The Port Moresby Airfields – Red Dirt Research

An interactive map of the Port Moresby wartime airfields.

Upon their arrival in New Guinea, the squadrons of the 345th Bomb Group were split up between several airfields. The mission reports have the 498th and 500th taking off from Jackson drome but other sources have the 499th and 500th based out of Durand drome. The 501st mission reports have them taking off from Schwimmer drome. The 499th was camped between Durand and Schwimmer dromes and operated first out of Durand and later out of Schwimmer according to their mission reports.

Jackson, or 7 Mile, drome was one of the main airfields in Port Moresby and is the international airport today. It featured a bomber strip, a fighter strip, a crash strip, and revetments for protecting parked airplanes. It was connected to Wards drome by a system of taxiways. The 498th and 500th Squadrons lived adjacent to this field.

*An overhead view of Jackson drome showing the three runways and revetments in the dispersal areas. Public domain photo courtesy of wikipedia.com*

*Jackson International Airport in 2011. View is to the northwest from the top of the Airways Hotel.*

Durand, or 17 Mile drome was situated to the northwest of Jackson drome and was home, at least temporarily, to the 499th Squadron. The camp area was separated from the airstrip and was located somewhere between Durand and Schwimmer dromes. A large swamp was situated just to the south of the airstrip.

*An aerial view of Durand drome, looking to the southeast. Public domain photo courtesy of wikipedia.com.*

*The view from the ground at Durand drome, looking to the northwest. Image courtesy of fold3.com.*

Schwimmer, or 14 Mile, drome was located north of Jackson drome and hosted the 501st Squadron. Their camp was located adjacent to the airfield.

*An aerial view of Schwimmer drome, presumably looking to the southeast. The nearby Berry drome is on the right, just beyond Schwimmer drome. Public domain photo courtesy of wikipedia.com.*

Berry drome, also known as 12 Mile or Bomana, was located to the northeast of Jackson Drome. This field was mainly a fighter strip.

*An aerial view of Berry drome, looking to the northwest, with Schwimmer drome in the distance. Public domain photo courtesy of wikipedia.com.*

*A ground level view of Berry airdrome, looking to the northwest. Image courtesy of fold3.com.*

Kila drome, also known as 3 Mile or Kila Kila, was the original airport in Port Moresby. After being refitted for military use, it featured dispersal areas and revetments for fighters and light bombers.

*Kila drome from the air looking toward the northeast. Public domain photo courtesy of wikipedia.com.*

Wards, or 5 Mile drome was the main heavy bomber airfield in Port Moresby. It was located just to the west of Jackson Drome.

*Aerial view of Wards drome, looking to the east. Public domain photo courtesy of wikipedia.com.*

Rogers, or 30 Mile drome, was located well to the northwest of Port Moresby and was used mainly as a fighter or crash strip. I include it in this post because it is often referenced in 345th mission reports as an initial rendezvous location for the group after taking off from their separate airfields.

*Aerial view of Rogers drome. Public domain photo courtesy of wikipedia.com.*

The mile designations are the distance of the airdromes from the town of Port Moresby itself. It would appear that the mileage was measured along the roads leading to the dromes rather than as a straight line distance.

The 345th continued to operate out of the Port Moresby airdfields until mid-December 1943, at which time they began to move first their flight echelons, and then ground echelons to Dobodura.