When you drive past today's peaceful Mareeba airport it's kind of hard to visualise what happened here in WW2.
This book will enlighten you about the intense action that took place here during the war with flights of B-17, P-39 Airacobra, P-38, Beauforts, Wirraways and Boomerang continuously taking off for operations in the South Pacific.
A major RAAF and US Army Air Force Base during World War II, Mareeba housed both heavy bomber and fighter squadrons of that Service in 1942 and 1943. The Americans referred to it as Hoevet Field in honor of Major Dean Carol "Pinky" Hoevet who was killed on 16 August 1942. Known USAAF units assigned were:
- 19th Bombardment Group, (Headquarters) (24 July 1942 – 23 October 1943)
- 28th Bombardment Squadron B-17 Flying Fortress, (23 July 1942 – 25 October 1943)
- 30th Bombardment Squadron B-17 Flying Fortress, (23 July 1942 – 25 October 1943)
- 93d Bombardment Squadron B-17 Flying Fortress, (23 July 1942 – 25 October 1943)
- 63d Bombardment Squadron B-17 Flying Fortress (43d Bombardment Group), (20 August 1942 – 23 January 1943)
- 64th Bombardment Squadron B-17 Flying Fortress (43d Bombardment Group), (8 November 1942 – 20 January 1943)
- 65th Bombardment Squadron B-17 Flying Fortress (43d Bombardment Group), (7 November 1942 – 20 January 1943)
- 403d Bombardment Squadron B-17 Flying Fortress (43d Bombardment Group), (21 January – 11 May 1943)
- 8th Fighter Group, (Headquarters) (February–16 May 1943)
- 35th Fighter Squadron, P-39 Airacobra (24 February – May 1943)
- 36th Fighter Squadron, P-39 Airacobra (22 February – 22 May 1943)
- 80th Fighter Squadron, P-39 Airacobra (6 February – 21 March 1943)
The airfield became operational in May 1942 with the first unit being the 100 Squadron RAAF. Following their departure in early July, the airfield was occupied by USAAF heavy bomber squadrons from the US 5th Air Force which flew hundreds of bombing raids on enemy targets in the South Pacific.
