Petrie-Strathpine Airfields

PETRIE-STRATHPINE AIRFIELDS
BRISBANE, QLD
DURING WW2

visits since 28 September 2000

There were three dispersed runways in the Petrie-Strathpine areas. They were the main fighter fields for the Brisbane area defence.

A1 - Petrie

A2 - Strathpine

A3 - Strathpine

Map showing location of the three original airfields

WARNING - This file is 325 Kbytes

NOTE:- The above map is from
Roger Mark's excellent book
"Queensland Airfields WW2 - 50 Years On"

Directorate of Works and Buildings Plan of RAAF Landing Grounds Petrie A1 and Strathpine A2

Military Activity 1940 -1945 Strathpine - Petrie Area

Photo: via Lee Deighton

Strathpine Airfield

Photo: via Lee Deighton

A2 Strathpine Airfield after WW2

Photo: via Lee Deighton

1948 photograph of Spitfire Avenue area. Kitchen slab and oven show in the photo.
The oven was relocated in Feb 2003. In Mar 2003 it lay in a park in Ira Buckby Road.

Spitfire Avenue was part of a race track back in the 1950's.

Units based at Petrie airfield were:-

12 Squadron	RAAF	Vultee Vengeance
83 Squadron	RAAF	Boomerang
548 Squadron	RAF	Spitfire
549 Squadron	RAF	Spitfire
80th Fighter Squadron	USAAF	P-400

548 AND 549 SQUADRON
They arrived in December 1943 and left by July 1944. These two RAF Spitfire Squadrons were initially formed at Lawnton and Strathpine airfields.

Collision of two Spitfires
near Petrie on 19 April 1944

"Spitfire Avenue" by Robert Martin
A DVD-R dedicated to the two pilots
killed in the above crash near Petrie

80TH FIGHTER SQUADRON USAAF
The 80th Fighter Squadron of the USAAF 8th Fighter Group moved to Petrie airfield just north of Brisbane on 10 May 1942.

They trained for combat for 2 months at Petrie. On 20 July 1942 twelve P-400's of the 80th flew to 7 Mile airfield outside Port Moresby, New Guinea.

Crash of a P-400 at Petrie on 26 May 1942

Collision of two P-400's at Redcliffe on 2 July 1942

Crash of a P-400 into Moreton Bay on 15 July 1942

Crash of another P-400 into Moreton Bay on 15 July 1942

83 SQUADRON RAAF
The prime role of the Boomerangs of 83 Squadron was to intercept enemy fighters. Despite the Boomerang's reported excellent maneuverability, high rate of climb and lethal fire power, they were never given a real chance to prove themselves against the Japanese fighter aircraft.

Crash of a Boomerang at Strathpine on 11 June 1943

Crash of a Boomerang (A46-105) at Strathpine in about August 1943
(Can anyone help me with details on this crash?)

OTHER CRASHES

Crash of a Beaufighter at Strathpine on 13 Apr 45

Crash of a Beaufighter at Strathpine on 16 Apr 45

OTHER ASSOCIATED SITES

Reminisces of Victor and Don Miscampbell
Memories of the airfields at Petrie & Strathpine
and an eyewitness account of the collision
of two P-400's at Redcliffe on 2 July 1942

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Lee Deighton for his assistance with this web page.

REFERENCE BOOK

Aircraft & Markings of the RAAF 1939-45
By Geoffrey Pentland