United States Army Air Forces in the South Pacific Area

Airfields of the United States Army Air Force in the South Pacific Area
Part of World War II
Date 1942-1945 Location South Pacific Area of World War II Result Allied victory over the Empire of Japan (1945)

During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces engaged in combat against the Empire of Japan in the South Pacific Area. As defined by the War Department, this consisted of the Pacific Ocean areas which lay south of the Equator between longitude 159° East and 110° West. It included New Zealand, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Fiji, and most of the Solomon Islands.

The major USAAF combat organizations in the region was Thirteenth Air Force, which was formed in November 1942 as a command and control organization to organize many widely separated Seventh Air Force and independent units scattered in the South Pacific Area during the Solomon Islands campaign. As the war progressed, Thirteenth Air Force units moved into the South West Pacific theatre and coordinated their activities with Fifth and Seventh Air Force units in New Guinea, the Netherlands East Indies and Philippines during 1944 and 1945.

Airfields and unit assignments

• COOK ISLANDS

• Amuri field, Aitutaki Island, Cook Islands

18°49′51″S 159°45′51″W

• ELLICE ISLANDS

• Funafuti Airfield, Nanumea, Ellice Islands

08°31′29.50″S 179°11′46.31″E

Seventh Air Force

Headquarters, VII Bomber Command, November 1943 – January 1944

11th Bombardment Group, 9 November 1943 – 13 January 1944

• FIJI ISLANDS

• Nandi Airfield, Viti Levu, Fiji Islands

17°45′19″S 177°26′36″E

42d Bombardment Group, 22 April – 6 June 1943

• NEW CALEDONIA

• Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield, New Caledonia, Melanesia

21°12′50.47″S 164°52′21.11″E (Approximate)

Headquarters, Thirteenth Air Force, 13–21 January 1943

Headquarters, XIII Fighter Command, 13–22 January 1943

42d Bombardment Group, 20 October 1943 – 20 January 1944

347th Fighter Group, 3 October – 29 December 1943

4th Reconnaissance Group, 22 November 1942 – 23 January 1943

• NEW HEBRIDES

• Luganville Airfield, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides

15°30′18.12″S 167°13′11.07″E

Headquarters, XIII Bomber Command, 13 January – 20 August 1943

Headquarters, XIII Fighter Command, 22 January–December 1943

5th Bombardment Group, 1 December 1942 – 19 August 1943

11th Bombardment Group, 22 July 1942 – 8 April 1943

18th Fighter Group, 11 March – 17 April 1943

4th Reconnaissance Group, 23 January 1943 – 6 May 1944

403d Troop Carrier Group, 13 September 1943 – 30 August 1944

• SOLOMON ISLANDS

• Carney Airfield, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands

09°26′07.20″S 160°09′30.40″E

Headquarters, Thirteenth Air Force, 21 January – 15 June 1944

Headquarters, XIII Bomber Command, 20 August 1943 – June 1944

Headquarters, XIII Fighter Command, December 1943-15 August 1944

18th Fighter Group, 17 April 1943 – 23 August 1944

347th Fighter Group, 29 December 1943 – 15 January 1944

4th Reconnaissance Group, 6 May – 12 December 1944

419th Night Fighter Squadron, 15 November 1943 – 21 August 1944

• Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands

09°25′40.8″S 160°03′17.24″E

5th Bombardment Group, 19 August 1943 – 4 February 1944

• Koli Airfield, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands

09°27′28.94″S 160°10′41.50″E

42d Bombardment Group, 6 June – 20 October 1943

307th Bombardment Group, February 1943-28 January 1944

• Munda Airfield, New Georgia, Solomon Islands

08°19′40.69″S 157°15′47.13″E

5th Bombardment Group, 4 February – 7 April 1944

307th Bombardment Group, 28 January – 29 April 1944

• Stirling Airfield, Stirling Island, Solomon Islands

7°24′58″S 155°33′55″E

42d Bombardment Group, 20 January–August 1944

347th Fighter Group, 15 January – 15 August 1944

• Buka Airfield, Bougainville, Solomon Islands

05°25′20.34″S 154°40′21.60″E

419th Night Fighter Squadron (DET), 25 January – 27 May 1944

See also

• United States Army Air Forces in the Pacific War (1941–1945)
  • USAAF in Australia
  • USAAF in the Central Pacific
  • USAAF in the Southwest Pacific
  • USAAF in Okinawa

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.
• Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0-89201-097-5