Wikipedia

Dohazari Airfield

Dohazari Airfield is a former WW2 Allied military airfield near Dohazari in Bangladesh used during the Burma Campaign 1944–1945 of World War II, first by Royal Air Force units and later by the United States Army Air Forces' 1st Combat Cargo Group.[1][2]

Dohazari Airfield
Part of Royal Air Force and Tenth Air Force
Dohazari, Bangladesh
Site information
TypeMilitary airfield
Controlled by Royal Air Force
United States Army Air Forces
Location
Dohazari Airfield is located in Bangladesh
Dohazari Airfield
Dohazari Airfield
Location within Bangladesh
Coordinates22°09′55.21″N 092°04′06.51″E / 22.1653361°N 92.0684750°E / 22.1653361; 92.0684750 (Approximate)
Site history
Built1944
In use1944–1945
Battles/warsBurma Campaign 1944–1945

Location and wartime role

edit

Dohazari lay on the southern supply route from Chittagong towards the Arakan front, where rail and road communications served Allied operations in Burma. As such, the airfield was also part of the wider Chittagong–Arakan logistics system that moved supplies, personnel, and equipment towards the front.[3] This airfield made a key contribution to the China India Burma theater (CIB).[4][5]

Construction and Engineering

edit

The most remarkable aspect of the Dohazari airfield was its construction. It was normal for airfields in East Bengal and Arakan to become muddy and impassable during the monsoons. But at Dohazari, the Indian Army Engineers (under the Engineer-in-Chief, India) built a runway that was capable of operating all year round. First, the foundation was prepared with silt and clay. On top of this, “prefabricated bituminous surfacing” or PBS, which was a waterproof layer like thick hessian cloth, was laid. But if steel planking (pierced steel planking or PSP) was laid directly on it, the plates would move under the pressure of the heavy aircraft and the waterproof layer would be torn. At Dohazari, engineers first laid a 1.5 inch thick bituminous sand carpet over the PBS, then laid the PSP on top of that sand layer. This innovative method made Dohazari's runway much more durable than those at Agartala or Feni in the same region; heavy bombers could land even in the rain. Initially, in 1943, it was a raw dirt strip for the RAF, but by 1944, with the application of all these advanced technologies, the base had become a full-fledged all-weather base.[6]

Layout and facilities

edit

Wartime USAAF records describe Dohazari's main wartime runway as a sod strip measuring 5,500 ft (1,676 m) in length and 150 ft (46 m) in width. The April 1945 unit history of the 4th Combat Cargo Squadron notes that intensive operations left the sod surface badly degraded by dust during the dry season, and that British engineers attempted to control this using a "bucket brigade" of Indian laborers to water the strip.[7]

Accommodation and domestic facilities on the American side were basic. The same history records that "quarters for the officers and enlisted men alike were the usual, one room bamboo basha", and that frequent tropical storms destroyed many of these huts, temporarily leaving around fifty officers and enlisted men homeless and without clothing. Squadron personnel relied on simple amenities such as a camp cinema, small library and club for recreation, with the food situation gradually improving as additional mess equipment arrived.[7]

Use by the RAF

edit
Supermarine Spitfire at Dohazari

Several RAF squadrons used the Dohazari between 1943 and 1944. The fighters and bombers operated in air defense and offensive operations over Burma. From airfields in East Bengal, they assisted in operations against Japanese positions and communications in Burma.[8]

RAF Orders of Battle indicate that Dohazari also hosted specialist support units responsible for ground servicing and air defense. In May and June 1943, alongside No. 60 Squadron RAF and its Bristol Blenheim IV bombers, the airfield housed No. 6 Refuelling and Rearming Party at Dohazari, providing forward fuel and ordnance handling for flying units.[1][9] Later, No. 85 Refuelling and Rearming Party under No. 224 Group was listed at Dohazari,[10] reflecting its continued role as a forward operating base in the Chittagong–Arakan sector, while RAF Regiment squadrons provided local ground and anti‑aircraft defense.

Insignia Squadron Assigned aircraft Deployment period
No. 60 Squadron RAF Bristol Blenheim IV January – May 1943[1]
No. 79 Squadron RAF Hawker Hurricane IIC January 1943 and January 1944[11]
No. 110 Squadron RAF Vultee Vengeance I, IA and II 17-24 March 1943[12]
No. 135 Squadron RAF Hawker Hurricane IIB May 1943[13]
No. 258 Squadron RAF Hawker Hurricane IIC November – December 1943[14]
No. 82 Squadron RAF Vengeance I, II and III 21 November 1943 – 22 January 1944[15]
No. 615 Squadron RAF Supermarine Spitfire VC[16] 13 December 1943 – 25 February 1944[17]
No. 27 Squadron RAF Bristol Beaufighter X 5-19 November 1944[18]
No. 6 Refuelling and Rearming Party January – June 1943[9]
No. 4352 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment June 1943 – June 1944[19]
No. 4404 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment June 1943 – June 1944[20]
No. 4442 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment September 1943 – May 1944[21]
1583 (Calibration) Flight September 1943 – January 1946[22]^
79 Embarkation Unit 22 October 1943 – 9 April 1944[23]
6 Transit Camp October 1943 – April 1945[24]
17 Static Administration Unit (SAU) January – July 1944[25]
No. 85 Refuelling and Rearming Party April 1944 – 1945[10]
No. 3 Bomb Disposal Squad RAF April 1944 – 1945[26]
No. 2706 Squadron RAF Regiment (LAA Squadron)[27] August 1944 – 21 December 1944[28]
No. 2967 Squadron RAF Regiment (Field Squadron)[27] July – December 1944[29]
No. 2966 Squadron RAF Regiment (Field Squadron)[27] October – December 1944[29]
2706 Defence (D) Squadron RAF Regiment 1 December – 12 December 1944[30]

Use by the USAAF

edit

The 1st Combat Cargo Group moved to Dohazari on 30 January 1945. The group had been established in April 1944 for combat cargo operations and later became the 512th Troop Carrier Group. From bases in the China Burma India theater (CBI), it transported troops and supplies, moved equipment for the construction and operation of airstrips, evacuated casualties and liberated prisoners of war, towed gliders, and dropped paratroops and cargo in support of Allied operations in Burma.[31][32]

Insignia Squadron Assigned aircraft Deployment period
1st Combat Cargo Group Douglas C-47 Skytrain in 1944

Curtiss C-46 Commando in 1945

 1944 – 1945[33]
2nd Combat Cargo Squadron Douglas C-47 Skytrain 1 February 1945 – 15 May 1945[33]
4th Combat Cargo Squadron Curtiss C-46 Commando 1 February 1945 – 15 May 1945[33]
345th Airdrome Squadron 30 January 1945 – May 1945[33]
347th Airdrome Squadron 1 February 1945 – 15 May 1945[33]

After the war, the airfield was abandoned and today is part of an agricultural area.

References

edit

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

  1. 1 2 3 Rickard, J. (9 June 2009). "No. 60 Squadron (RAF): Second World War". HistoryOfWar.org. Archived from the original on 12 March 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  2. ↑ "1st Combat Cargo Group". Army Air Corps Museum. 1944-04-11. Archived from the original on 2026-02-15. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
  3. ↑ "SUPPLY LINES: CHITTAGONG TO DOHAZARI TO ARAKAN (1944 (?))". colonialfilm. Archived from the original on 2026-03-14. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
  4. ↑ Slim, William (1956). Defeat Into Victory. London: Cassell. pp. 169–172.
  5. ↑ "Burma Campaign". National Museum of the United States Air Force. Archived from the original on 2025-04-26. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
  6. ↑ Maclean, Donald John; Robinson, Peter John Mackenzie (1953). "Engineering History and Heritage" (PDF). Emerald Group Publishing: 820. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
  7. 1 2 "4th Combat Cargo Squadron". Unit History. Archived from the original on 2026-06-29. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  8. ↑ Halley, James J. (1988). The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth, 1918–1988. Tonbridge: Air-Britain (Historians). pp. 98, 117, 146, 165, 256, 121, 335, 57. ISBN 978-0-85130-164-8.
  9. 1 2 "6 Refuelling and Rearming Party, Dohazari, India (RRP)". Discovery. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  10. 1 2 "224 Group". www.rafweb.org. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  11. ↑ "No. 79 Squadron (RAF) during the Second World War". Military History Encyclopedia on the Web. 1940-05-10. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  12. ↑ "No. 110 Squadron (RAF) during the Second World War". Military History Encyclopedia on the Web. 1945-03-31. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  13. ↑ Rickard, J. (20 December 2010). "No. 135 Squadron (RAF): Second World War". HistoryOfWar.org. Archived from the original on 15 March 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "No. 258 Squadron (RAF) during the Second World War". Military History Encyclopedia on the Web. 1940-11-20. Archived from the original on 2026-03-12. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  15. ↑ Rickard, J. (24 March 2007). "No. 82 Squadron (RAF): Second World War". HistoryOfWar.org. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "615 Squadron at Dohazari, India". Kenley Revival. 2023-01-15. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
  17. ↑ "615 (COUNTY OF SURREY) SQUADRON ROYAL AUXILIARY AIR FORCE". Home. Archived from the original on 2026-02-09. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
  18. ↑ "No. 27 Squadron (RAF) during the Second World War". Military History Encyclopedia on the Web. 1940-10-21. Archived from the original on 2026-06-24. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
  19. ↑ "4352 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment, formed at Dohazari; became 4402 AA Flight". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  20. ↑ "4404 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment, based at Feni and Dohazari". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  21. ↑ "4442 Anti-Aircraft Flight RAF Regiment, Dohazari (India)". Discovery. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  22. ↑ "1583 (Calibration) Flight, based at Chittagong and Dohazari (India)". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  23. ↑ "79 Embarkation Unit, Chittagong, India; formed on 12 August 1943". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  24. ↑ "6 Transit Camp, formed Dohazari (India) October 1943; moved to Sylhet April 1945". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  25. ↑ "17 Static Administration Unit (SAU), Dohazari and Chiringa (India)". Discovery. Retrieved 2026-06-29.
  26. ↑ "Far East Commands - Apr 1944". www.rafweb.org. Archived from the original on 2021-12-09. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  27. 1 2 3 Oliver, Kingsley (2008). The RAF Regiment at War 1942-1946. Havertown: Pen and Sword. pp. 156, 158. ISBN 978-0-85052-852-7.
  28. ↑ "Regiment Sqns 2700-2850". Royal Air Force Organisational History. 1942-02-01. Archived from the original on 2026-03-06. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
  29. 1 2 "Regiment Sqns 2851-2952". Royal Air Force Organisational History. 1942-02-01. Archived from the original on 2025-10-10. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
  30. ↑ "2706 Defence (D) Squadron, RAF Regiment". discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 2026-06-30.
  31. ↑ "512 Operations Group (AFRC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 1944-04-11. Retrieved 2026-06-22.
  32. ↑ Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 20. ISBN 9780912799025. OCLC 566017058.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 "1st Combat Cargo Group". CBI. 1944-04-11. Retrieved 2026-06-26.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dohazari_Airfield&oldid=1368956343"