Location
Truscott Airfield was located near Truscott on the salt plains of the Anjo Peninsula in Western Australia in Australia.

Construction
A single 8,000' single runway surfaced with marsden matting (PSP) was built at this location after the completion of Drysdale Airfield to support aerial operations over Western Australia.  The runway included loop taxiways at both ends of the runway with revetments. Each loop was designated with a letter: A, B, C, D at one end and E and F at the other end.

Naming Honors
Named "Truscott Field" in honor of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) S/Ldr Keith William "Bluey" Truscott killed March 28, 1943 piloting P-40E Kitthhawk A29-150. Also known as "RAAF landing ground Truscott W.A."

Wartime History
Truscott Airfield was used by Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fighter, bomber and transport aircraft.

On July 20, 1944 a reconnaissance Ki-46 Dinah 1059 was detected by radar and reached the Truscott area before it was intercepted and shot down by Spitfires from No. 54 Squadron. Although it dropped no ordnance, this intrusion was listed as "air raid no. 1 Truscott" or "raid no. 1 Truscott" in some wartime records.

Postwar
The marsden matting surfacing the runway was removed and was instead sealed with bitumen. Abandoned along the sides were unopened bundles of matting still painted olive drab. A Darwin-based scrap metal dealer (scrappie) removed the remaining metal and sold it for scrap.

Vehicle and Dump Area
There is a line of trucks and a steam roller near the beach. There were piles of beer bottles, English steel helmets, water tanks, stacked drums still containing oil and fuel, still-bound bundles of steel marsden matting still painted green, long stacked rows of three different bomb tails in open frame crates, bomb fuses/detonators, 50 caliber and 20mm ammo everywhere and other junk.

Today
During 1998, reopened as Mungalalu Truscott Airbase (Truscott Mungalalu Airport) to provide logistical services to oil and gas operators in the vicinity. Still in use today as Mungalalu Truscott Airbase. Today, protected as a historic reserve and nothing is allowed to be taken.

Spitfire
Burnt out remains near the B-24 wreck. A Melbourne-based restorer got some useful bits off this wreck. Stan Gajda adds: "In 1980 John Hardie did find one of the wheel doors near the runway which he took as a wall trophy."

B-24M Liberator A72-160
Pilot Simsey crashed May 20, 1945

References
NAA "[No 54 Squadron] - Offensive Operations (Reports) and Interception of Enemy Aircraft" pages 2-9 (NAA: A11326, 1/5/INT
(Page 2-3) Combat (Fighter) Report (Individual Pilot) F/Lt F. Meakin list aircraft as Spitfire VIII A58-30 sic, A58-390
(Page 6) Appendix A - Raid No. 1 - Truscott 20th July 1944 Controller's Report / Pilot's Report
Mungalalu Truscott Airbase official webpage

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Last Updated
April 19, 2021