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 5th AF c1943  5th AF August 1943  Salternik May 12, 1944 |
Location Tsili Tsili Airfield is located at Tsili Tsili (pronounced Silly-Silly) in New Guinea. Sometimes spelled Tsile-Tsile it was actually 5th Air Force General Kenney who wished that the field be renamed, as he thought the name was demeaning and of propaganda value if captured. The Japanese referred to this area as "Fabua". Tsili Tsili is roughly forty miles from Lae near Marilinan (Maralinan). Prewar and during the Pacific War located in the Territory of New Guinea. Today located in Morobe Province in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Construction The area was occupied in the middle of June 1943, as a forward airfield for operations against Lae. The field was hastily constructed by the 871st Airborne Engineers. All supplies, food, fuel and equipment had to be flown into the base via C-47's from Port Moresby. Another runway, Marilinan Airfield was constructed to the southeast as an emergency strip and to confuse any Japanese aerial opposition. World War II Pacific Theatre History On July 26, 1943 the first fighters were based at Tsili-Tsili Airfield. A Japanese reconnaissance aircraft discovered the airfield on August 11, 1943. Allied units based at Tsili Tsili U. S. Army Air Force (USAAF) 2nd Air Task Force (formed at Tsili Tsili for Lae operations) August 5, 1943 54th TCW, 65th TCS (C-47s) Port Moresby September 18, 1943–October 31, 1943 Nadzab 35th FG HQ Port Moresby August 15, 1943 35th FG 40th FS (P-39) 12 Mile August 14, 1943–October 1943 Nadzab 35th FG, 41st FS (P-39) 7-Mile August 14, 1943–October 22, 1943 Nadzab 49th FG, 8th FS (P-40) Dobodura 4 August 30, 1943–October 29 1943 Gusap 433rd TCG (C-47s) June 2, 1944 Nadzab Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) 24 Squadron (Vengeance) Nov 43 - ? 4 Squadron (Boomerang) September 1943 - January 1944 Gusap Walter Seale from the 871st Airborne Engineer Battalion adds: "A lot of cripples landed at Tsilli-Tsilli and later Gusap. They were either low on fuel or shot-up and couldn't be sure of getting home safely. We also mowed a fake runway nearby to confuse the Japanese to make them think the base was bigger than it actually was." Japanese missions against Tsili Tsili August 15, 1943–September 13, 1943 Today The airfield has been abandoned since the war. Until the early 1970s there were several wrecks at the strip, four P-39s and a P-40 abandoned there. Three aircraft were recovered by Monty Armstrong and Charles Darby in 1973 for Yesterday's Air Force. Richard Leahy adds: "Tsili Tsili strip is still there although probably in need of mowing. I have carried out a lot of work to and from Tsili Tsili over the last forty years." P-40N Warhawk Serial Number 42-104961 Recovered in September 1973, exported to USA P-39N Airacobra Serial Number 42-18408 Recovered in September 1973, exported to USA at Chino, CA in 1988 P-39Q Airacobra Serial Number 42-18403 Recovered in September 1973, exported to USA P-39N Airacobra Serial Number 42-18811 Recovered in September 1973, exported to USA P-39K Airacobra Serial Number 42-4351 Abandoned off the eastern end of runway, parts recovered September 1973 P-39 Airacobra Serial number unknown, recovered September 1973 to USA References 4 Kokugun Takes Charge by Richard Dunn page 10 Thanks to Edward Rogers for additional information Contribute
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