Herb Rosen, 41st
FS recalls:
"We
were told not to cut down or damage the palms near our strip..
Because the Palm Plantation that owned them would change the
US Government $50 for each tree damage or ruined. We wondered
what about those hit by Jap bombs... I guess the government was
stuck paying for those! This
is a true account. After the war, the plantation's London Insurance
company paid for the ones damaged by the Japanese bombings.
Post War Usage
It was used thur in the late 1950s,
and into the 1960s by Air Nugini. Today it is disused. Scrapping
occured in the late 1990's of the P-39 fuselages that remained
there.
Albert H. Cross adds:
"In 1957 I worked for an oil exploration
company at Kaufana, on the other side of the Aroa River from
Rogers. We used Rogers continuously in 1957 and 1958. It
was also being used before we arrived and, as far as I recall it
is still being used. It was certainly in operation in 1960
when I was again working in the area. In
1957/8 there was a P-38 Lightning wreck at one end of the strip
and the wreck
of a B-25 Mitchell, with the name "Butch" on
the nose, lying alongside the road at the other end of the
strip. Just the fuselage section. Yes, there was a large
plantation at the side of Rogers airstrip. It was not used
in the 1950's as there were very few tops on any of the palms
and certainly no nuts on any of them. I believe they would
have been used by the locals for various things."
Ray Fairfield adds:
"I did land at Rogers on July 30, 1966, but it was only to drop a px & head back to Moresby. Did you ever hear the burning DC3 story? I'm pretty sure that was at Rogers, I think in late 50's. It would have been an MAL plane at that time. Anyway, they took off from Moresby with a load of cargo for Goroka, including hospital supplies. On the climb-out the plane filled with smoke, so they descended rapidly and planted it on the ground. the crew got out the cockpit windows & watched it burn to the ground. Luckily no px. Seems packing of ether etc. left something to be desired."
Bruce Hoy
recalls from the 1970's
"At Rogers, there were P-39 fuselages, one P-47D
and a B-25. Maybe these are long gone now by those scrap-metal
mongrels."
Justin Taylan visited in 2004:
"The
area where the airfield was built is overgrown with kunai,
it is hard to distingusih the area of the runway, aside from
two post-war poles used for wind socks. There is no trace
of the coconut plantation mentioned near the strip, according
to locals, the palms were were cut down sometime in the early
1970s, and
the area
used
for cattle
instead. Aside from some earthworks - trenches, L shapped shelters
and the wreckage of the B-25 and P-47 engine, there was
little left."
B-25D "Butch" Serial
Number 41-30163
Piloted by Cather, force landed August 26, 1943 center section only, the rest
has been scrapped
P-38G Lightning Serial
Number 42-12857
Piloted by Wilson, force landed April 12, 1943 scrapped or otherwise missing
