| Torokina Airfield Cape Torokina Airfield |
|
|---|---|
| Bougainville | |
| Type | Military airfield |
| Controlled by | United States Marine Corps |
Torokina Airfield, also known as Cape Torokina Airfield, is a former World War II airfield at Cape Torokina, Bougainville.
Consrtuction began shortly after the landings at Cape Torokina, by United States Navy Seabees. The runway was surfaced with perforated high strength steel sheets, known as Marston mats. It became operational on December 10, 1943 and the Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-216 landed at the airfield with 17 F4U Corsairs.
On March 9, 1944, the Japanese shelled the airfield and forced the squadrons to take off to avoid damage. Royal New Zealand Air Force squadrons began operating from the airfield from January 1, 1944.
Today the airfield is no longer used and most of the runway is overgrown with vegetation.
Known units assigned to the airfield were:
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.