United States Army Air Forces in the South Pacific Area

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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)

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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.

Contents 1 Airfields and unit assignments 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Airfields and unit assignments

Carney Airfield, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands 09°26′07.20″S 160°09′30.40″E / 9.435333°S 160.158444°E / -9.435333; 160.158444 (Solomon Islands - Guadalcanal - Carney Airfield) Headquarters, Thirteenth Air Force, 21 Jan-15 Jun 1944 Headquarters, XIII Bomber Command, 20 Aug 1943-Jun 1944 Headquarters, XIII Fighter Command, Dec 1943-15 Aug 1944 18th Fighter Group, 17 Apr 1943-23 Aug 1944 347th Fighter Group, 29 Dec 1943-15 Jan 1944 4th Reconnaissance Group, 6 May-12 Dec 1944 419th Night Fighter Squadron, 15 Nov 1943-21 Aug 1944 Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands 09°25′40.8″S 160°03′17.24″E / 9.428°S 160.0547889°E / -9.428; 160.0547889 (Solomon Islands - Guadalcanal - Henderson Field) 5th Bombardment Group, 19 Aug 1943-4 Feb 1944 Koli Airfield, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands 09°27′28.94″S 160°10′41.50″E / 9.4580389°S 160.178194°E / -9.4580389; 160.178194 (Solomon Islands - Guadalcanal - Koli Airfield) 42d Bombardment Group, 6 Jun-20 Oct 1943 307th Bombardment Group, Feb 1943-28 Jan 1944 Munda Airfield, New Georgia, Solomon Islands 08°19′40.69″S 157°15′47.13″E / 8.3279694°S 157.2630917°E / -8.3279694; 157.2630917 (Solomon Islands - New Georgia - Munda Airfield) 5th Bombardment Group, 4 Feb-7 Apr 1944 307th Bombardment Group, 28 Jan-29 Apr 1944 Stirling Airfield, Stirling Island, Solomon Islands 7°24′58″S 155°33′55″E / 7.41611°S 155.56528°E / -7.41611; 155.56528 (Solomon Islands - Stirling Island - Stirling Airfield) 42d Bombardment Group, 20 Jan-Aug 1944 347th Fighter Group, 15 Jan-15 Aug 1944

Buka Airfield, Bougainville, Solomon Islands 05°25′20.34″S 154°40′21.60″E / 5.4223167°S 154.672667°E / -5.4223167; 154.672667 (Solomon Islands - Stirling Island - Buka Airfield) 419th Night Fighter Squadron (DET), 25 Jan-27 May 1944 Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield, New Caledonia, Melanesia 21°12′50.47″S 164°52′21.11″E / 21.2140194°S 164.8725306°E / -21.2140194; 164.8725306 (New Caledonia - Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield) (Approximate) Headquarters, Thirteenth Air Force, 13-21 Jan 1943 Headquarters, XIII Fighter Command, 13-22 Jan 1943 42d Bombardment Group, 20 Oct 1943-20 Jan 1944 347th Fighter Group, 3 Oct-29 Dec 1943 4th Reconnaissance Group, 22 Nov 1942-23 Jan 1943 Luganville Airfield, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides 15°30′18.12″S 167°13′11.07″E / 15.5050333°S 167.2197417°E / -15.5050333; 167.2197417 (New Hebrides - Espiritu Santo - Luganville Airfield) Headquarters, XIII Bomber Command, 13 Jan-20 Aug 1943 Headquarters, XIII Fighter Command, 22 Jan-Dec 1943 5th Bombardment Group, 1 Dec 1942-19 Aug 1943 11th Bombardment Group, 22 Jul 1942-8 Apr 1943 18th Fighter Group, 11 Mar-17 Apr 1943 4th Reconnaissance Group, 23 Jan 1943-6 May 1944 403d Troop Carrier Group, 13 Sep 1943-30 Aug 1944 Nandi Airfield, Viti Levu, Fiji Islands 17°45′19″S 177°26′36″E / 17.75528°S 177.44333°E / -17.75528; 177.44333 (Fiji Islands - Nandi Airfield) 42d Bombardment Group, 22 Apr-6 Jun 1943

[edit] 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

[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 0892010924.
• Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0892010975

[edit] External links

v • d • e USAAF Thirteenth Air Force in World War II Commands XIII Bomber Command · XIII Fighter Command Groups Fighter 18th  · 347th Bomber 5th  · 11th  · 42d  · 307th Reconnaissance 4th Troop Carrier 403d Night Fighter Squadrons 419th Night Fighter Squadron  · 550th Night Fighter Squadron Airfields USAAF in the South Pacific · USAAF in the Southwest Pacific United States Army Air Forces First  · Second  · Third  · Fourth  · Fifth  · Sixth  · Seventh  · Eighth  · Ninth  · Tenth  · Eleventh  · Twelfth  · Thirteenth  · Fourteenth  · Fifteenth  · Twentieth