7th Bombardment(Heavy) to Karachi 12th March 1942 & 9th September 1942.   Can anyone give the precise location in Karachi for these two dates?

BDK

Karachi AB, Inida , would now be called Karachia AB, Pakistan, I believe the name was changed to Pakistan Air Force base, Karachi.
 
Mike

Thanks for gen.  Am I correct in assuming that Karachi AB would have been the old Karachi Civil Airport, which was taken over by the RAF c.1942, then handed over to USAAF in 1943, when the new RAF Airfield  in Karachi (RAF Mauripur) was ready?   The USAAF Base was handed back to the Indians in 1945, and it returned to its civilian role, and eventually became the Pakistan Civil Airport in 1947.   It still is.
Am I correct with these assumptions?

The info I obtained from my cousin says:

7th Bomb Group at Townsville then moved to Karachi, India on March 12, 1942. At Karachi the 88th established a camp in a dirigible hanger east of the city.

On June 1, 1942 the 436th moved to Allahabad, India. Outstanding missions during this time consisted of bomber raids on Akyab, Rangoon and various points in Burma. The squadron then moved to Gaya, India on November 14, 1942.

It appears that on March 12, 1942 they were in a camp east of the city of Karachi, India.
September 9th, 1942 they were in Allahabad, India. This info came from my second cousin and I have no idea where he got it. He was a medic in WWII.

7th BG Website:
www.7thbg.org
Mike

ORIGINAL: iom -- 7th Bombardment(Heavy) to Karachi 12th March 1942 & 9th September 1942. Can anyone give the precise location in Karachi for these two dates?

Personnel forming the cadre of the 11th, 22nd and 490th Bm Squadrons have told me of being sent to British base, 'New Malir', east of Karachi as they arrived in India. Their various arrivals were between May and Aug 1942. At New Malir the enlisted men were assigned to assemble some aircraft (P-40s according to three oral histories) and repair/maintain others.

I have seen pictures of the dirigible hangar in several books... none of which I can remember at this time, but I will try to find the picture(s).

The image scan is a map of the American compound, circa Nov 1942.

Tony Strotman
son of TSgt Francis E. Strotman, 491st Bm Sq; 341st Bm Grp
http://www.usaaf-in-cbi.com

[image]local://upfiles/6988/7D447A0502154AA7BACE376DB74CB837.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

Tony,
 
I have some photos and info on the hangar on my site at http://www.cbi-history.com/part_vi_80th_adg.html.
 
I have a copy of the Camp Malir map from a 1973 issue of the Ex-CBI Roundup, but it's b&w.  Just curious as to where you found the one you posted (and may I use it on my site)?  Thanx!!
 
Gary
 

Gary

CBI Unit Lineages & History
http://www.cbi-history.com/

Gary,

Thanks for posting the link to the hangar images! All of them are new to me. I belive the one I referred to is in one of the Ex-CBI magazines. Now I just have to figure out which one of the 180+ I have in the closet.

I don't remember where I picked up the colorized New Malir contonement map. You are welcome to use it (Thanks for asking!). I was planning on using it for a "Stations" section in an upgrade to the "341st Bomb Group Web Tribute"at the new domain site. Nonetheless, after fourteen years of maintaining websites (I debuted the original "Ringers" site on Prodigy in Dec 1994), with work getting in the way and age slowing me down..... I am about 8 months behind on a project that was supposed to take one month!

You have excelled with you website. Again, WELL DONE!

BTW -- After viewing your 80th ADG page, I also visited your informational web pages on the 341st Bm Grp 11th, 22nd, 490th, 491st) and 308th Bm Grp...Nicely done!
On the 491st page I saw your credit to my original website on Prodigy. That site was moved in 1997 when I folded it into a 341st Bomb Group Tribute (www.341stbombgroup.org). Then, at request of 308th Bomb Group veterans I created a site for them (www.308thbombgroup.org) in 1998. In April 2007 I combined them, and two other sites I had been maintaining, at the new url you have as links for more info on the 308th / 341st (http://www.usaaf-in-cbi.com)

Tony

Tony,
 
Glad to help, and thank you for the use of the map (gotta do some resizing but hopefully it'll look OK)!  Just returning the favor as you helped me when I was just getting my site together.  I DO need to change that link on the 491st page - that one slipped thru the cracks.  Your old sites kinda just seemed to vanish one day (there were even questions posted here about where your sites had gone) and when the new one started up, I changed links elsewhere but missed this one.  Thanx for pointing it out to me.
 
(If you (or anyone else) has CBI-related info/pictures/orders/etc they could share, I'm always in the market.  Thanx!)
 
Gary

Gary

CBI Unit Lineages & History
http://www.cbi-history.com/