 Lat
6° 35' 60S Long 147° 50' 60E Located 50 miles east of Lae.
There are several variations in the spelling of this town on different
historical maps and at different periods. Also spelled Finschhafen during
the German colonial era, and Finschafen during the wartime by Americans.
Pre-War History
Founded
in 1885, the town was the German New Guinea Kompagnie's (NGK) first
unsuccessful attempt to begin the colonization of New Guinea. Prewar,
there were about 80 Lutheran missionaries at Finschafen running several
missions, schools, a port and a large radio station in the town. In
1892, many moved west to Stephansort (on Astrolabe Bay, south of Madang).
The area proved to be plagued with malaria and tropical diseases.
Wartime History
The Japanese occupied the area on March 10, 1942 and occupied
the Lutheran
Mission buildings as their HQ. The Allies
thought the area was lightly defended, but in fact based the fresh
Japanese 20th Division (less 78th Regiment) and a Special Naval Landing
Force and Naval Base Unit occupied the area.
Allied & Japanese
Mission Against Finschafen
December 21, 1942 - September 28, 1943
Liberation
At
dawn on September 22, 1943, US Navy's Rear Admiral Daniel E. Barbey's
Task Force 76 landed Australian Brigadier J. V. Windeyer's 20th Brigade
at Scarlet Beach. Simultaneously the 22nd Australian
Militia approached from the coast. After a week of hard fighting,
the Australians captured the town and nearby airfield.
The town was declared liberated
on October 2, 1943. The Japanese had lost 1,500 defenders. But the
victory was, in a sense, a hollow one, for the bulk of the Japanese
garrison, 4,000 men, had retreated to the 3,000-foot-high Sattleberg,
a peak that dominated Finschhafen and the surrounding area.
Today
Post war, much of the wartime gear
was abandoned, buried or otherwise disposed. Little of the prewar
town, remains except for one old Lutheran building, used by missionaries
to this day. After WWII the town was moved from its original site. A
Lutheran building is used by holidaying missionaries. Its tower
was a WWII lookout.
| Finschafen
Airfield (Dreger Field) |
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Location
Located on the south-east tip of Huon Peninsula at Finschafen. A
half mile inland, parallel to Schneider Harbor, with Dreger
Harbor to the south-east.
Construction
The US Army 808th
Aviation Engineer Battalion (and possibly
870th (Negro) Battalion) built the 6,000'
x 100' coral and steel matting single runway running
NNW to SSE. The tower was code named 'Harvest'. In mid-November,
US Navy Seabees preformed rough grading on the northern end
of the strip, and crushed coral for the entire area.
On January 5, 1944 the 808th departed, and the Seabee
60th Battalion completed the airfield, building fighter
and medium bomber hardstands, mostly located to the north,
with more to the east and a few on the southern side
of the runway. Other improvements included a 4 x 2,000'
barrel aviation fuel storage with piping and pumping
units. Seabee 47th and 78th Battalions also assisted
with construction.
Taz adds:
"Dad's CB unit cleared a nearby mountain and starting building the airfield.
Japanese aircraft from Rabaul would come and bomb it. The CBs kept rebuilding
in an attempt to stay ahead of the bombing. Eventually, they pressed all the
men into service to finish the field." |
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Units Based at Finschafen (partial
list)
348th FG, 340th FS (P-47) Port Moresby Dec 13, 43 - March 13, 44 to Saidor
348th FG (HQ) Port Moresby December 16, 43 - March 29, 44 to Saidor
348th FG 341st, 342nd FS (P-47) Port Moresby Dec 17, 1943 - Mar 27, 44 to Saidor
8th FG, 36th FS (P-47) Nadzab January 9, 1944 - March 28, 1944 to Nadzab
6th PRG, 26th PRS (F-5) Dobodura February 19, 1944 - ?
8th FG, 35th FS (P-40) ? - February 19, 1944 to Cape Gloucester
8th FG HQ ? - February 20, 1944 to Cape Gloucester
380th BW 418 NFS (P-61) Dobodura March 28 - May 12, 1944 Hollandia
71st TRG, 17th TRS (B-25, L-5) Dobodura March 1 - July 29 1944 to Biak
71st TRG, 82nd TRS (P-39 det) Dobodura Dec 1, 43 - April 19, 1944 to Saidor
49th FG HQ Gusap April 19, 1944 - May 17, 1944 to Hollandia
317th TCG HQ Port Moresby April 19 - June 22, 1944 to Hollandia
317th TCG, 39th TCS (C-47) Port Moresby April 23 - July 1, 1944 to Hollandia
49th FG, 7th FS (P-40) Gusap April 27 - May 3, 1944 to Hollandia
86th FW HQ from USA May 1 - August 4, 1944 to Toem (Middleburg)
375th TCG, 22nd TCS Garbutt August 29, 1944 - August 1, 1945 to Nielson
2nd Combat Cargo Group, 8th Combat Cargo Sqn (C-46) ? - January 1, 1945 to Biak
Post War Scrapping
Many aircraft shipped from the United States were
assembled at Finschafen and then flown to other airfields for
operations. At the war's end, millions of dollars of equipment
both new and used was bulldozed into a huge holes in the area
and abandoned. Aircraft were smelted after the war for great
profit, largely by Ted Foad. There are rumors and facts about
caches of buried equipment in the area.
Salvage Operations
Over the decades a number of aircraft or partial wrecks have been salvaged
from this location, either abandoned at the airfield or partially
/ or completely buried. In 2002, three Thunderbolts,
reportedly P-47 42-75284, P-47
42-22521, P-47 42-8074 were
reportedly recovered from this location and exported to Australia
then to USA.
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Scarlet Beach
Site of the Australian 20th Brigade amphibious landing, six
miles north of Finschhafen town, consisted of a narrow sandy beach
about 900 yards long and about 40 feet wide. Japanese fire came from
well-constructed bunkers
on the fringe of the jungle, causing casualties to the troops both
in the landing craft and as they waded ashore. Japanese defenses
barred
the way with heavy bunker defenses behind thickets of barbed wire near
the mouth of the Bumi River. Wading the river under fire, the 2/15th
Battalion forced a crossing on 24 September. A grim struggle for Kakakog.
Having crossed
the Bumi River, the 2/15th Battalion was confronted by a sheer cliff
face and a wild tangle of jungle. The 2/17th advanced and reached
Finschhafen, and linked up with the 22nd Battalion of the 4th Brigade
which had fought
its way up the coast.
| Finschafen
(Pre-War Strip) |
Construction
This strip was built prior to the war, probably by the
Lutheran missionaries. Located about
3 miles north of Finschafen town, and was 600m long.
Wartime History
It is unclear if the Japanese ever used this strip during
the war. At the
time of the Australian invasion in late September 1943, the
official history seems to indicate that it was not in use
at that time, [no aircraft or facilities recorded] but it
may have had ELS equivalent status. The same WWII maps do
not show any other airfields at Finschafen, as the other airfield
was built by the Americans.
John Douglas adds:
"I suspect that the strip was
put in by the Missionaries to service their facilities in that
area, They had about 80 Missionaries there at about early war
time, several missions, schools, a port and a large radio station
in the town. I think they had at least one Junkers W34 [probably
more], that survived the war as a wreck and disappeared out of
Lae about 10 years ago. This plane I think is different to the
Ex Missionary W34 that is restored in Western Australia. There's
a great story about a German Mission Pilot who pinched a plane
in the late 1930s ex Finschafen, flew it to Dutch New Guinea
and eventually made his way to Germany and joined the Luftwaffe."
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Kakakog
(Kakakogwith)
A
commanding crest in the area. Experienced Japanese troops (SNLF) defended the
cliff area at Kakakogwith machine guns in solidly sandbagged positions. This
slope had to be climbed, on occasions with the Australians on their hands and
knees, hacking through jungle. Under continuous fire, they
gained the crest. They stormed the gun positions and fought the Japanese
with bayonets and grenades. Kakakog was deserted by the Japanese
on 2 October.
Base F (Finschafen)
Finschafen became a large staging base (known as US
Army Base F). It included the Finschafen Airfield and harbor facilities.
Additionally, Dreger
Haffen Harbor just to
the south was part of this base.
119th Station Hospital
Built
at Finschafen and was often swamped with malaria patients, just as
the Germans had experienced during the colonial era.
 Veteran Don
Hubner, 1st Marine Division recalls:
"Evidently this unhealthy situation on Goodenough
Island prompted those in authority to move the First Marine Division on over
to New Guinea and under the jurisdiction of MacArthur's Sixth Army stationed
around Finschafen."
American Cemetery at Finschafen
Also known as USAAF Cemetery Finschaffen #5. American wartime cemetery. Post war, all graves were exhumed and reburied in either national cemeteries at Manila, Hawaii or deceased hometown in the USA.
American Units Based in Finschafen
1st Marine Division - from Goodenough to Cape Glochester
African-Americans service units
US Army Road Grater
A
road grater is abandoned near the road to Sattleburg.
Tami Island
7 NM SSE of Finschafen and consists of two Islands. Both very
small.
American Missions against Tami
November 25, 1942 - A B-25 scores a hit on a cruiser off Tami
September 18, 1943 - A-20's hit Tami
September 21, 1943 - A-20's, B-26's, and RAAF
aircraft hit Tami Island
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