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| Location Lat 7° 50' 47S Long 147° 39' 6E Dona Airfield is located at an elevation of 65' above sea level near Dona inland from the north coast of New Guinea. Borders the Waria River to the the south and east. Prewar and during the Pacific War located in Morobe District in the Territory of New Guinea. Today located in Morobe Rural LLG, Huon District of Morobe Province in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Construction Built prewar as a single grass surfaced runway. Wartime History On March 31, 1943 U.S. Army 41st Division, 162nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion "MacKechnie Force" under the command of Col Archibald R. MacKechnie (C.O. 162d Inf) lands at the mouth of the Waria River and occupies Dona and Dona Airfield without opposition. Afterwards, Dona Airfield was cleared for use as an emergency landing strip. By late 1943, abandoned as other Allied airfields had been constructed elsewhere. Richard Leahy adds: "For many years I operated a small trade store in Morobe Town. Prior to the construction of Morobe Airport, [in 1968] I would fly [Cessna 182A VH-BVE] to Dona Airfield and hire an outboard powered dinghy and take myself to and from Morobe Town then back to Dona. The runway was short and grass covered, somewhere around 1700’ in length and was slippery. No problem for a Cessna 185, impossible for a B-25 or say P-39 or P-40. Wheels up only." Today Still in use today as Dona Airstrip a small single runway. References Army Air Forces in World War II Vol. IV The Pacific: Guadalcanal to Saipan August 1942 to July 1944 Chapter V Battle of the Bismarck Sea pages 158-159 (Page 159) "[MacKechnie Force] began its move on 31 March, landed at the mouth of the Waria River and at Dona, and on 3 April other elements splashed ashore in Morobe harbor. Three days later Col. Archibald R. MacKechnie, the commander from whom the force received its designation, reported that his men were in control of the harbor, that he was preparing to maintain the Dona air-strip as an emergency landing field..." Richard Leahy Logbook March 2, 1968 Cessna 182A VH-BVE Richard Leahy Logbook April 1, 1968 Cessna 182A VH-BVE Richard Leahy Logbook June 2, 1968 Cessna 182A VH-BVE Thanks to Richard Leahy additional information Contribute
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