Babo Airfield
Babo Airfield | |
---|---|
West Papua, Indonesia | |
Location in Bird's Head Peninsula Location in West Papua | |
Coordinates | 02°32′59″S 133°25′00″E / 2.54972°S 133.41667°E |
Type | Military Airfield |
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.
History
The airfield was built by the Dutch 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
The airfield was developed into a major base used by both the
The aerial units based at Babo opposed the American landings at Biak, but suffered heavy losses. The army's 24th Sentai lost 20 pilots and 40 planes while based at Babo in only 30 days then was withdrawn. The navy's 202nd Kōkūtai was temporarily withdrawn from Babo for defense of Truk, then returned to Babo in June 1944.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 ground attack planes from the
References
- Pacific Wrecks - Babo Airfield Irian Jaya Indonesia