Long Airfield

Long Airfield

Northern Territory, Australia

Long Airfield
Long Airfield (Northern Territory)

Coordinates 13°34′59.03″S 131°25′23.20″E / 13.5830639°S 131.4231111°E / -13.5830639; 131.4231111Coordinates: 13°34′59.03″S 131°25′23.20″E / 13.5830639°S 131.4231111°E / -13.5830639; 131.4231111
Type Military airfield
Site history
In use 1942-1945

Long Airfield was a World War II military airfield located near Hayes Creek, Northern Territory, Australia.

Also known as "Long Strip", the airfield was constructed in late 1943 by No.14 Airfield Construction Squadron RAAF. The bitumen surfaced runway was 2,400 ft × 50 ft (732 m × 15 m) wide. Fifty three aircraft dispersal bays with some protected with earth revetments were also constructed.

Long Airfield was generally employed in an associated and support role for nearby Fenton Airfield. The airfield has been abandoned since 1945. Viewed from the air, the remains of the main runway are visible, along with taxiways and aircraft hardstands visible, but in a very deteriorated state. No buildings or other structures remain.

The airfield is accessible by road by traveling south on Stuart Highway (Highway 1) then turning west on Dorat Road (Highway 23), then turning south after about 1.5 km (0.93 mi) on Douglas Road. The airfield lies to the east, after about 3–4 km (1.9–2.5 mi), by crossing some scrubland. A 4-wheel drive vehicle is recommended for the offroad travel.

Japanese Air Raids against Long Airfield

Units based at Long Airfield

Operations

B-24 Liberators from the 529th and 531st Bomb Squadrons moved to Long Field from Manbulloo Airfield and attacked Japanese airfields, ground installations, shipping, and industries in the Netherlands East Indies and the Bismarck Archipelago. Other missions included disruption of enemy sea channels; dropping photoflash bombs and propaganda pamphlets. Both squadrons were reassigned to Darwin in July 1944.

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.