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303:, including heavy engineering machinery. Each piece of engineering equipment (for example bulldozers) was first dismantled and loaded onto several planes, and was then reassembled at Tsili Tsili once all the pieces had arrived. Both the Americans and the Australians worked to build roads into the aerodrome from Nadzab, 3.5 miles (5.5 kilometres) away, and upgrade the landing strip to enable it to land these large transport planes.
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The
Japanese command at Wewak discovered the Tsili-Tsili airfield and launched preemptive attacks on 15 and 16 August 1943, inflicting casualties, but doing little damage to the airfield. On 17 and 18 August, Allied forces launched a series of large attacks that first bombed and then strafed all four
283:. The airfield was constructed in secret, behind Japanese lines and played an important role in the allies establishing aerial supremacy over New Guinea. The airfield was abandoned after the war and today has almost totally returned to its natural state.
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The first fighters were based at the airfield from the 26 July. This forward base allowed fighters to escort longer-range bombers in attacks on targets as far away as Japan's major new airbases at
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which formed the garrison force. The logistical, engineering and manpower challenges were significant. All personnel, supplies, food, fuel and equipment had to be flown into the base via
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The area was occupied by Allied forces in the middle of June 1943. The field was hastily constructed by the United States Army 871st
Airborne Engineers under the protection of the
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Other known units at Tsili Tsili were the USAAF 2nd Air Task Force, which was formed for operations around Lae (5 August 1943) and the
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Hold Hard, Cobbers: The Story of the 57th and 60th and 57/60th
Australian Army Infantry Battalions, 1912–1990. Volume II (1930–1990)
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A Vultee
Vengeance from No. 24 Squadron Royal Australian Air Force at Tsili Tsili Airfield in November 1943
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On Shaggy Ridge—The
Australian Seventh Division in the Ramu Valley: From Kaiapit to the Finisterres
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Target: Rabaul: The Allied Siege of Japan’s Most
Infamous Stronghold, March 1943–August 1945.
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547:"Walter Seale, US Army 871st Airborne Engineers. Interview by Justin Taylan, March 2000"
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Previously: Philippine
Department Air Force (1941); Far East Air Force (1941-1942)
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Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Papua New Guinea
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641:. Glenhuntly, Victoria: 57/60th Battalion (AIF) Association.
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57:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
688:US Airborne Units in the Pacific Theater 1942–45
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685:Rottman, Gordon L. (2013). "Combat Mission".
153:Located in Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea
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622:. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press.
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466:"Tsili Tsili Airfield (Tsile-Tsile, Fabua)"
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522:"VX84560 Francis Dring (2003), Interview"
117:Learn how and when to remove this message
497:"VX84593 Harold White (2003), Interview"
671:Air Force Combat Units Of World War II.
448:
293:57th/60th Australian Infantry Battalion
383:), (18 September – 31 October 1943),
7:
612:Air Force Historical Research Agency
55:adding citations to reliable sources
691:. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing.
524:. Australians at War Film Archive,
499:. Australians at War Film Archive,
310:, 302 miles (484 kilometres) away.
370:), (30 August – 29 October 1943),
273:Tsili Tsili (Tsile-Tsile) Airfield
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427:) September 1943 - January 1944.
1173:36th Photographic Reconnaissance
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606: This article incorporates
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1168:8th Photographic Reconnaissance
42:needs additional citations for
789:USAAF in the Southwest Pacific
437:USAAF in the Southwest Pacific
1:
1225:United States Army Air Forces
840:5th Interceptor (Provisional)
526:University of New South Wales
501:University of New South Wales
279:airfield in Morobe Province,
244:United States Army Air Forces
1333:Airports established in 1943
402:66th Troop Carrier Squadrons
338:(15 August – 5 October 1943)
659:Minneapolis: Zenith Press.
585:Corfield (1991), pp. 89-90.
567:Corfield (1991), pp. 79–83.
377:65th Troop Carrier Squadron
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322:Major USAAF units assigned
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618:Bradley, Phillip (2004).
211:6.8487056°S 146.3499083°E
158:
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637:Corfield, Robin (1991).
390:433d Troop Carrier Group
669:Maurer, Maurer (1961).
486:Bradley (2004), p. 184.
419:) in November 1943 and
381:54th Troop Carrier Wing
216:-6.8487056; 146.3499083
655:Gamble, Bruce (2013).
608:public domain material
455:Corfield (1991), p. 82
392:, (???? - 2 June 1944)
353:41st Fighter Squadrons
331:
314:Japanese airfields at
66:"Tsili Tsili Airfield"
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364:8th Fighter Squadron
178:Tsili Tsili Airfield
132:Tsili Tsili Airfield
51:improve this article
1142:421st Night Fighter
1137:418th Night Fighter
1089:375th Troop Carrier
1084:374th Troop Carrier
1079:317th Troop Carrier
1063:71st Reconnaissance
871:91st Reconnaissance
207: /
1204:66th Troop Carrier
1199:65th Troop Carrier
1189:21st Troop Carrier
1147:547th Intelligence
1094:433d Troop Carrier
1058:6th Reconnaissance
856:54th Troop Carrier
784:USAAF in Australia
368:49th Fighter Group
336:35th Fighter Group
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240:Controlled by
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980:417th Bombardment
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970:345th Bombardment
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886:310th Bombardment
881:309th Bombardment
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960:90th Bombardment
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549:. Pacific Wrecks
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468:. Pacific Wrecks
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417:Vultee Vengeance
281:Papua New Guinea
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1051:Reconnaissance
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385:C-47 Skytrain
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199:06°50′55.34″S
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62:Find sources:
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40:This article
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28:
19:
1224:
1032:58th Fighter
1027:49th Fighter
1022:35th Fighter
1017:24th Pursuit
989:Combat Cargo
902:Air Commando
866:86th Fighter
861:85th Fighter
756:World War II
702:. Retrieved
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470:. Retrieved
460:
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372:P-40 Warhawk
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301:Port Moresby
290:
277:World War II
275:is a former
272:
271:
250:Site history
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104:
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80:
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49:Please help
44:verification
41:
1114:Bombardment
1012:8th Fighter
918:Bombardment
531:23 December
506:23 December
413:24 Squadron
263:In use
214: /
190:Coordinates
18:Tsili Tsili
1322:Categories
1297:Fourteenth
1292:Thirteenth
443:References
421:4 Squadron
77:newspapers
1307:Twentieth
1302:Fifteenth
1107:Squadrons
835:V Fighter
770:Airfields
704:6 January
425:Boomerang
266:1943–1944
107:June 2013
1282:Eleventh
830:V Bomber
823:Commands
553:24 March
431:See also
144:Part of
1287:Twelfth
1262:Seventh
1005:Fighter
777:Pacific
287:History
91:scholar
1267:Eighth
1247:Fourth
1237:Second
895:Groups
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663:
645:
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472:30 May
93:
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1277:Tenth
1272:Ninth
1257:Sixth
1252:Fifth
1242:Third
1232:First
849:Wings
816:Units
749:USAAF
316:Wewak
308:Wewak
299:from
297:C-47s
255:Built
98:JSTOR
84:books
706:2019
693:ISBN
675:ISBN
661:ISBN
643:ISBN
624:ISBN
555:2019
533:2018
508:2018
474:2014
410:RAAF
400:and
398:65th
345:40th
258:1943
227:Type
70:news
754:in
379:, (
366:, (
53:by
1324::
355:,
351:,
347:,
736:e
729:t
722:v
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681:.
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415:(
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114:(
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105:(
95:·
88:·
81:·
74:·
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20:)
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