Gusap Airport was built by US Army engineers of the 871st, 872nd and 875th Airborne Aviation Engineer Battalions during World War II, and was developed into major base consisting of ten airstrips and numerous facilities for fighters and light bombers of the Fifth Air Force.

Later during the war, the airfield was also a base for Royal Australian Air Force aircraft.

The airstrip at Gusap "paid for itself many times over in the quantity of Japanese aircraft, equipment and personnel destroyed by Allied attack missions projected from it.

These include strip dozers, Bren Guns, 50mm Aircraft cannon, various ammunition, US & Japanese helmets and even the engine from a Japanese "Sally" Bomber recovered from the nearby mountains, on display.

[2] This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency