CECIL PLAINS AIRFIELD
ALSO KNOWN AS TIPTON AIRFIELD
NEAR CECIL PLAINS, QLD
DURING WWII

Cecil Plains airfield was built in early 1942 about 30 kms south of Dalby on the Cecil Plains Road about 7kms north of Cecil Plains. It was also referred to as Tipton Airfield in some records. It had two sealed runways (45 degrees and 135 degrees) and a number of sealed taxiways which can still be quite clearly seen on Google Earth. Eighteen camouflaged aircraft hideouts were constructed at Cecil Plains Airfield.

Cecil Plains airfield was one of four airfields built for use by USAAF bomber aircraft. The others were Condamine, Leyburn and Jondaryan. The airfield was never used by the USAAF. It was eventually used by the RAAF in late 1944 when 12 Squadron RAAF was based there from 19 December 1944 until late April 1945. 12 Squadron's Vultee Vengeances were replaced whilst at Cecil Plains with B-24 Liberators in February 1945. The heavy B-24 Liberators posed some problems operating from the airfield due to the suspect ability of the runways and taxiways to take heavy aircraft.

No 102 Squadron RAAF formed at Cecil Plains Airfield at the end of May 1945. Their B-24 Liberators arrived in July 1945. They also had an Avro Anson and a Tiger Moth based at Cecil Plains Airfield. 102 Squadron moved to Amberley Airfield from September to December 1945 and was eventually disbanded in March 1946.

REFERENCES

Queensland WWII Historic Places
Cecil Plains Airfield

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Andrew Owen for his assistance with this web page.

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 27 October 2014

This page last updated 02 March 2020