Babo Airfield
Encyclopedia
Babo Airfield is a disused airfield located on the southern shore of Maccluer Gulf at Babo in Indonesia
. The airfield is located in an isolated low-lying swamp area.
in the late 1920s or 1930s. It was the final stop for KLM airlines in Dutch New Guinea. After the Pacific War
with Japan broke out in December 1941, a Royal Australian Air Force
engineering party with the assistance of the Dutch upgraded the airstrip for military use.
First attacked by Japanese H6K Emily
s on December 30, 1941, leaving 3 dead and 14 wounded, including a number of children. Three RAAF No. 13 Squadron
Lockheed Hudson
bombers were sent there to act as 'fighters', this temporary duty was regarded to be against enemy flying boats while the Dutch KNIL garrison of approximately 200 rushed to improve area defenses and create a clearing for a second runway. The Japanese 2nd Detachment landed at Babo on April 2, 1942 and occupied the town. Most of the Dutch soldiers escaped to Australia.
The airfield was developed into a major base used by both the Imperial Japanese Army
and Navy
units in the Vogelkop Peninsula, staging to other airfields to the south Aru and Kai Islands or east to New Guinea
. The Japanese built a second 'hardtop' runway creating two strips of 4,530' and 2,660' respectively. Naval troops constructed 15 bomber and 24 fighters with more under construction. The base largely escaped any Allied bombing until mid-1943.
The aerial units based at Babo opposed the American landings at Biak
, but suffered heavy losses. The 24th Sentai lost 20 pilots and 40 planes while based at Babo in only 30 days then were withdrawn. The 202nd Kokutai was temporarily withdrawn from Babo for defense of Truk, then returned to Babo in June 1944. They lost 12 planes defending Biak, and were then disbanded.
By mid-1944, the base was in range of medium bombers and strafers from the United States Army Air Force's 5th Air Force, and came under heavy attack. Neutralized from the air around October 1944, and never liberated by Allied forces. Tons of American and Australian bombs hit airfield. Many of its aircraft were destroyed by parafrag bombs. Japanese ground crews even sawed off the engines from wrecked planes, in a desperate attempt to ward off further attacks, and used hulks to fill in bomb craters. Isolated from resupply or rescue, the remaining Japanese occupied the area until the end of the war.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The airfield is located in an isolated low-lying swamp area.
History
The airfield was built by the DutchNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in the late 1920s or 1930s. It was the final stop for KLM airlines in Dutch New Guinea. After the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
with Japan broke out in December 1941, a Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
engineering party with the assistance of the Dutch upgraded the airstrip for military use.
First attacked by Japanese H6K Emily
Kawanishi H6K
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Doubilet, David. "The Flying Boat". Sport Diver Magazine. Volume 15, Number 8, September 2007.* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. Annapolis, Maryland, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1995.* Green, William. Warplanes of the Second...
s on December 30, 1941, leaving 3 dead and 14 wounded, including a number of children. Three RAAF No. 13 Squadron
No. 13 Squadron RAAF
No. 13 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force squadron. The Squadron saw combat during World War II as a bomber and maritime patrol squadron and is currently active as a mixed regular and reserve RAAF unit located in Darwin, fulfilling both operational support and training duties.-History:No. 13...
Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Hudson
The Lockheed Hudson was an American-built light bomber and coastal reconnaissance aircraft built initially for the Royal Air Force shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War and primarily operated by the RAF thereafter...
bombers were sent there to act as 'fighters', this temporary duty was regarded to be against enemy flying boats while the Dutch KNIL garrison of approximately 200 rushed to improve area defenses and create a clearing for a second runway. The Japanese 2nd Detachment landed at Babo on April 2, 1942 and occupied the town. Most of the Dutch soldiers escaped to Australia.
The airfield was developed into a major base used by both the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
and Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
units in the Vogelkop Peninsula, staging to other airfields to the south Aru and Kai Islands or east to New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
. The Japanese built a second 'hardtop' runway creating two strips of 4,530' and 2,660' respectively. Naval troops constructed 15 bomber and 24 fighters with more under construction. The base largely escaped any Allied bombing until mid-1943.
The aerial units based at Babo opposed the American landings at Biak
Biak
Biak features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is 27 degrees celsius, which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak...
, but suffered heavy losses. The 24th Sentai lost 20 pilots and 40 planes while based at Babo in only 30 days then were withdrawn. The 202nd Kokutai was temporarily withdrawn from Babo for defense of Truk, then returned to Babo in June 1944. They lost 12 planes defending Biak, and were then disbanded.
By mid-1944, the base was in range of medium bombers and strafers from the United States Army Air Force's 5th Air Force, and came under heavy attack. Neutralized from the air around October 1944, and never liberated by Allied forces. Tons of American and Australian bombs hit airfield. Many of its aircraft were destroyed by parafrag bombs. Japanese ground crews even sawed off the engines from wrecked planes, in a desperate attempt to ward off further attacks, and used hulks to fill in bomb craters. Isolated from resupply or rescue, the remaining Japanese occupied the area until the end of the war.