Location
Located at Tsili Tsili (pronounced Silly-Silly). Sometimes spelled
Tsile-Tsile it was actually 5th Air Force General Kenney who wished
that the field be renamed, as he thought
the name demeaning, and of propaganda value if captured by the
Japanese.
Construction
The area was occupied in the middle of June 1943. The field was hastily constructed
by the 871st Airborne Engineers. All supplies,
food, fuel and equipment had to be flown into the base via C-47's
from Port
Moresby.
Another runway, Marilinan Airfield was constructed to the south-east as an emergency strip and to confuse any Japanese aerial opposition.
Wartime History
The first fighters were based at Tsili-Tsili Airfield starting on July 26. A Japanese reconnaissance aircraft discovered the airfield on August 11, 1943.
Allied Units Based at Tsili Tsili
USAAF
2nd Air Task Force (formed at Tsili Tsili for
Lae ops) August
5, 1943
54th TCW, 65th TCS
(C-47s) Moresby Sept 18 - Oct
31, 1943 to Nadzab
35th FG HQ from Port
Moresby August 15, 1943 - ?
35th FG 40th FS from Port Moresby Aug 14, 1943 - Oct 1943 to Nadzab
35th FG 41st
FS from 7-Mile August 14, 1943 - Oct 22, 1943
to Nadzab
49th FG, 8th FS (P-40) Dobodura August 30 - Oct 29
1943 to Gusap
433rd TCG (C-47s) ? - June 2, 1944 to Nadzab
RAAF
24 Squadron (Vengence) Nov 43 - ?
Walter
Seale 871st Airborne Engineer Battalion adds:
"A lot of cripples landed at Tsilli-Tsilli, and later Gusap.
They were either low on fuel or shot-up and couldn't be sure
of getting home safely. We also mowed a fake runway nearby to
confuse the Japanese to make them think the base was bigger than
it actually was."
Japanese Air Raids Against Tsili
Tsili
August 15 - September 13, 1943
Today
The airfield has been abandoned since the war. Until the early
1970s there were several wrecks at the strip, four P-39s and a
P-40 abandoned there. Three aircraft were recovered by Monty
Armstrong and Charles Darby in 1973 for Yesterday's
Air Force.
P-40N Serial Number 42-104961
Recovered in September 1973, exported to USA
P-39K-1 Serial Number 42-4351
Parts recovered in September 1973, exported to USA
P-39N Serial Number 42-18811
Recovered in September 1973, exported to USA
P-39Q Airacobra Serial Number 42-18403
Recovered in September 1973, exported to USA
References
4 Kokugun Takes Charge by Richard Dunn, page 10
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