Girua Airport

Girua Airport
(Dobodura No. 7 Airfield)

IATA: PNP – ICAO: AYGR

Summary

Airport type

Public

Operator

Government

Serves

Popondetta, Papua New Guinea

Elevation AMSL

311 ft / 95 m

Coordinates

08°48′16″S 148°18′32″E / 8.80444°S 148.30889°ECoordinates: 08°48′16″S 148°18′32″E / 8.80444°S 148.30889°E

Map

AYGR

Location of Girua Airport

Runways

Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	m	ft	Surface
03/21	1,672	5,485	Asphalt

Source: DAFIF^[1]^[2]

"Poopy II" P-40E Warhawk Assigned to 1st Lt. A.T. House,Jr. from the 7th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group. He was an ace with a total of 5 victories. Photo was taken while preparing to take-off after getting an alert for enemy aircraft at Dobodura in May 1943.

Girua Airport (IATA: PNP, ICAO: AYGR) is an airport serving Popondetta, a city in the Oro (or Northern) province in Papua New Guinea.

History

Girua Airport is located near Dobodura, to the north-east of the Embi Lakes, north-east of Inonda. To the south is Mt. Lamington, a volcano that dominates the skyline. The airport was built during World War II as part of the Dobodura Airfield Complex during late 1942 and early 1943. During the war, the airfield had several names, including No. 7, West 7, or Horanda No. 7 Airstrip or West 7. It was also known as Kenney Strip, in honor of Fifth Air Force Commander General George Kenney.

The main Dobodura complex had eleven airstrips, most interconnected for taxiing purposes. At the height of the Battle of Buna-Gona supplies began landing at the airfields including artillery spotting planes, a 105mm and five Bren Gun Carriers used to assault Cape Endaiadere,

After the battle, Dobodura was developed into a major airbase, with storage and repair facilities, and interconnecting taxiways to adjacent airfields. Today, Girua is the only airfield still in use, the others being abandoned after the war. ^[3]^[4]

Major USAAF units assigned

3d Bombardment Group (May 20, 1943 – February 3, 1944)

Headquarters, 13th, 89th, 90th Bomb Squadrons, B-25 Mitchell

22d Bombardment Group (October 9, 1943 – January 13, 1944)

Headquarters, 2d, 19th, 408th Bomb Squadrons, B-26 Marauder

43d Bombardment Group (December 10, 1943 – March 4, 1944)

Headquarters, 63d, 64th, 65th, 403d Bomb Squadrons, B-24 Liberator

90th Bombardment Group (December 1943 – February 23, 1944)

Headquarters, 319th, 320th, 321st, 400th Bomb Squadrons, B-24 Liberator

345th Bombardment Group (January 18 – February 16, 1944)

Headquarters, 498th, 499th, 500th, 501st Bomb Squadrons, B-25 Mitchell

417th Bombardment Group (February 7 – April 8, 1944), (Headquarters)

672d, 673d, 673d, 675th Bomb Squadrons, A-20 Havoc

49th Fighter Group (March – November 20, 1943)

Headquarters, 7th, 8th Fighter Squadrons, Curtiss P-40, 9th Fighter Squadron, P-38 Lightning and P-47 Thunderbolt

58th Fighter Group (December 28, 1943 – April 3, 1944)

Headquarters, 69th, 310th, 311th Fighter Squadrons, P-47 Thunderbolt

475th Fighter Group (August 14, 1943 – March 24, 1944) (Headquarters)

432d Fighter Squadron, P-38 Lightning, (May 15 – July 12, 1944), (North Borio Airfield, Dobodura No. 15)

433rd Fighter Squadron, P-38 Lightning, (August 14 – October 3, 1943), (Borio Airfield, Dobodura No. 11)

418th Night Fighter Squadron (V Fighter Command) (November 22, 1943 – March 28, 1944), P-61 Black Widow
80th Fighter Squadron, (8th Fighter Group), (December 11, 1943 – February 28, 1944), P-38 Lightning
375th Troop Carrier Group, (August 19 – December 19, 1943) (HQ Echelon)

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Air Niugini	Port Moresby
Airlines PNG^[5]	Port Moresby, Tufi

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

↑ Airport information for AYGR from DAFIF (effective October 2006)
↑ Airport information for PNP at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
↑ This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
↑ Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
↑ Airlines PNG flight schedule

External links

USAAF Fifth Air Force in World War II

Previously: Philippine Department Air Force (1941); Far East Air Force (1941-1942)

Airfields

Pacific	USAAF in Australia USAAF in the Southwest Pacific USAAF in Okinawa

Units

Commands

Wings

Groups

Air Commando	3d Air Commando

Bombardment	3d Bombardment 7th Bombardment 19th Bombardment 22d Bombardment 27th Bombardment 38th Bombardment 43d Bombardment 90th Bombardment 312th Bombardment 345th Bombardment 380th Bombardment 417th Bombardment

Combat Cargo	2d Combat Cargo

Fighter	8th Fighter 24th Pursuit 35th Fighter 49th Fighter 58th Fighter 348th Fighter 475th Fighter

Reconnaissance	6th Reconnaissance 71st Reconnaissance

Troop Carrier	317th Troop Carrier 374th Troop Carrier 375th Troop Carrier 433d Troop Carrier

Squadrons

Bombardment	31st Bombardment

Night Fighter	418th Night Fighter 421st Night Fighter 547th Intelligence

Reconnaissance	2d Observation 8th Photographic Reconnaissance 36th Photographic Reconnaissance

Troop Carrier	21st Troop Carrier 22d Troop Carrier 65th Troop Carrier 66th Troop Carrier

United States Army Air Forces

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