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215:. The 77th Battalion arrived on Bougainville on 10 December 1943 and began constructing a fighter airfield parallel to the bomber field. The airfield was completed on 3 January and the first plane landed on 9 January. Several weeks later, the 77th Battalion was instructed to extend the strip by 2,000 feet (610 m). Both airfields were connected by taxiways and shared fuel tank farms and other facilities. The construction of the airfields frequently took place under Japanese harassing fire such as the
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On 26 November 1943 the 36th Naval
Construction Battalion arrived on Bougainville and on 29 November they started work on a 8,000 feet (2,400 m) by 30 feet (9.1 m) bomber strip. The first plane landed on the bomber strip on 19 December and it was put into operation on 30 December, after
211:
several weeks of operation it was extended by an additional 2,000 feet (610 m). The 71st
Battalion built three taxiways with 35 hardstands, a shop area, seven nose hangars, three prefabricated steel huts, and 26 frame buildings. Aviation camps consisted of a 5,000-man camp for
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Building the Navy's Bases in World War II History of the Bureau of Yards and Docks and the Civil
Engineer Corps 1940–1946
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landed with the
Marines and the 71st Battalion was tasked with establishing a small fighter airfield that would become
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By early 1945 base roll-up and salvage operations had commenced and were completed by the end of June 1945.
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Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in the
Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II
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On 8 March 1944 Japanese artillery opened up on Piva
Airfield and destroyed one
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over Piva Bomber Strip, both planes were destroyed and both pilots killed.
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477:), while the fighter airfield is completely overgrown with vegetation.
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sortie from Piva Uncle
Airfield for a strike on Rabaul, 6 April 1944
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landed on
Bougainville on 1 November 1943 at the start of the
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RAAF Boomerang with RNZAF Corsairs at Piva in
January 1945
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and three fighters and damaged nineteen other aircraft.
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operating F4Us from May–June 1944 and
January–April 1945
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operating F4Us from May–June 1944 and January–April 1945
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United States Army Air Forces in the South Pacific Area
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25th, 53rd, 71st and 75th Naval Construction Battalions
523:. US Government Printing Office. 1947. p. 268.
605:Airfields in the Pacific theatre of World War II
596:
555:. Historical Publications Branch. p. 273.
620:Closed installations of the United States Navy
329:operating F4Fs from 20 January-20 March 1944
238:while the fighter airfield became known as
417:operating F4Us from October–November 1944
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469:The bomber airfield remains usable as
341:(photo lab detachment) 16 January 1944
277:US Navy units based at Piva included:
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435:operating TBFs from March – May 1944
399:operating PV-1s from May–August 1944
273:F4Us of VF-17 at Piva, February 1944
222:The bomber airfield became known as
610:Airfields of the United States Navy
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577:"ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 77779"
429:operating SBDs from 23 March 1944
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393:operating PV-1s from August 1944
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386:units based at Piva included:
357:units based at Piva included:
317:units based at Piva included:
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439:On 30 January 1944 an F4U of
90:United States Army Air Forces
471:Torokina Airport (IATA: TOK)
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553:Royal New Zealand Air Force
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423:operating F4Us October 1945
176:Solomon Islands archipelago
98:Royal New Zealand Air Force
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217:Bougainville counterattack
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94:United States Marine Corps
579:. Aviation Safety Network
473:(not to be confused with
281:30 TB Squadron operating
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213:Marine Aircraft Group 24
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322:1st Marine Air Wing HQ
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197:Bougainville Campaign
156:Bougainville Campaign
57:6.20500°S 155.06667°E
551:Ross, John (1955).
291:operating TBFs 1944
244:Piva South Airfield
232:Piva Uncle Airfield
228:Piva North Airfield
193:3rd Marine Division
172:Bougainville Island
62:-6.20500; 155.06667
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29:Bougainville Island
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285:from 23 March 1944
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252:Piva Fighter Strip
248:Piva Yoke Airfield
86:Controlled by
487:Torokina Airfield
475:Torokina Airfield
443:collided with an
236:Piva Bomber Strip
205:Torokina Airfield
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76:Military Airfield
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81:Site information
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125:Built by
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581:. Retrieved
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187:World War II
170:airfield on
168:World War II
166:is a former
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152:Battles/wars
112:Site history
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433:30 Squadron
427:25 Squadron
421:24 Squadron
415:23 Squadron
409:20 Squadron
403:15 Squadron
133:In use
60: /
48:155°04′00″E
36:Coordinates
599:Categories
562:0898391873
498:References
397:9 Squadron
391:3 Squadron
370:Boomerangs
364:operating
362:5 Squadron
347:operating
345:VMF(N)-531
307:operating
297:operating
45:06°12′18″S
366:Wirraways
147:over sand
141:Materials
107:abandoned
104:Condition
481:See also
261:SBDs of
583:11 June
465:Postwar
449:VMF-211
339:VMD-254
333:VMF-215
327:VMF-212
182:History
174:in the
136:1944–88
128:Seebees
559:
295:VB-305
289:VT-305
240:Piva 2
224:Piva 1
120:1943-4
27:Piva,
441:VF-17
384:RNZAF
305:VF-17
263:VC-40
117:Built
585:2013
557:ISBN
368:and
355:RAAF
315:USMC
309:F4Us
301:1944
299:SBDs
283:TBFs
191:The
73:Type
447:of
445:FG1
250:or
234:or
601::
539:^
506:^
254:.
246:,
242:,
230:,
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178:.
587:.
565:.
534:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
