HUGHES AIRFIELD, NT
(32 MILE)
DURING WW2

visits since 12 September 2002

Fighter Guide Map

Hughes Field (32 Mile) at Noonamah, in the Northern Territory was located 32 mile south of Darwin.

Hughes Field was built by the 808th Engineer Aviation Battalion who had arrived at Melbourne aboard the U.S.S Coolidge on 2 February 1942, the first U.S. Army Engineering Unit to arrive in Australia. The 808th initially camped at Camp Darley in Melbourne.

Hughes Field was built by the 808th Engineer Aviation Battalion less Company A and HQ detachment between 10 March 1942 to 13 April 1942.

They built 5,000ft of runway that was 100 ft wide with a 25 ft right shoulder and a 50 ft left shoulder paved with 8 inches of clay bound gravel with a coat of Diesel Oil. Also built was 6,000 ft of taxiway 40 ft wide with 10 ft shoulders paved with three inches of gravel and 24 dispersals with out revetments. 

Hughes Field may have been named after Lt. Charles Hughes of 33rd Pursuit Squadron USAAF who was killed during the first Japanese air raid on Darwin on 19 February 1942. Can someone please confirm that this is the case?

34 Squadron RAAF moved to Hughes airfield (32 Mile) from Batchelor airfield on 15 July 1942. Just over a month later, they moved to Manbulloo airfield in the Northern Territory on 27 August 1942. 

JAPANESE BOMBING RAIDS ON HUGHES AIRFIELD

MILITARY AIRCRAFT CRASHES AT HUGHES AIRFIELD DURING WW2

Full size versions of the above photos are available on
my "Australia @ War" CD-Rom

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Melvin Haba for his assistance with this home page. Melvin's father was Technician 5 Grade (Corporal) Laudie R Haba of Company "B" of the 808th Engineer Aviation Battalion. Laudie Haba returned to the States in December 1944.

Heaps of WW2 books available at Amazon.com

"Australia @ War"

This page first produced 12 September 2002

This page last updated 17 June 2007