Kila Airfield

Kila Airfield (also known as Kila Kila Airfield and 3-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 Joyce Bay, three miles from the town of Port Moresby near the village of Kila Kila.

Kila Airfield
Kila Kila Airfield
3-Mile Drome
Part of Fifth Air Force
Located near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
Kila Airfield
Kila Airfield (Papua New Guinea)
Coordinates09°29′24.92″S 147°11′31.19″E
TypeMilitary airfield
Site information
Controlled byUnited States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built1944
In use1944

The airfield was Port Moresby's first civilian airfield, built in 1933 by the Australian administration.

History

The airport was used by the Americans beginning in 1942 and expanded into an airfield for fighters, light bombers and service aircraft. Many USAAF squadrons were briefly stationed at the airfield during the war, and major units assigned to Kila were:

  • Headquarters, 3d Bombardment Group (January 28 – May 20, 1943)
8th Bomb Squadron, A-20 Havoc
13th Bomb Squadron, A-20 Havoc
89th Bomb Squadron, A-20 Havoc
90th Bomb Squadron, A-20 Havoc

A large hill on the approach to the field limited its usefulness. The runway was 5,000' × 100' surfaced with black loam with marston matting (as of October 8, 1943). A dispersal area with revetments and taxiways was located on the northern side of the runway. Several buildings were located at the center of the runway.

After the war the airfield was returned to the New Guinea government. Today the airfield is now part of the Kila Police Barracks, a golf course and a technical school. Some of the wartime revetments remain on the police property and portions of the wartime taxiways and runway are visible.

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See also

References

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

  • 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
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