MAJOR REINFORCING BASE

Chronicle (Levin), 23 March 1946, Page 7

MAJOR REINFORCING BASE

-Press Association

WAR PLANS FOR DOMINION' STATIONING OF BOMBERS

Bv ■ Telearavh-

WELL1N GTON, . March. .22. Had the war situation not improved in 1942, 200 to . 300 hcavy American bombers, including Flying .Fortresses and Liberators, would have been stationed in New Zealand, * which would have bec'onie a major reinforcipg base for the South Pacific. Plans wer.e made for the reception of the bdnibers, including tiie conhtruction of huge landing strips on the Canterbury Plans. When the Japanese drive soutliward was at its height, it appeared that the Auscraiian mainiand would be invadedj and it was then decided to make New Zeaiand a major reiniorcing base. The (irst step in the plan was the establiah ment- of lines of communication be tween the United fc5tates*and New Zea- ■ land. The originai routo laid down wah tlnougli Palmyra, Canton and Fiji to Townsville, but the Japanese oft'ensive threatened this and an alternative line was planned though Honolulu, Christnuis Island, Tahiti, Cook Islands 'and Tonga to New Zealand. The existing aerodromes in New Zca: land were totally inadequale to copc! with the heavy bombers and Ihe Public Works Departnient was given tlie task of building new airlields and improving existing aerodromes so that they couldI'.arry Flying Fortresses and Libera.tors, In the middle of 1941 New Zealand had sent an aerodronie construction unit to Malaya and with it .went the best. of the hcavy construction equipment in the eountry. Shortly afterwards a civilian construction unit was sent to Fiji and took the pick of the remaining equipment. The result was that the Public Works Department was faced with the biggest aerodronie construc--tion'jobs it had ever tackled and had totally inadequate ' . equipment with wliich to earry out its tasks witliin New Zealand. It was essential to establish, bases from which the bombers could cperate. At Ohakea two runways, oue of 4509 t'eet and the other of. 3(300 feet, wTere' eacli extcnded to 7000. feet and laid down in concrete Bimilar work was carried out at Whenuapai, except thaL no extension of the runways was required. At eacli place the area laid down in concrete totalled 100 acres. With other defence work being puslied ahead rapidly tliroughout the eountry, supplies of cement were extremely difficult ]to obtain. For two months it was necessary to divert all ccuient supplies iu New Zealand to the two aerodromes. , , Faced with the posslbility of air raids ovcr New Zealaud, it was necessary to arrange for the dispersal of the aircraft, prcferably in tlie hsouth Islaad. The Public Works Department proposed that a new airiieid be constructed on the Canterbury Plains, where dispersal could easily bc arranged. A site was chosen at Tc Pirit?in betwcen the Waimakariri and Kakaia Itivfers, where pine plautations provided ^rijple calnouflage within easy distance. Three runways, eacli of 7000 feet, were laid down in gravel and Ihe aerodronie was ready for, use within three monlhs. A well-camouflaged site for a repair dcpol was also reijuired fjiid ai'ter an extensive survev of Ihe North Island, tlie' aerodronie services brancli of the Public Works Department reconimeuded that a suitable site wouid be Tokoroa, about 10 or 15 niiles ndrth of Taupo. This scheiuc, however, was not proceeded with. It a repair depot had been cslablished at Tokoroa, it is probable that undergiound repair sliops would have been built. The Americaiis also requested Ihat figlitcr aerodromes be built round Auckland, where they proposed to establish ; » naval base. As a result, the Ardmpre ; and Seagrove airlields were built and a : new ruuway constructed at Mangere. A fourth lightcr aerodronie was to be ; built near Auckland, but with tlie les i sening of the threat to New Zealand i this proposal was dropped.