MacDONALD AIRFIELD, NT
ALSO KNOWN AS BURKHOLDER FIELD
DURING WW2

visits since 8 October 2000

Fighter Guide Map

Plan of MacDonald Airfield

Burkholder Field, later known as MacDonald Airfield, was located 10 miles north west of Pine Creek in the Northern Territory. The airfield was built by Company "A" and HQ Detachment of the 808th Engineer Aviation Battalion from 11 May to 16 July 1942.

They built 6, 000 ft of runway, 100 ft wide with 50 ft shoulders paved with 4 inches of gravel. They also built 5,000 ft of taxiways 40 ft wide with 15 ft shoulders paved with 3 inches of gravel and 18 dispersals without revetments. Company A also built Camp buildings.

Edmond (Ted) Brault served in the 18th Squadron NEI-AF. He initially served at MacDonald airfield in Western Australia. He was then posted to Oakey airfield in 1944 and served as a security guard using guard dogs,.

Photo:- from Ted Brault

Dutch Commander presenting
WW2 medals to a Dutch Crew

Photo:- from Ted Brault

B-25 Mitchell at MacDonald airfield

Photo:- from Ted Brault

B-25 Mitchell at MacDonald airfield

Photo:- from Ted Brault

Maintenance work at MacDonald airfield

Photo:- from Ted Brault

Dutch personnel at MacDonald airfield

Photo:- from Ted Brault

MacDonald airfield

Photo:- from Ted Brault

Sworn in at MacDonald, WA

Photo:- from Ted Brault

A Crash at Exmouth

MacDonald Airfield 13.46's 131.43'e RAAF was abandoned in 1945.

Full size versions of the above photos are available on
my "Australia @ War" CD-Rom

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I'd like to thank Dennis Whiley for his assistance with this home page.

I'd also like to thank Melvin Haba for his assistance with this home page. Melvin's father was Technician 5 Grade (Corporal) Laudie R Haba of Company "B" of the 808th Engineer Aviation Battalion. He would have been running the Dozers and Carry-alls during construction activities. Laudie Haba returned to the States in December 1944. Laudie passed away in 1971. 

I'd also like to thank Randell Summerville and his cousin Rod Brault (son of Ted Brault) for their assistance with this home page.

E-mails from Dennis Whiley

Full size versions of the above photos are available on
my "Australia @ War" CD-Rom

Heaps of WW2 books available at Amazon.com

This page first produced 8 October 2000

This page last updated 05 January 2003