Schwimmer Airfield
| Schwimmer Airfield 14-Mile Drome  |
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| Part of Fifth Air Force | |
Located near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
 Schwimmer Airfield
Schwimmer Airfield (Papua New Guinea)
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| Type | Military airfield |
| Coordinates | 09°22′25.56″S 147°13′56.82″E / 9.3737667°S 147.23245°E |
| Built | 1944 |
| In use | 1944 |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces |
Schwimmer Airfield (also known as 14-Mile Drome) is a former World War II airfield near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. It was part of a multiple-airfield complex in the Port Moresby area, located north of the Laloki River.
The airfield was known as 14 mile for its distance from Port Moresby, and also known as 'Laloki' or 'Lakoki Drome' for the river to the northwest of the airstrip. It was officially renamed "Schwimmer Airfield" on November 10, 1942, in honor of Charles Schwimmer, lost in P-39D 41-6956 intercepting Japanese aircraft over Port Moresby.
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[edit] History
Schwimmer Airfield was built by the US Army in early 1942 with a single runway was 5,300 feet by 100 feet. Later, around October 1942, it was surfaced with marston matting. No revetments were built at the airfield, but taxiway and parking areas dispersed to the north of the runway in a semicircle. Living quarters were pyramid tents a half mile from the strip in scrub trees.
Many units were rotated in and out of the airfield during its use. Major units assigned were:
- 13th Bombardment Squadron (3d Bombardment Group), B-25 Mitchells
- 9th Fighter Squadron (49th Fighter Group), P-40 Warhawk
- 39th Fighter Squadron (35th Fighter Group). P-39 Aircobras; P-38 Lightnings
The airfield was closed after the war, and today there is little trace of the facility. Houses have been built along much of the former runway area. The rest is overgrown and abandoned. Some wartime debris litter the area. Weapons bays are visible from the road for bomb storage prior to loading.
[edit] See also
- USAAF in the Southwest Pacific
- Port Moresby Airfield Complex
[edit] References
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
[edit] External links
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