- Lae Nadzab Airport
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For the airport in the Marshall Islands, see Lae Airport. For the World War II airfield in Morobe Province, see Lae Airfield.
Lae Nadzab Airport IATA: LAE – ICAO: AYNZ Location of airport in Papua New Guinea Summary Airport type Public Operator Papua New Guinea Office of Civil Aviation Location Lae / Nadzab,
Papua New GuineaElevation AMSL 239 ft / 73 m Coordinates 06°34′11″S 146°43′34″E / 6.56972°S 146.72611°E Runways Direction Length Surface ft m 09/27 8,004 2,440 Asphalt Source: DAFIF[1][2] Lae Nadzab Airport (IATA: LAE, ICAO: AYNZ) is a regional airport located in Lae, Papua New Guinea. It is served by regional aircraft with domestic flight.
Contents
Airlines and destinations
Airlines Destinations Air Niugini Hoskins, Madang, Manus Island, Mount Hagen, Port Moresby Airlines PNG Mount Hagen, Port Moresby North Coast Aviation Bulolo, Finschhafen, Kabwum, Lablab, Omora, Satwag Wau, Yalumet History
Main article: Landing at NadzabNadzab Airfield was built by the United States Army during World War II and was developed into a massive airbase complex. It was home to many United States Army Air Forces and Royal Australian Air Force 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. Number 1 Strip was located to the north. Parallel and to the south was Number 2 Strip, closest to the Markham River. Towards the end of the war, the 21st Air Depot Unit at Nadzab began to manage a storage and reclamation area for excess Allied aircraft and salvage area for repairs. The CRTC (Combat Replacement Training Center) flew out of the base into 1945 until it was turned over to the New Guinea government.
The airfield was underutilized after the war until the mid to late 1970s. Until that time, live ammunition could still be found at the airfield. Today, the former 'East Base' or No. 1 & No. 2 runways are still in use by Air Niugini and for civil aviation, mainly servicing Lae which is 45 km away. Nearly every road in the area was built by American forces, and one can still see World War II era taxiways in the overgrown areas outside the modern landing area.[3][4][5]
Allied units assigned to Nadzab
- Headquarters, Fifth Air Force (15 June – 10 August 1944)
- Headquarters, V Bomber Command (21 February – 15 August 1944)
- Headquarters, V Fighter Command (January–July 1944)
- 91st Reconnaissance Wing (30 March – 10 August 1944)
- 54th Troop Carrier Wing (18 April – 5 October 1944)
- 3d Bombardment Group (3 February – 12 May 1944)
- Headquarters, 89th, 90th Bomb Squadrons, A-20 Havoc
- 22d Bombardment Group (13 January – 11 August 1944)
- Headquarters, 2d, 19th, 33d, 408th Bomb Squadrons, B-26 Marauder, B-25 Mitchell
- 38th Bombardment Group (4 March – 1 October 1944)
- Headquarters, 71st, 405th, 822d, 823d Bomb Squadrons, B-25 Mitchell
- 43d Bombardment Group (4 March – 2 July 1944)
- Headquarters, 64th, 65th, 403d Bomb Squadrons, B-24 Liberator
- 90th Bombardment Group (23 February – 10 August 1944)
- Headquarters, 319th, 320th, 321st, 400th Bomb Squadrons, B-24 Liberator
- 345th Bombardment Group (16 February – July 1944)
- Headquarters, 499th Bomb Squadron
- 8th Fighter Group (14 March – 17 June 1944)
- Headquarters, 6th, 35th, 36th Fighter Squadrons, P-47 Thunderbolt, some P-40 Warhawks
- 35th Fighter Group (5 October 1943 – 7 February 1944)
- Headquarters, 39th FS, P-47 Thunderbolt, 41st FS, P-39 Airacobra, P-47 Thunderbolt
- 475th Fighter Group (24 March – 15 May 1944)
- 6th Reconnaissance Group (17 February – August 1944)
- Headquarters, 8th, 20th, 25th, Recon/Photo Squadrons (F-7, F-5)
- 71st Reconnaissance Group (20 January – 8 August 1944)
- 374 Troop Carrier Group (1 September – 14 October 1944)
- Headquarters, 6th, 21st Troop Carrier Squadrons, C-47 Skytrain
- 375th Troop Carrier Group (1 September – 14 October 1944)
- 433d Troop Carrier Group (25 August 1943 – 17 October 1944)
- Headquarters, 65th, 66th, 67th, 68th, 70th Troop Carrier Squadrons, C-47 Skytrain
- 421st Night Fighter Squadron (27 January – 28 June 1944)
Accidents and incidents
- On 18 November 1987, Douglas C-47B Skytrain P2-006 of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force was damaged beyond repair in an emergency landing shortly after take-off. An engine had lost power and a wing was ripped of in the subsequent belly landing.[6]
See also
- United States Army Air Forces in the South West Pacific Theatre
References
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- ^ Airport information for AYNZ from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
- ^ Airport information for LAE at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
- ^
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
- ^ Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
- ^ www.pacificwrecks.com
- ^ "P2-006 Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19871118-0. Retrieved 27 July 2010.
External links
- Morobe Tourist Bureau airline page
- Current weather for AYNZ at NOAA/NWS
- Accident history for LAE at Aviation Safety Network
USAAF Fifth Air Force in World War II
Previously: Philippine Department Air Force (1941); Far East Air Force (1941-1942)Airfields Pacific USAAF in Australia · USAAF in the Southwest Pacific · USAAF in OkinawaUnits Commands Wings54th Troop Carrier · 85th Fighter · 86th Fighter · 91st Reconnaissance · 308th Bombardment · 309th Bombardment · 310th BombardmentGroupsAir Commando 3rd Air CommandoBombardment 3rd Bombardment · 7th Bombardment · 19th Bombardment · 22nd Bombardment · 27th Bombardment · 38th Bombardment · 43rd Bombardment · 90th Bombardment · 312th Bombardment · 345th Bombardment · 380th Bombardment · 417th BombardmentCombat Cargo 2nd Combat CargoFighter 8th Fighter · 24th Pursuit · 35th Fighter · 49th Fighter · 58th Fighter · 348th Fighter · 475th FighterReconnaissance 6th Reconnaissance · 71st ReconnaissanceTroop Carrier 317th Troop Carrier · 374th Troop Carrier · 375th Troop Carrier · 433rd Troop CarrierSquadrons Bombardment Night Fighter Reconnaissance 2nd Observation · 8th Photographic Reconnaissance · 36th Photographic ReconnaissanceTroop Carrier Categories:- Airports in Papua New Guinea
- Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces on Papua New Guinea
- Morobe Province
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