Pacific Airfields

[syscom3]

This island was important in the allied strategy for the containment of the Japanese bastion at Rabaul. In early 1944, this island was seized by NZ troopers. However, even as the island was being seized, the allies saw the projected invasion of Rabaul as being increasingly unlikely, this island's strategic significance dwindled. Still a highly usefull emergency base, but nothing more.

The location of the island is north of Bougainville and about 100 miles due east of Rabaul on the island of New Britain.

Nissan Island | NZETC

Seabees 93 - Green Island Page

Most of the following info came from the Pacific Wrecks webpage.
Nissian Island

Japanese Occupation
Occupied by a force of Japanese at the start of the war and the harbor was used for seaplanes. Months later, Japanese ground forces occupied the area in March 1942. As the war progressed, it was used as barge station in the supply lines from Rabaul to Bougainville. As Allied air power mounted, barges would hide at Nissan and Green Island area during the daytime, before moving south at night.
New Zeland Liberation
bougainville/nissan/lci-unloading.jpgA 300-strong raiding party, most of whom were from New Zealand's 30 Battalion, made a night landing on Nissan Island on 30 January 1944. After reconnoitering for 24 hours, the group was withdrawn by sea with 5 men killed and about 10 wounded. This was in preparation for a full-scale amphibious landing.
Operation "Square Peg" by the 3rd New Zealand Division (less 8 Brigade) and United States troops on February 15, 1944. At the time of the liberation only about 500 base troops were on Nissan, the rest had withdrwan to Feni Island. All the defenders fought to the death, none surrendered. Organised Japanese resistance ended on 20 February but mopping up operations continued until the end of the month. New Zealand troops remain until early June when they sail back to New Caledonia.
Construction
The wartime airfield known as "Green Island" was actually built on Nissan Island. Built by USN Sea Bees, there were two parallel runways, 1,000 feet apart on the island. The airfield was initally planned to provide land based fighter support for attacks on Rabaul and Kavieng.
US Units based at Green
93rd NCB (Seabees) Feb 15 - Oct 25, 1944
15th NCB (Seabees) Feb 22 - April 3, 1944
33rd NCB (Seabees) March 44 - July Aug 1944
VMSB 341 (SBD) April - May 1944, July 1 - ?
VMB 223 May 7, 1944 - ?
VBM 433 June - August 20, 1944
VMF-218 (Oct - Dec 1944)
VFM-223 (F4U) March 1944
MB 423 (ground echelon) May 1944
VMB 423 (PBJ/B-25) mid 1944 - June 45 to Emirau
VMB 413 (PBJ/B-25) mid 1944
MAG 24/14
VPB 53 (PBY) ? - July 45 Samar
STAG-1 (TDR) Oct 44
NZ Units based at Green
18 Squadron (Nov 44 - Dec 44)
20 Squadroon (Nov 44 - ?)
14 Squadron (Dec 44 - Jan 45)
16 Squadon (Dec 44 - Feb 45)
17 Squadron (Jan 45 - March 45)
15 Squadron (Feb 45 - April 45)
24 Squadron (March 45 - May 45)
21 Squadron (April - May 45)
Ocean Aerodrome
Bomber runway, on the outer side facing the sea. The strip was completed on March 29, 1944. That same day, a B-24 Liberator crash lands at the strip.
Lagoon Aerodrome
Fighter runway, on the outer side of the lagoon. The first plane to land on the fighter strip was a disabled F4U on March 3, 1944. A note to WWII pilots was: ;...not to approach the island less than 1,000 feet when possible, as the atoll is difficult to locate at low altitude."
Drone Operations
US NAVY had a radio controlled aircraft operation on the island, called STAG-1 (Special Task Air Group One) flying TDN's dromes and then upgraded to TDR Dromes. They flew missions on the following days:
October 5 - four drones against targets in Rabaul
October 9 - VK-12 four attack causeway at Matupi (mission failed)
October 15 - VK-11 four attack causeway at Matupi (mission failed)
October 26 - four drones against Rabaul
Famous People On Green
From May 22 - June 10, 1944, Charles Lindbergh flew 13 combat mission, escorting TBFs to Rabaul with a Marine F4U squadron and strafing assigned ground targets while flying from Green and Emirau islands. Bob Hope preformed on the island on August 1-2, and Jack Benny on August 15, 1944 for the troops.
In July 1945, the last troops leave the island for Guiua, and everything left is destroyed, and the island returned to Melanesian islanders.
Post War
After the war a vast quantity of supplies were dumped and thousands of drums of fuel were sold to locals for US $0.13 a liter.

 

[Wildcat]

Interesting post, keep em coming.

 

[GANJIRO]

Thanks for the Sansapore information! My dad during WWII served with the US Army Amhpibious Engineers 543rd Boat Shore Regiment Company B, and for a time he was stationed at Sansapore, New Guinea in the rank of 2dn Lt.. My dad made friends with many Navy Personel, and he recalled a time due to shear bordom he asked the mothership for the Black Cat squadron (ship name Halfmoon) if he could join them on their next mission and permission was granted. This turned out to be a bombing mission on a Japanese Base at Ambiona on Ceram Island. On this mission he recalled dropping 100 lb. bombs out the rear starboard bubble window of the PBY during which one of the engines of the PBY was shot out by Japanese AA fire so the PBY after delivering all it's bomb payload limped back to base at Sansapore on one engine. My dad recalled the pilot's name as being a Lt. Commander Shinn, and that he was an All American College Football Star before the war started. I did a web search for "PBY SHINN" and came upon a website Veteran contacts: Black Cat PBYs post dated 11/03/01 by a Cynthia Shinn: "My father, Walter Ellsworth Shinn, was a pilot in the Black Cat Squadron. I would love to get more information from anyone who may have known him, or might have photos. He always spoke very fondly of his time in the squadron. He went on become a commercial airline pilot, and upon retirement, continued to fly seaplanes for Chalks Internation Airways, that still flys seaplanes out of downtown Miami to the Bahamas."
I was able to contact Miss Shinn and verify that it was in fact her father that my dad few with on this mission.
I'm going to forward these pictures iof Sansapore, and Middleburg Island to him, I think he'd enjoy them. THANKS AGAIN!

These two airstrips were occupied in July 1944. Middleburg is an island a mile or so off shore from Sanasapor.

The attached map shows this location as being in the upper left of the map, right on the Northwest coast of the island.

Note on the attached satellite images, that even after 60 years, the airfield is still visible.

"..With the fighting along the Driniumor flickering out, MacArthur's final assault landing on New Guinea took place at Sansapor, a weak point between two known Japanese strongholds on the Vogelkop Peninsula. There were about 15,000 Japanese troops of the 35th Division at Manokwari, 120 miles east of Sansapor. Sixty miles to Sansapor's west were 12,500 enemy soldiers at the major air base complex of Sorong. Rather than fight on the enemy's terms, MacArthur employed SWPA's well-tested amphibious capability to leapfrog to Sansapor where, on 30 July, 7,300 men of the 6th Division conducted an unopposed landing. Sixth Army had once again split the Japanese forces in order to seize a coastal enclave that combat engineers quickly transformed from jungle overgrowth into two airfields that provided valuable support during MacArthur's invasion of Morotai in the Molucca chain. Japan's 35th Division found itself isolated in western New Guinea. For historical purposes, Sixth Army closed the Vogelkop operation on 31 August 1944, although the 6th Division remained there until it left for Luzon, Philippines, in January 1945. Units of the 93d Infantry Division then took over the defense of the airfields."

The capture of this island had a significant impact on the allied war effort in the SW pacific, as P38's were now in range of several important Japanese installations blocking the route to the Philipines. In addition, (I believe) the P38s were now in range of the oil refineries at Balikpapen and Tarakan.

The Pacific Wrecks website indicates the following US forces were stationed here:
HQ 18th FG, 12th FS P-38s start - January 13, 1945
18th FS, 70th FS P-38 Aug 23, 1944 - January 19, 1945 to Lingayen
18th FS, 12th FS P-38 Aug 23, 1944 - Jan 13, 45 to Lingayen
347th FG, 339th FS P-38 from Stirling August 15 - Sept 19, 1944 to Middleburg
347th FG HQ - Sept 19, 1944 to Middleburg
4th PRG, 17th PRS (F-5 det) from Guadalcanal Oct 13 - Nov 5, 1944 to Morotai
13th Fighter Command HQ from Guadalcanal Nov 13, 44 - Jan 10, 45 to Leyte
86th FW HQ from Toem August 19, 1944 - Jan 16, 45 to Luzon
18th FG, 12th FS P-38 August 23, 1944
42nd BG, 75th BS (B-25) from Hollanida Sept 14, 44 - Feb 23, 45 to Morotai
42nd BG, 100th BS (B-25) from Hollanida Sept 14, 44 - Mar 15, 45 to Palawan
42nd BG, 69th BS (B-25) from Hollandia Sept 14, 44 - Mar 12, 45 to Puerto Princesa
42nd BG HQ from Hollandia Sept 16, 44 - Feb 22, 45 to Morotai
42nd BG, 75th BS from Hollandia Sept 20, 44 - March 22, 45 to Puerto Princesa
42nd BG, 390th BS ? - Feb 24, 45 to Morotai

The RAAF had units here, and I will list them later.

 

[syscom3]

Thanks for the Sansapore information! My dad during WWII served with the US Army Amhpibious Engineers 543rd Boat Shore Regiment Company B, and for a time he was stationed at Sansapore, New Guinea in the rank of 2dn Lt.. My dad made friends with many Navy Personel, and he recalled a time due to shear bordom he asked the mothership for the Black Cat squadron (ship name Halfmoon) if he could join them on their next mission and permission was granted. This turned out to be a bombing mission on a Japanese Base at Ambiona on Ceram Island. On this mission he recalled dropping 100 lb. bombs out the rear starboard bubble window of the PBY during which one of the engines of the PBY was shot out by Japanese AA fire so the PBY after delivering all it's bomb payload limped back to base at Sansapore on one engine. My dad recalled the pilot's name as being a Lt. Commander Shinn, and that he was an All American College Football Star before the war started. I did a web search for "PBY SHINN" and came upon a website Veteran contacts: Black Cat PBYs post dated 11/03/01 by a Cynthia Shinn: "My father, Walter Ellsworth Shinn, was a pilot in the Black Cat Squadron. I would love to get more information from anyone who may have known him, or might have photos. He always spoke very fondly of his time in the squadron. He went on become a commercial airline pilot, and upon retirement, continued to fly seaplanes for Chalks Internation Airways, that still flys seaplanes out of downtown Miami to the Bahamas."
I was able to contact Miss Shinn and verify that it was in fact her father that my dad few with on this mission.
I'm going to forward these pictures iof Sansapore, and Middleburg Island to him, I think he'd enjoy them. THANKS AGAIN!

Thanks! Thats great you contacted the pilots daughter and shared some information.

If you have any stories or pictures to add, please do. Have your dad add to the discussion if he wants. Its no understatement to say that the engineers (US, USN and ANZAC's) were probably the most important units in the PTO.

 

[Wildcat]

I agree. See here for info on RAAF Airfield Construction squadrons
ACSHISTORIES
scroll down to the bottom of the page for individual sqn histories.

 

[Wildcat]

Sys found this link that you might find interesting, I know I did!
Before Years - PNGAir.com

 

[syscom3]

Thanks Wildcat!

 

[maxs75]

Maybe it is interesting:
Google Maps

 

[syscom3]

Not only is this information great, but vitally needed for all of us to understand the air war in the Pacific as it was fought by the Allies AND the Japanese.

Thanks for contributing and keep it up!

 

[ToJo4264]

My father was stationed on Baker Island as a radio operator. He had told me of the geometry of the island and how small and barren it was. Several months ago I found a picture of a man standing inside the wreckage of a plane that looked strikingly like my father. Does anyone here have any more photos of wrecked planes on Baker Island?