.
Catholic Mission
Behind
the mission were radio racks from an underground communications
center discovered in the 1970s at Malmaluan.
A6M? Zero Wreckage Tail Number 322
635th Kokutai. Wreckage of tail with original paint and tail section.
Ki-43-I Oscar Manufacture
Number 750
Hidden near the airfield until the end of the war, found November 1945, captured as war prize
CAC
Wirraway
Located in the vicinity, it was later recovered to the Kokopo Museum
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Last Updated
October 1, 2009
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