Leo Wattimena Airport

Last updated

Leo Wattimena Airport

Bandar Udara Leo Wattimena
Summary
Airport typePublic, military
OperatorGovernment
Serves Morotai
Location Morotai Island, North Maluku, Indonesia
Time zone WITA (UTC+09:00)
Elevation  AMSL 49 ft / 15 m
Coordinates 02°02′45.76″N128°19′29.28″E / 2.0460444°N 128.3248000°E / 2.0460444; 128.3248000
Map
Location map Halmahera.png
Airplane silhouette.svg
OTI
Location of airport in North Maluku
Runways
Direction LengthSurface
ftm
09/277,8742,400Asphalt
09R/27L7,9492,423Asphalt
Source: World Aero Data [1]

Leo Wattimena Airport, formerly known as Pitu Airport( IATA : OTI, ICAO : WAEW (formerly WAMR)) is a public airport located on the southern coast of Morotai Island, North Maluku, Indonesia.

Contents

History

World War II

Boeing SB-17G "Ready Teddy," Morotai Island, 1945 (Courtesy of the City of Coffs Harbour, Accession Number mus07-8837). Boeing SB-17G "Ready Teddy," Morotai, 1945.jpg
Boeing SB-17G "Ready Teddy," Morotai Island, 1945 (Courtesy of the City of Coffs Harbour, Accession Number mus07-8837).
Aerial view of Pitu (left) and Wama (right) airfields in 1945 Wama airstrip April 1945 OG1934.jpg
Aerial view of Pitu (left) and Wama (right) airfields in 1945

Morotai island was the final island invasion in Netherlands New Guinea before the liberation of the Philippines. The island was recaptured by the 31st Infantry Division on 15 September 1944, meeting only light opposition. General MacArthur and Rear Admiral Barbey landed on the day of the invasion to make an inspection. At the time, the island had only five hundred Japanese defenders.

After the landings, Navy Seabees constructed two airfields on the island, Wama and Pitu. Wama was constructed almost along the shoreline and was used as a fighter airfield. It was abandoned after the war. Pitu was built as a bomber airfield to the north inland, and is currently used as a commercial airport.[ citation needed ]

After the war, the island was one of the largest Fifth Air Force aircraft reclamation centers in the Pacific. A smelting operation was established, and USAAF planes from all over the region were flown there to be scrapped. Despite scrapping, the island was crammed full of aircraft and vehicles until 1988 when it was cleared in a final scrap drive. The scrap was taken to Krakatau Steel Mill in Java.[ citation needed ]

Allied units stationed on Morotai

West New Guinea dispute

During the buildup in preparation of Operation Trikora in early 1962, the Indonesian Air Force utilized Morotai airfield as one of the frontline airbases. In late June 1962, the air force deployed four to six Tu-16 strategic bombers, six to ten Il-28 medium bombers, two UF-1 Albatross search-and-rescue seaplanes and two Mi-4 helicopters at Morotai. [2] [3] Later the Il-28s were moved to Laha and Amahai due to insufficient range to the Western New Guinea. [4] The Indonesian Navy naval aviation also deployed eight Gannet anti-submarine aircraft. [3] For the airbase defenses, the air force stationed six MiG-17 as interceptor and air defense, [4] [3] a Polish-built Nyasa radar unit as early warning system, [5] an anti-aircraft unit equipped with Hispano-Suiza HS.804 cannons, and a company of base defense troops. [6] The Indonesian Army also stationed an air-defense artillery unit from Pattimura Battalion. [7]

Airlines and destinations

AirlinesDestinations
Wings Air Ternate

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rennes–Saint-Jacques Airport</span> Airport

Rennes–Saint-Jacques Airport or Aéroport de Rennes–Saint-Jacques is a minor international airport about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) southwest of Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, in the region of Brittany, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucholz Army Airfield</span> Airport in Kwajalein

Bucholz Army Airfield is a United States Army airfield located on Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. Its position is ideal for refueling during trans-Pacific flights, and the airport is available to civilians through Air Marshall Islands and United Airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Kimbolton</span>

Royal Air Force Kimbolton or more simply RAF Kimbolton is a former Royal Air Force station located 8 miles (13 km) west of Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RAF Halesworth</span> Former Royal Air Force station in Suffolk, England

Royal Air Force Halesworth or more simply RAF Halesworth is a former Royal Air Force station located 2 miles (3 km) north east of the town of Halesworth, Suffolk, England and 7 miles (11 km) west of Southwold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frans Kaisiepo International Airport</span> Airport in Papua, Indonesia

Frans Kaisiepo Airport is an airport on Biak island, in Papua, Indonesia. It is also known as Mokmer Airport. The airport is named after Frans Kaisiepo (1921–1979), the fourth Governor of Papua. The airport has seven aircraft parking slots, of which two are capable of handling wide-body aircraft, and a small terminal without jet bridges. The airport's only runway is 3,571m long, designated as 11/29.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">58th Air Division</span> Inactive unit of the US Air Force

The 58th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command, based at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. It was inactivated on 1 February 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Morotai</span> Extended WWII battle of the Pacific War

The Battle of Morotai, part of the Pacific War, began on 15 September 1944, and continued until the end of the war in August 1945. The fighting started when United States and Australian forces landed on the southwest corner of Morotai, a small island in the Netherlands East Indies (NEI), which the Allies needed as a base to support the liberation of the Philippines later that year. The invading forces greatly outnumbered the island's Japanese defenders and secured their objectives in two weeks. Japanese reinforcements landed on the island between September and November, but lacked the supplies needed to effectively attack the Allied defensive perimeter. Intermittent fighting continued until the end of the war, with the Japanese troops suffering heavy loss of life from disease and starvation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naval Air Station Agana</span>

Naval Air Station Agana is a former United States Naval air station located on the island of Guam. It was opened by the Japanese Navy in 1943 and closed by the United States government in 1995. During and after its closure, it was operated alongside Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Air Forces in Australia</span>

During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces established a series of airfields in Australia for the collective defense of the country, as well as for conducting offensive operations against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. From these airports and airfields in Australia, the Fifth Air Force was able to regroup, re-equip and begin offensive operations against the Empire of Japan after the disasters in the Philippines and Dutch East Indies during 1942.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">XIII Bomber Command</span> Military unit

The XIII Bomber Command was an inactive United States Army Air Forces formation. It was last assigned to Thirteenth Air Force, based at Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines. It was inactivated on 15 March 1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dijon Air Base</span> Airport in Longvic, France

Dijon-Longvic Air Base was a French Air Force air base. The airfield is located approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) east-southeast of Longvic; about 165 miles (266 km) southeast of Paris. Operating as a joint civilian base, it is today used as a commercial airport named Aéroport Dijon-Bourgogne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakeland Army Air Field</span>

Lakeland Army Airfield, was a World War II United States Army Air Force located 5.3 miles southwest of Lakeland, Florida. From 1960 to 2017 it was Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. In 2017 it was renamed Lakeland Linder International Airport.

Saint-Dizier-Robinson Air Base is a front-line French Air and Space Force fighter aircraft base located approximately 4 km west of Saint-Dizier, in the Haute-Marne department of the Champagne-Ardenne region in northeastern France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashiya Air Field</span> Airport in Ashiya, Japan

Ashiya Air Field is a military airdrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Ashiya Airbase. It is located 0.5 NM north of Ashiya in the Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decimomannu Air Base</span> Airport in Sardinia, Italy

Decimomannu Air Base is an Italian Air Force air base located approximately 5 km (2.7 NM) north of Decimomannu a comune in the Province of Cagliari on the island of Sardinia in Italy.

Gamal Abdel Nasser Airbase is a Libyan Air Force base, located about 16 km south of Tobruk. It is believed to once have had about 60 or 70 Mirage F.1EDs aircraft assigned.

Vernouillet Airport is a regional airport in France, close to the town of Vernouillet, Eure-et-Loir. It supports general aviation with no commercial airline service scheduled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grand Island Army Air Field</span> Operating 1942 to 1946

Grand Island Army Airfield was a United States Army Air Forces airfield which operated from 1942 to 1946. After its closure, the base was reopened as Central Nebraska Regional Airport.

Asansol Airfield is a former wartime Royal Air Force Station and later used by the United States Army Air Forces airfield in Asansol, India used during the Burma Campaign 1944-1945. It is located near Nigah village on NH 2/ Grand Trunk Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Units of the Mediterranean Theater of Operations</span>

United States Army Air Forces formations and units in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO) were the second-largest user of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress during World War II. There were a total of six combat groups (twenty-four squadrons) equipped with the bomber assigned to the Theater.

References

  1. ↑ "Pitu". World Aero data. Archived from the original on 27 February 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ↑ Djati et al. 1996, p. 54–55
  3. 1 2 3 Djati et al. 1996, p. 189
  4. 1 2 Djati et al. 1996, p. 54
  5. ↑ Djati et al. 1996, p. 53
  6. ↑ Djati et al. 1996, p. 55–56
  7. ↑ Djati et al. 1996, p. 56

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.