Morotai, Long Awaited Info.

[Browny]

Where is Wama? I thought, maybe wrongly, that the Australians and Americans all shared the same base?

Guys, the two complexes were, for all intents and purposes, one. I have scanned an illustration from a book I wrote about 20 years ago on 77Sqn RAAF which shows the airfield complex. I have just added it to my Webshots albums...just follow the link below. A couple of comments from former RAAF servicemen who served there:

"The two airfields were hawn from coconut groves, and when it rained the sites became a sea of mud. The constant muddy and temporary state of the airfield made operations most uncomfortable".

I hate to rain on your parade Harvard, but the pic shows just how close the strips were to the coast (and how low-lying they were), in which case if the dumps you are chasing are in the general area, then any buried "treasure" runs the risk of being pretty corroded by now. Ask Setter about the Wirraway parts that were dug up here at Williamtown a few years back. The water table is probably too close to the surface. Your best chance is to hope to find a site further inland and on higher ground.

http://client.webshots.com/user/wabrown33

Cheers

Browny

[HarvardIV]

Hi Browny:

Thanks for the info., you didn't rain on my parade. I has long been rained on, after the one guy in the first post adamantly stated that nothing at all was there resembling a plane. I sure appreciate your information, and couldn't have found any of this info w/o this board.



Thanks,

Chris

[HarvardIV]

Hi Guys:

Talked to the owner of a parts supply shop here in Tucson. He is a commercial pilot with thousands of hours. Anyway, he told me he's landed at Morotai in a Gulfstream II in 1999. He was doing an "across the pond" trip to get some aspiring airline pilots international airport qualified.

Anyway, he landed at Morotai a few year back. He told me today that there were A-4s in operatrion there by the TNI-AU, and there were indeed many WW2 planes still at Morotai. He said "You just need to know where to look": When will this mystery end?

Chris

[tom d. friedman]

chris, suggested reading.... book entitled "morotai a memoir of war" by john boeman, sunflower university press 1531 yuma (box 1009) manhattan kansas 66502-4228 usa isbn: 0-385-15586-7 library of congress catalog card number 80-697 copyright 1981 by john boeman 1st edition second enlarged edition 1989. chris...... i read this book years ago 1993 to be exact while traveling to canada on a fishing trip with my old man & brothers & friends. it mentioned troops from my dad's infantry unit protecting the b-24 airfield from Japanese stragglers, snipers etc. i read parts to dad enroute, & he remembered & related vividly. author boeman is from bratenahl ohio, very wealthy suburb of cleveland ohio. he may still be alive!! i think you should investigate!! my dad can't help you, as he was army on morotai but boeman if still around can. great book. he was from the 307th "long rangers" bomb group". hope the info helps!! best, tom

[HarvardIV]

Thanks Tom!

Chris

[tom d. friedman]

chris, say the word & i'll send you the book on loan for your trip enroute. all i ask is you return it when finished. no bucks, late fees, etc. just email me pm with your address & i will send to you upon my return from my vacation march 10th. do it asap as i will be leaving for a much needed r&r monday 2/28. best, tom

[HarvardIV]

Wow Tom:

Talk about friendly, Thanks! I'll shoot you a pm tonight!!

Thanks,

Chris

[tom d. friedman]

the book gets to go to the pacific & not me?? something's not right here!!