American Missions Against Buna and Buna Airfield (Old Strip)
July 21, 1942 - January 23, 1943
July 21, 1942
(5th AF) An invasion
force heads for Buna, where Japanese land during the night of 21/22 July
July 23, 1942
(5th AF) B-17s, B-26s,
A-24s and fighters pound shipping, landing barges, storage dumps, AA positions,
and troop concentrations at Buna
July 26, 1942
(5th AF) A B-25 strike against Gasmata
is repulsed by fighter interception over Buna area. Two
B-25 were shot down: B-25C 41-12470 and B-25C "Arora" 41-12792.
July 27, 1942
(5th AF) B-26s and A-24s
hit targets along the
Buna trail
August 25, 1942
P-400s destroyed on the ground 4 A6M3 and 1 G6M1 transport of the Tainan Kokutai.
August 26, 1942
P-400s strafe Buna Airfield and caught japanese fighters while they were taking off and destroyed (shot down) 6 A6M3 (3 from 2nd Kû and 3 from Tainan Kû), killing 3 pilots of 2nd Kû (PO/1 Kiichi Iwase, PO/3 Daïzô Ihara and PO/3 Kiyochi Nakano). Lost is P-400 BW112.
August 27, 1942
(5th AF) B-26s and P-400s bomb Buna Airfield
Augsut 29, 1942
(5th AF) B-26s and P-400s hit the airfield at Buna
September 5, 1942
(5th AF) P-400s strafe Buna and Buna-Kokoda Trail. The airfield at Buna is strafed
and bombed by P-400s and A-20s
September 9, 1942
(5th AF) B-17s bomb AA
positions at Buna
September 11, 1942
(5th AF) A-20s and B-26s
hit Buna Airfield
September 12, 1942
(5th AF) P-400s, B-26s, A-20s, and B-17s
bomb Buna Airfield and strafe barges off Buna. Hit by AA fire and ditched into the sea is B-17E 41-2663, four crew survive later return to duty.
September 15, 1942
(5th AF) Medium bombers hit Buna.
September 17, 1942
(5th AF) P-400s, P-40s, and P-39s strafe and bomb landing barges at Buna
September 21, 1942
(5th AF) P-40s bomb and strafe bridges and targets of opportunity along Buna-Kokoda trail
September 22, 1942
(5th AF) P-40s strafe
AA positions, huts, and barges and the airfield at Buna. 1 B-25 bombs the N end of Buna Airfield.
September 23, 1942
(5th AF) P-40s, P-39s,
P-400s, and B-17s hit tanks, buildings, and airfield at Buna and targets
of opportunity along the Buna-Kokoda trail
September 28, 1942
(5th AF) P-40s and P-400s
bomb and strafe targets
of opportunity along the Buna-Kokoda trail
September 29, 1942
(5th AF) B-17s bomb AA
positions at Buna
October 1, 1942
(5th AF) B-17s andP-400s pound the Buna-Wairopi trail.
October 3, 1942
(5th AF) P-40s strafe the Efogi-Buna trail.
October 4, 1942
(5th AF) P-40s strafe Buna
October 5, 1942
(5th AF) B-25s attack
a convoy off Buna. B-17s bomb the airfield at Buna
October 8, 1942
(5th AF) B-25s bomb the Buna area while A-20s pound the Buna-Kokoda trail
October 10, 1942
(5th AF) A-20s hit targets along the Buna-Kokoda
trail
October 12, 1942
(5th AF) B-25s bomb Buna and targets along the Buna-Kokoda trail
October 13, 1942
(5th AF) A B-17 bombs Buna
October 16, 1942
(5th AF) A-20s and B-25s
hit the Buna-Kokoda trail
November 2, 1942
(5th AF) B-17s attack shipping NE of Buna
November 9, 1942
(5th AF) B-26s
bomb Buna
November 15, 1942
(5th AF) B-25s
and B-26s pound AA positions at Buna
November 16, 1942
(5th AF) B-26s, B-25s,
and A-20s pound the areas around Buna
November 18, 1942
(5th AF) B-17s
attack warships 17 miles (27 km) N of Buna. B-26s bomb and strafe the area between Cape Endaiadere and Buna
November 21, 1942
(5th AF) A-20s and B-25s
pound the airfield, AA positions, and bridge at Buna. US forces driving on Buna are halted by strong bunker positions at The Triangle where trails to Buna mission and Buna village meet
November 22, 1942
(5th AF) B-26s hit the Buna area
November 24, 1942
A-20s, B-25s,
B-26s, B-17s, P-40s, P-39s, and P-400s hit the Buna area.
November 26, 1942
US and Australian
ground forces carry out limited attacks on the Buna front, making little progress; in an effort to break Japanese airsuperiority
over Buna, P-40s, A-20s, and B-25s
pound airfields and AA positions in the area
December 1, 1942
(5th AF) A-20s,
B-25s, B-26s and P-400s pound the Buna area, but Allied ground troops fail in
another attempt to capture the village.
December 2, 1942
(5th AF) A-20s,
B-17s, B-25s and P-400s attack four destroyers off Guna and Gona, and the airfield
and positions in the Buna
December 4, 1942
(5th AF) A-20s,
B-25s and P-400s bomb and strafe the Buna area
December 5, 1942
(5th AF) A-20s
and B-25s pound the Buna area. Allied ground forces again fail to take the
village,
but some elements push to within 50 yards of Buna, some break through to the
sea, and others invest the west bank of Entrance Creek; Buna is thus completely
isolated.
December 6, 1942
(5th AF) B-25s
pound the area around Buna as ground forces attack the village and clear a trench
at the southern edge
December 8, 1942
(5th AF) A-20s
and B-25s pound AA positions at Buna and the area around Buna Mission and Cape
Endaiadere as ground forces attack bunker positions on the southern end of Buna. Six destroyers
carrying troops to reinforce the Buna-Gona, New Guinea beachhead are bombed
by B-17s and a lone B-24 and turn back to Rabaul.
December 9, 1942
(5th AF) B-26s
pound the Buna area as ground forces prepare for the final assault on the village.
December 11, 1942
(5th AF) B-26s
bomb the airfield and targets of opportunity in the Buna area
December 14, 1942
(US Army) American troops capture Buna.
December 16, 1942
(5th AF) A-20s
and B-26s hit forces in the Buna area
December 17, 1942
(5th AF) B-26s
bomb Buna Mission while US ground forces make fruitless attacks on the Triangle
now dubbed "Bloody Triangle."
December 19, 1942
(5th AF) A-20s
and B-25s hit the Buna Mission area in which Australian forces attacking 'The
Triangle' are halted by fierce crossfire.
December 20, 1942
A-20s
and B-25s pound Giropa Point and the area around Buna Mission near which are
located strong bunker positions.
December 22, 1942
B-25s
bomb Buna when Japanese ground forces continue
to resist stubbornly
January 2, 1943
US Army - Buna Mission is finally overrun by Australian
and US forces.
January 3, 1943
(5th AF) P-40s strafe troops in the
waters off Buna as US and Australian ground forces are mopping up in the nearby
Buna Missions area
January 23, 1943
U.S. - Australian counteroffensive secures Buna-Sanananda area
