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RAAF Base Amberley

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RAAF Base Amberley
Ipswich, Queensland in Australia
A RAAF C-17 Globemaster III taking off from RAAF Base Amberley, with KC-30 and F/A-18F aircraft in the background
RAAF Base Amberley YAMB is located in Queensland
RAAF Base Amberley YAMB
RAAF Base Amberley
YAMB
Location in Queensland
Coordinates27°38′26″S 152°42′43″E / 27.64056°S 152.71194°E / -27.64056; 152.71194
TypeMilitary airbase
Area1,600 hectares (4,000 acres)
Site information
OwnerDepartment of Defence
Operator Royal Australian Air Force
Site history
BuiltJune 1940 (1940-06)
In useJune 1940 (1940-06) – present
Garrison information
Occupants
Airfield information
IdentifiersICAO: YAMB, WMO: 94568
Elevation28 metres (91 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
04/22 1,523 metres (4,997 ft) concrete/asphalt
15/33 3,047 metres (9,997 ft) concrete/asphalt
Sources: Australian AIP and aerodrome chart[1]

RAAF Base Amberley (ICAO: YAMB) is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airbase located 8 km (5.0 mi) southwest of Ipswich, Queensland in Australia and 50 km (31 mi) southwest of Brisbane CBD. It is the largest military airbase in Australia.

Amberley is one of two defence 'super bases' in Australia, with the other being RAAF Base Edinburgh, and is home to over 5,000 uniformed and civilian personnel.[2] The base is currently home to No. 1 Squadron (operating the F/A-18F Super Hornet), No. 6 Squadron (operating the EA-18G Growler), No. 33 Squadron (operating the Airbus KC-30A), No. 35 Squadron (operating the C-27J Spartan) and No. 36 Squadron (operating the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III). Amberley is also home to Army units making up the 9th Force Support Battalion (9 FSB).

There are a variety of other formations on the base such as training colleges and maintenance areas. Amberley's largest squadron in terms of personnel is No. 382 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron RAAF (ECSS) providing both garrison and deployed combat support. Amberley was one of only two airfields in Australia (the other being Darwin International Airport) that were listed as a Transoceanic Abort (TOA) landing site for the Space Shuttle.[3][4] Amberley is currently undergoing a A$64 million dollar re-development program.

History

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The need for a RAAF base in Brisbane was identified in the 1930s. 882 acres (357 ha) of land ca 8km south-west of the city of Ipswich was gazetted for defence purposes on 12 December 1938. The land was called Jeebropilly by the original land-owners of the Jagera, the Yuggera and Ugarapul clans.[5] The name Jeebropilly denotes the flood plain that the region is.[6]

The base was initially planned to house a general purpose squadron with 300 officers and men. At the outbreak of World War II the handful of brick buildings were still incomplete and many extra buildings were constructed quickly using wood and fibro. The base opened in June 1940 with the first unit based there being No. 24 Squadron. From May 1942 the base changed roles from flying operations to mainly assembly and repair of aircraft.[5]

Amberley RAAF Base Queensland

First troops airlifted into combat

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The base was a major United States Army Air Forces base during 1942 and 1943. In September 1942, General Douglas MacArthur and Field Marshal Sir Thomas Blamey, Australian commander of New Guinea Force, decided the key to defending Australia was in New Guinea. The US 32nd Infantry Division had arrived in Australia in April 1942, spent several weeks building its first camp, was transported to a new camp in July, and nearly one third of its troops had been in boot camp only five months previously. The division had less than two months of jungle warfare training and was far short of completing the year of division-level training required by Army doctrine. Nonetheless U.S. officers decided it was the most combat-ready unit in Australia.[7][8]

On 13 September 1942, MacArthur ordered parts of the 32nd Division to Papua New Guinea. Because the situation was critical and time was short, 5th Air Force commander General George Kenney suggested that he could transport the first regiment by air. This had never been attempted before, so Company E, 126th IR, was used to test the concept. At dawn on 15 September 1942, the unit was flown 1,293 miles (2,081 km) from Amberley Field to Port Moresby. The remainder of the 126th IR boarded ships for Port Moresby beginning on 18 September from Brisbane. The 128th IR was from Townsville, Australia to Port Moresby on the same day.[9] The 126th IR were the first troops to be airlifted into combat.[10]

Known Fifth Air Force units assigned to "Amberley Field" were:

Unit Aircraft Assigned Reassigned Time at Amberley Notes
22d Bombardment Group B-26 Marauder 7 March 1942 (1942-03-07) 7 April 1942 (1942-04-07) 31 days
38th Bombardment Group, Headquarters B-25 Mitchell 30 April 1942 (1942-04-30) 10 June 1942 (1942-06-10) 41 days
69th Bombardment Squadron B-26 Marauder 20 May 1942 (1942-05-20) 20 days
70th Bombardment Squadron 11 May 1942 (1942-05-11) 14 August 1943 (1943-08-14) 1 year, 95 days
475th Fighter Group, Headquarters P-38 Lightning 14 May 1942 (1942-05-14) 1 year, 92 days
431st Fighter Squadron 1 July 1943 (1943-07-01) 44 days
432d Fighter Squadron 11 June 1943 (1943-06-11) 64 days
433d Fighter Squadron 17 June 1943 (1943-06-17) 58 days

The US facilities were transferred to Australia in 1947.[11] After the war it became the base for the RAAF's heavy bombers operated by No. 1, No. 2 and No. 6 squadrons. The reserve No. 23 (City of Brisbane) Squadron relocated from RAAF Station Archerfield to Amberley in 1955.

In 1965, the US extended a "Joint Research Program for Measuring the Physical Effects of Disturbances in the Atmosphere or in Space with particular emphasis on their effect on Radio Communications" from RAAF Base Pearce to the base at Amberley.[12]

Current layout

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The current layout of the aerodrome consists of two runways, 3km and 1.5km long.[13]

Current units

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The following units are based at RAAF Base Amberley:[14][15][16][3]

Royal Australian Air Force
Unit Full name Force Element Group Aircraft Notes
HQ82WG Headquarters No. 82 Wing Air Combat Group
Headquarters No. 95 Wing
1SQN No. 1 Squadron Air Combat Group F/A-18F
6SQN No. 6 Squadron Air Combat Group EA-18G
33SQN No. 33 Squadron Air Mobility Group KC-30A
35SQN No. 35 Squadron Air Mobility Group C-27J Spartan
36SQN No. 36 Squadron Air Mobility Group C-17 Globemaster III
452SQN AMB FLT No. 452 Squadron Amberley Flight Surveillance and Response Group
HQCSG Headquarters Combat Support Group Combat Support Group
HQ 95WG Headquarters No. 95 Wing Combat Support Group
382SQN No. 382 Squadron (Contingency Response Squadron) Combat Support Group
295SQN No 295 Squadron (Training and Standards) Combat Support Group
1CCS DET AMB No. 1 Combat Communications Squadron Detachment Amberley Combat Support Group
2 SECFOR Headquarters No. 2 Security Forces Squadron Combat Support Group
HQ 96WG Headquarters No. 96 Wing Combat Support Group
23SQN No. 23 (City of Brisbane) Squadron Combat Support Group
HQHSW Headquarters Health Services Wing Combat Support Group
1EHS Headquarters No. 1 Expeditionary Health Squadron Combat Support Group
3AMES DET AMB No 3 Aero-medical Evacuation Squadron Detachment Amberley Combat Support Group
HOCU Health Operational Conversion Unit Combat Support Group
RAAFSFS RAAF Security and Fire School Air Force Training Group
HALSPO Heavy Air Lift Systems Program Office Defence Materiel Organisation
SRSPO Strike Reconnaissance Systems Program Office Defence Materiel Organisation
ARDU Aircraft Research and Development Unit Detachment Amberley Aerospace Operational Support Group
Australian Army
6 ESR 6th Engineer Support Regiment (except 20 EOD Sqn) 6th Brigade
9 FSB 9th Force Support Battalion (except 176 AD Sqn) 17th Sustainment Brigade

See also

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References

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Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

  1. ^ YAMB – Amberley (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia, effective 13 June 2024, Aeronautical Chart
  2. ^ "RAAF Base Amberley" (PDF). Department of Defence. Australian Government. 1 October 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 August 2017. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  3. ^ a b "RAAF Base Amberley - AAFCANS: Army & Air Force Canteen Service". Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  4. ^ "RAAF Base Amberley". Airforce Technology. Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  5. ^ a b "The Heritage Values of RAAF Base Amberley" (PDF). defence.gov.au. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  6. ^ Cook, Margaret (2019). A River with a City Problem. St Lucia, Qld.: University of Queensland Press. ISBN 9780702260438.
  7. ^ Samuel Milner (December 2002). Victory in Papua. United States Army in World War II, The War in the Pacific. United States Army Center of Military History. ISBN 978-1-4102-0386-1. Archived from the original on 12 April 2010. Retrieved 21 February 2010.
  8. ^ "U.S. Army Divisions in World War II". Archived from the original on 28 September 2008. Retrieved 21 October 2008.
  9. ^ "Advance to Buna - The 32D 'Red Arrow' Infantry Division in World War II". www.32nd-division.org. Archived from the original on 8 September 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  10. ^ "Highlights of the 32nd Infantry Division "The Red Arrow" in World War II". The 32nd 'Red Arrow' Veteran Association. Archived from the original on 16 February 2009. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  11. ^ "Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United States of America concerning Aerodrome Facilities. ATS 4 of 1947."". Australian Treaty Series. Australasian Legal Information Institute. Archived from the original on 13 November 2005. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  12. ^ "Exchange of Notes constituting an Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the United States of America regarding a Joint Research Program for Measuring the Physical Effects of Disturbances in the Atmosphere or in Space with particular emphasis on their effect on Radio Communications. ATS 4 of 1965". Australian Treaties Library. Australasian Legal Information Institute. Archived from the original on 14 April 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  13. ^ "Airservices Australia". Airservices Australia. Archived from the original on 7 May 2021. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
  14. ^ Nelson, Laraine; McAuley, Joanne (2019). The heritage values of RAAF Base Amberley : from Hornet Moth to Super Hornet (PDF). Canberra: Defence Publishing. ISBN 9781925890051. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 11 January 2020.
  15. ^ Department of Defence (March 2015). 17th Construction Squadron Relocation Infrastructure Project - RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland - Statement of Evidence (Report). Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  16. ^ "RAAF Base Amberley". Royal Australian Air Force. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2020.

Further reading

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