| Petrie Airfield | |
|---|---|
Queensland, Australia   Petrie Airfield Petrie Airfield (Queensland) | |
| Coordinates | 27°17′S153°00′E / 27.283°S 153.000°E |
| Type | Military airfield |
| Site history | |
| In use | 1942-1945 |
Petrie Airfield was a World War II military airfield located just to the south of the North Pine River in what is now Lawnton, Queensland, Australia. [1] After the war, the airfield was dismantled and the area is now part of the urban area of Petrie-Strathpine.
The Petrie Airfield gets its name from its location in the Petrie region, in turn named after Thomas Petrie who established his homestead Murrumba on the North Pine River In 1858.
The Desert Air Force (DAF), also known chronologically as Air Headquarters Western Desert, Air Headquarters Libya, the Western Desert Air Force, and the First Tactical Air Force (1TAF), was an Allied tactical air force created from No. 204 Group RAF under RAF Middle East Command in North Africa in 1941 to provide close air support to the British Eighth Army against Axis forces. Throughout the Second World War, the DAF was made up of squadrons from the Royal Air Force (RAF), the South African Air Force (SAAF), the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) and other Allied air forces.
Royal Air Force Aldermaston, or more simply RAF Aldermaston, is a former Royal Air Force station located 8 miles (13 km) east of Newbury, Berkshire and 9.8 miles (15.8 km) southwest of Reading, Berkshire, England.
RAAF Base Darwin is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located in the city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia. The base shares its runway with Darwin International Airport, for civil aviation purposes. The heritage-listed RAAF Base Darwin is a forward operating base with year-round activity with approximately 400 personnel.
No. 83 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force intelligence unit. It was originally formed in 1943 as a 'home defence' fighter squadron and provided air defence to several locations in Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales before being disbanded in 1945. The squadron was re-raised in 2021, and is responsible for a system which integrates intelligence from multiple sources.
No. 452 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) air traffic control unit. It was established in 1941 as a fighter squadron, in accordance with Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme during World War II. The squadron flew Supermarine Spitfires for the entire war, initially over the United Kingdom and Nazi-occupied Europe. It was later based in Australia and the Netherlands East Indies, before being disbanded in 1945. It was re-raised in its current role in February 2011.
No. 451 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force army cooperation and fighter squadron of World War II. It was formed at Bankstown, New South Wales, on 12 February 1941 and began flying operations on 1 July as part of the North African Campaign in Egypt and Libya. No. 451 Squadron was withdrawn for refitting in early January 1942 and spent the remainder of the year performing garrison duties in Syria. In January 1943, it was transferred to Egypt to contribute to local air defence but saw almost no combat. This inactivity caused morale among the squadron's personnel to greatly deteriorate.
Royal Air Force Keevil or more simply RAF Keevil is a former Royal Air Force station lying between the villages of Keevil and Steeple Ashton, about 4 miles (6.4 km) east of the town of Trowbridge, in Wiltshire, England.
Gurney Airport is an airport serving Alotau in the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG).
No. 457 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) fighter squadron of World War II. Equipped with Supermarine Spitfire fighters, it was formed in England during June 1941 under Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme. The squadron was transferred to Australia in June 1942 and saw combat in the South West Pacific Area before being disbanded in November 1945.
Royal Air Force Westhampnett or more simply RAF Westhampnett is a former Royal Air Force satellite station, located in the village of Westhampnett near Chichester, in the English County of West Sussex.
No. 548 Squadron RAF was a fighter squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF) from 1943 to 1945.
No. 549 Squadron RAF was a fighter squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF) operating in Australia from 1943 to 1945.
Charters Towers Airport is an airport located in Columbia, Charters Towers, Queensland, Australia, 2.9 nautical miles north of the Charters Towers CBD.
Mareeba Airfield is an airfield located 4.3 nautical miles south of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. Built in 1942 as a US Army Air Force base during World War II, the airfield had two runways, with a complement of taxiways, hardstands and a containment area. After the war, much of the airfield reverted to agricultural use, while the southern runway remains as an active airfield.
Gioia del Colle Air Base is an Italian Air Force base located in the province of Bari, Apulia, Italy, located approximately 1 km south-southeast of Gioia del Colle.
RAF Fayid (LG-211) is a former military airfield in Egypt, approximately 23 km (14 mi) south of Ismailia and 116 km (72 mi) northeast of Cairo. It was formerly a major Royal Air Force airfield built before World War II, and later used by the Egyptian Air Force.
RAF Gambut is a complex of six abandoned military airfields in Libya, located about 5 kilometres (3 mi) north-northeast of the village of Kambut, and 50 kilometres (31 mi) east-south-east of Tobruk. During World War II, the complex was an important facility, used by the Royal Air Force and many RAF squadrons were temporarily based there.
No. 1 Wing was an Australian Flying Corps (AFC) and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) wing active during World War I and World War II. The wing was established on 1 September 1917 as the 1st Training Wing and commanded the AFC's pilot training squadrons in England until April 1919, when it was disbanded. It was reformed on 7 October 1942 as a fighter unit comprising two Australian and one British flying squadrons equipped with Supermarine Spitfire aircraft, and a mobile fighter sector headquarters. The wing provided air defence to Darwin and several other key Allied bases in northern Australia until the end of the war, and was again disbanded in October 1945.
North-Western Area Command was one of several geographically based commands raised by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) during World War II. Its wartime sphere of operations included the Northern Territory, adjacent portions of Queensland and Western Australia, and the Dutch East Indies. The command was formed in January 1942, following the outbreak of the Pacific War, from the western part of Northern Area Command, which had covered all of northern Australia and Papua. Headquartered at Darwin, North-Western Area Command was initially responsible for air defence, aerial reconnaissance and protection of the sea lanes within its boundaries.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
