Corunna Downs Airfield
Corunna Downs Airfield .svg) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marble Bar, Pilbara, Western Australia in Australia | |||||||||
| Site information | |||||||||
| Type | Airbase | ||||||||
| Owner | Australian Air Board | ||||||||
| Operator | Royal Australian Air Force | ||||||||
| Controlled by | No. 73 Operational Base Unit RAAF[1] | ||||||||
| Open to the public | Yes | ||||||||
| Condition | Poor | ||||||||
| Location | |||||||||
  Corunna Downs Airfield Shown within Western Australia  Corunna Downs Airfield Corunna Downs Airfield (Australia) | |||||||||
| Coordinates | 21°26′00″S 119°46′58″E / 21.43333°S 119.78278°E | ||||||||
| Site history | |||||||||
| Built | 1942 | ||||||||
| In use | until 14 January 1946 | ||||||||
| Fate | Abandoned | ||||||||
| Battles/wars | Pacific War | ||||||||
| Events | Long range missions against Japanese shipping and base facilities in the Dutch East Indies | ||||||||
| Garrison information | |||||||||
| Occupants | Australia
United States | ||||||||
| Airfield information | |||||||||
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| Corunna Downs Station and Former Wartime Airbase | |
|---|---|
| Brockman's Station | |
| Location | Salgash Corunna Downs Road, East Pilbara, Pilbara |
| Nearest city | Marble Bar |
| Built | 1942 |
| Built for | Royal Australian Air Force |
| Original use | Military base |
| Current use | Public use |
| Designated | 26 May 2006 |
| Reference no. | 3695 |
Corunna Downs Airfield was a secret Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) base at Corunna Downs, 40 km (25 mi) south of Marble Bar in the Pilbara region of Western Australia during World War II.[2][3][4]
History
In 1942 the RAAF built a secret airbase on Corunna Downs Station, adjacent to the 1891 Brockman’s homestead. The airfield, created especially for Consolidated B-24 Liberator long-range heavy bombers, comprised two intersecting bitumen runways, a north–south (165°) runway 5,000 ft × 150 ft (1,524 m × 46 m) and an east–west (107°) runway 7,000 ft × 150 ft (2,134 m × 46 m).[2] No. 73 Operational Base Unit was responsible for operating the airfield during World War II.[5] Based in Corunna Downs Airfield, RAAF No. 24 Squadron, No 25 Squadron and the United States Army Air Corps 380th Bomb Group flew long range missions against Japanese shipping and base facilities in the Dutch East Indies.[2][6] When World War II ended, the airfield was abandoned and never operational since.[7]
See also
References
- ^ Kerr, Colin (21 January 2013). "Bombers hidden in the desert". The West Australian. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
- ^ a b c "Register of Heritage places – Assessment Documentation". InHerit. Heritage Council of Western Australia. 30 March 2007. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ Images of World War Two airbase at Corunna Downs near Marble Bar, 1942, retrieved 8 January 2023
- ^ "Base played vital WWII role". Navy News. Vol. 38, no. 17. Australia, Australia. 11 September 1995. p. 13. Retrieved 8 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Cafarella, Antonio (1998), Corunna Downs the invisible WW2 airfield, A. Cafarella, ISBN 978-0-9586209-1-8
- ^ 380th Bombardment Group U. S. A. A. F, retrieved 8 January 2023
- ^ "Airfield Opens". The Daily News. Vol. LXX, no. 24, 190. Western Australia. 24 October 1952. p. 8. Retrieved 8 January 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
External links
