Saidor Airfield

Saidor Airfield

Type		Airfield
Historical Name of Location		Saidor, Australian New Guinea

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseSaidor Airfield, located on the northern coast of the Territory of New Guinea, was built by the Australians prior to the start of the Pacific War. It had a single runway measured at 750-yard (685-meter) long surfaced with sod. It was captured by the Japanese in early 1942 and was referred to as Gumbi Airfield. It was managed by the Japanese Army during the war, but it did not played a major role in the war, as it was largely reserved for emergencies only. It was captured by US Army troops on 2 Jan 1944, and the US Army would expand the airfield, with its name restored to Saidor, with expanded taxiways, revetments, aprons, and other upgrades. Between Mar and Aug 1944, Saidor hosted several air units, including the headquarters of the newly activated US 309th Bombardment Wing. At the time of this writing in 2017, Saidor Airfield remained in use as a very small civilian regional airport.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Update: Dec 2017

Saidor Airfield Timeline

2 Jan 1944	US Army troops captured Gumbi Airfield on the northern coast of Australian New Guinea. The airfield's Japanese name was then restored to its prewar English name Saidor, after the nearby village.
8 Apr 1944	The headquarters of USAAF 417th Bomb Group was transferred from Dobodura Airfield to Saidor Airfield, Australian Papua.
10 Apr 1944	672nd Bomb Squadron and 675th Bomb Squadron (both flying A-20 aircraft) of USAAF 417th Bomb Group were transferred from Dobodura Airfield to Saidor Airfield, Australian Papua.
14 Apr 1944	673rd Bomb Squadron (flying A-20 aircraft) of USAAF 417th Bomb Group was transferred from Dobodura Airfield to Saidor Airfield, Australian Papua.
17 Apr 1944	674th Bomb Squadron (flying A-20 aircraft) of USAAF 417th Bomb Group was transferred from Dobodura Airfield to Saidor Airfield, Australian Papua.

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