Location
Located at Gasmata. Thilenius Harbor is located to the west.

Construction
Single runway, built by an Australian civilian contractor for the nearby plantation prior to the war.

Japanese Occupation
After the occupation of Rabaul, this airfield was occupied and expanded as a forward airfield for emergency landings. Known by the Japanese as Surmi (alternate spellings: Surumi or Tsurumi). The Japanese never stationed a detachment of fighters at Gasmata on any permanent basis, but fighters often staged or landed at the strip.

The runway was 3,200' (as of October 23, 1943) with taxiways to the side of the strip, and light anti-aircraft guns. Two nearby jetties serviced the strip from the north and west sides of the peninsula. A January 13, 1944 photograph intelligence showed 9 light anti-aircraft guns in Ring Ring village to the north-east of the strip, and 50 fighter dispersal revetments.

Japanese Units Based At Gasmata
Chitose / 4th Kokutai (A5M4) flight of four February 11, 1942
Mihoro Kokutai (G3M2)
Kanoya Kokutai (G3M2)
Tainan Kokutai (A6M2)
76th Dokuritsu Chutai (Ki-46)

Allied Missions Against Gasmata
February 11, 1942 - February 5, 1944

Wartime Usage
The first Japanese fighters to arrive at Gasmata were four A5M4 Claudes of the Chitose Kokutai (soon afterwards renamed 4th Kokutai) on February 11, 1942. That same day, they intercepted three RAAF Hudsons attacking ships in the Harbor, shooting down two.

Gasmata was developed as a staging base for Operation 81 in March 1943 (Batlte of the Bismarck Sea).

In May 1943 it was subjected to very heavy bombing and probably not used thereafter. The Japanese Navy instead had developed Hoskins Airfield on north shore of New Britain as an alternative.

Australian Liberation
Gasmata was abandoned by the Japanese in mid 1943. Australian Army reached the airfield on March 28, 1944. An American reconnaissance patrols visited the airfield in mid April 1944, and cleared mines from the runway.

Today
Still in use today as an airstrip for secondary airlines and missionary aircraft operating from southern New Britain.

Brian Bennett adds:
"I first saw the aircraft at Gasmata in mid-1972. There were more bits of wreckage around the place in those days. I recall that there were besides the main and near complete wreck of the G3M the partial wreckage of two others. The wreckage of 5 Zero's not including the example that was cut up and removed to Port Moresby and later restored by the RAAF and now in AWM. The wreckage of a bombed out G4M1 Betty in a large bomb hole further west along the strip. I tried very hard back in the late 70's and again in the 80's to get something done about saving the Ki-46 and the G3M but to no avail."

Douglas Hubbard, Jr. adds:
“I personally acquired title to [Zero 5784 and Val 3105] from the PNG government in the middle of 1973. It was formally deeded to the Australian people as a gesture of goodwill and appreciation for the assistance provided in recovery of the D3A2 Val 3105 I recommended that the Zero be donated to the AWM, and was instructed to effect the transfer, which I did via the senior RAAF officer at Murray Barracks.  He elected not to take the Zero out at the time when shipped the Val, preferring he said, Their air frame fitters disassembled the plane and flew it out of Gasmata via RAAF Caribou."

John Douglas adds:
"I visited in 1992, I did talk to the local people, who said that some wrecks were dragged in from the outer areas to make a sort of display, a few vehicles as well. Gasmata is an abandoned logged over area with a few rural roads that go nowhere. Several stories of good plane wrecks in the waters around the area as well. Lovely diving and fishing too."

G3M2 Nell Manufacture No 3617 Tail M-905
Abandoned at the airfield, displayed along side the runway

G3M2 Nell Manufacture Number 8328 Tail M-902
Abandoned at the airfield

Mitsubishi C5M2 Babs
Abandoned at the airfield, fate today unknown

Ki-46-II Dinah
Abandoned at the airfield

A6M2 Zero
Center and wing section abandoned at the airfield

Aircraft Formally at Gasmata, Removed

A6M2 Zero Manufacture No 5784 Tail V-173
Recovered 1975, restored and on display at AWM in Australia

D3A2 Val Manufacture Number 3105
Recovered 1974 to USA, on display unrestored at Nimitz Museum

D3A2 Val Manufacture No 3357 Tail 582-248
Recovered 1974 to USA, on display unrestored at Nimitz Museum

Ki-46-II Dinah
Captured intact, recovered during the war, fate unknown

Nakajima B5N Kate
Recovered location today unknown

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Last Updated
December 28, 2008