CMPs at Truscott Airbase, AUS

[Stuart Kirkham]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

The base was and is in a remote location on the NW coast, it was completely built from the sea . No roads existed then and now . They shipped in everything by barges . I believe it was a major staging strip for B24 raids into the Dutch East indies . The Libs would fuel up and load bombs and fly on from Truscott .

The 'staging' B-24 Liberators originated from the 'secret' inland airstrip of Corunna Downs where the US Army Airforce and RAAF Airforce heavy bombers were based. The bombers would fuel and bomb up at Corunna Downs, fly to Truscott, fuel up again and fly off to Dutch East Indies (Indonesia).

This airfield was located 27 kms south of Marble Bar, Western Australia as it was considered 'out of reach' of Japanese aircraft. The remote distance from the north of Australia meant that the Liberators did not have sufficient fuel to complete their missions without the 'top up' at Truscott.

The airfield still exists today in it's original state apart from the buildings, which were removed after the war.

http://picasaweb.google.com/explorer...at=directlink#



This unused 250lb GP bomb tail fin and transit case was recovered from Corunna Downs a number of years ago. At the time that I visited the airfield, there would have been hundreds of these fins lying around.