Nadzab


Nadzab Village is in the Markham Valley, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea on the Highlands Highway. Administratively, it is located in Gapsongkeg ward of Wampar Rural LLG. The Nadzab Airport is located East of Nadzab Village and was the site of the only Allied paratrooper assault in New Guinea on 5 September 1943.

Location

Nadzab is located on the Erap River, North of the Markham River and 42 km North West of Lae. The settlements of Gabmatsung/Gabmatzung and Gabsonkek are located on the East side of the airport.

Grasslands

The present distribution of grasslands in New Guinea is a product of forest clearance and/or burning by man. Lane-Poole
in
on surveying the forest of the lower Markham Valley near Yalu, hypothesised that;

History

German Colonial

In about 1910 the Gabmatsung/Gabmazung Lutheran mission station was established at Nadzab. and established an airfield for use by small planes until the outbreak of the Pacific War when it became overgrown with dense kunai grass.

In the 1919 the Melbourne Argus newspaper ran this classified advertisement;

WW2

Between April 1943 and July 1943, the Allied Geographical Section of South West Pacific Area conducted reconnaissance after the Japanese invasion. The Terrain Handbook states at page 18;
The Landing at Nadzab was the first parachute jump for the 503rd Parachute Regiment on 5 September 1943. In conjunction with the Amphibious Landing East of Malahang, it was to be the start of the liberation of Lae from Japanese Occupation.
On 8 September 1943, MACARTHUR'S communique states;
After the landing, the 503rd Headquarters Company established themselves at the Gabonkek village and it was at this time that the descending wildcat logo became their official insignia. Until the Battle of Philippines when the insignia was changed to the Rock Patch.
On 19 September 1943 the Gabmatsung Lutheran Mission was converted into the 2/4th Australian Field Ambulance main dressing station for the 7th Australian Division

Cemetery

During WW2, the United States Army established a cemetery used for the duration of the war. All burials were later exhumed and transported to the United States or Manila American Cemetery.

Aerial spraying

In 1992 the Veterans' Review Board heard evidence that chemical DDT aerial spraying and Pyrethrum bombs may have been used in and around Nadzab in November 1944. Number 9 Local Air Supply Unit located at Lae, carried out test air-spraying in an unspecified location in March 1945. The United States Army Air Service units at Nadzab carried out DDT air-spraying experiments locally up to at least November 1944, until about April 1945.