The airfield was constructed in secret, behind Japanese lines and played an important role in the allies establishing aerial supremacy over New Guinea.

[1] The field was hastily constructed by the United States Army 871st Airborne Engineers under the protection of the 57th/60th Australian Infantry Battalion which formed the garrison force.

All personnel, supplies, food, fuel and equipment had to be flown into the base via C-47s from Port Moresby, including heavy engineering machinery.

This forward base allowed fighters to escort longer-range bombers in attacks on targets as far away as Japan's major new airbases at Wewak, 302 miles (484 kilometres) away.

[9] On 17 and 18 August, Allied forces launched a series of large attacks that first bombed and then strafed all four Japanese airfields at Wewak, heavily damaging many aircraft and facilities.