Location
Lat 10° 10' 60S Long 148° 41' 60E  Small island off the southern coast of New Guinea, aproximately half way between Port Moresby and Milne Bay. It served as the prewar administrative headquarters for the area.

Wartime History
In April 1942, two spotters were based at Abau: David Marsh and Hannah. The US Army code named Abau "Boston".

Col. Hal Maull [13th Sqdn/ 3rd BG] memoir written around 1992:
"But we had to stop at Abau to pick up a Jap Zero which had landed on the beach. As it was [being] lightered out on two native canoes lashed together, I was saddened by the damage that had been done to it in moving it to the Matoma. I took some pictures nonetheless. Abau plantation looked like a set for a Dorothy Lamour movie. I wanted to see more of it but we had to move on." (Thanks to Edward Rogers for Hal Maull memoir.)

John Douglas adds:
"I talked to David Marsh. In April 1942 he was at Abau as a WO with ANGAU, Chased the Japanese Val crews at Table Bay, Rescued Bender twice [Mullins Harbour and again as Bender tramped over the ranges after he crashed near Kokoda] went hunting for the flying Dutchman crew several times, rescued a P-39 pilot in the same area [near Imri] plus several others too. He's just started taping his memoirs , hes done 5 days last week talking to his old colonial typist from 1946. His memory is as clear as a bell."

Bob Piper adds:
"Abau is an interesting island called Abau. I've been there. Quite a few aviation stories connected with it. They built a small strip on one side and used to land Tiger moths and Piper Cubs. Also a U.S. dive bomber went in there during the war and the locals had to dive to get the bodies out . Ther was a U.S. radar station on the top. Two survivors of C-47 "Flying Dutchmen" 41-18564 walked into there from Mt Obree. The American writer who paracuted out of a B-26 in 1942 was also brought into there after a month in the jungle. Hoogland or similar."

Abau Airfield
Built during 1942, disused today

A-24 Dive BomberSerial Number 41-15771
Suspected to be this aircraft crashed ofshore

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Last Updated
October 1, 2009