Yontan Airfield (also known as Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield) is a former military airfield located near

Yomitan is a village located in Nakagami District, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Geography Yomitan is located on the western coast of the central part of Okinawa Island. The village is bound to the north by Onna, to the east by Okinawa City, to the ...

Village on the west coast of Okinawa. It was closed in July 1996 and turned over to the Japanese government in December 2006. Today it is home to the Yomitan Village Office and community complex, including baseball fields, running tracks, and community facilities. Yontan (Yomitan) Airfield was originally established by the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

in 1944 as . During the Battle of Okinawa on April 1, 1945, United States Marine Corps and United States Army forces seized the airfield on the first day of their landing. It was quickly repaired and became the first airfield on Okinawa to be used by the American forces. Later it was developed into a major American base for Army, Marine, and Navy aircraft. The

Boeing B-29 The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 F ...

Bockscar landed at Yomitan after the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.

Postwar use

After 1947, there were no units permanently assigned to Yontan and the base was used as an auxiliary installation for

Kadena Air Base (IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a highly strategic United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific" because of its highl ...

until the mid-1950s. Later it was placed in auxiliary reserve status. In June 1948, the 170th Airway and Air Communications Service (AACS) Squadron was activated at Yontan to provide air traffic control and communications support for USAF units in Okinawa. Shortly after, the 170th was redesignated as the 1962d AACS Squadron. The unit moved to Kadena AB and redesignated as 1962d AACS Group (later, Communications Group) on 18 February 1955. By 1950, Yontan was redesignated as a parachute drop training facility because its runways were not suitable for large scale or jet aircraft operations. By that time, local residents were started farming at the airfield with the tacit permission of the Air Force, and there were no fences installed on the base boundaries, except in administrative area. 33 serious off-range drop accidents occurred, including the death of a girl on 2 August 1950 when a fuel tank fell into private house, and an 11 June 1965 accident in which a trailer landed off target crushing a 10-year-old girl who was playing in the family yard. After the Okinawa reversion in 1972, the Japanese Government continued to make Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield (FAC 6027) available for

USFJ is a subordinate unified command of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). It was activated at Fuchū Air Station in Tokyo, Japan, on 1 July 1957 to replace the Far East Command. USFJ is commanded by the Commander, US Forces ...

requirements.Minutes of the 251st Meeting, Joint Committee established by Article XXV of the Status of Forces Agreement (PDF).
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Japan, 15 May 1972, pp. 82-84. Under the agreement of the 16th U.S.–Japan Security Consultative Committee in 1976, 250.78 acres of land at eastern portions of the airfield were partially returned to the Japanese Government in three release actions; 0.48 acres were released on 14 May 1977, 0.19 acres were released on 31 May 1977, and 250.11 acres were released on 30 April 1978. The remaining 191 acres were transferred from

Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organizat ...

to the control of Commander Fleet Activities, Okinawa (COMFLEACTS Okinawa) on 27 July 1978. In addition, control of the Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield passed from COMFLEACTS Okinawa to Commanding General

Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler (or simply Butler Marine Base) is a United States Marine Corps base located in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa. It was named after Marine Corps Major General and twice Medal of Honor recipient Smedley ...

on 9 October 1980. The last parachute drop training was conducted at Yomitan on 19 July 1996. Under the agreement of

Special Action Committee on Okinawa The ''Special Action Committee on Okinawa'' (SACO ) is a formal agreement made between the United States Government and the Government of Japan. The U.S. and the Japanese government established the SACO agreement in November 1995. About 75% of lan ...

(SACO) Final Report, the parachute drop training was relocated to Ie Jima Auxiliary Airfield (FAC 6005). Yomitan was retained as an electromagnetic interference restriction for

HF/DF High-frequency direction finding, usually known by its abbreviation HF/DF or nickname huff-duff, is a type of radio direction finder (RDF) introduced in World War II. High frequency (HF) refers to a radio band that can effectively communicate ov ...

operations at Sobe Communication Site. With the completion of the functional relocation of Sobe Communication Site into Camp Hansen, Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield was completely returned to the Japanese Government and landowners in December 2006.

Major USAAF units assigned to Yontan

In addition to the USAAF units, Yontan Airfield hosted several Naval and Marine Corps air squadrons equipped with

F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts ...

PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served w ...

s and

F6F Hellcat The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United States Navy's dominant fighter in the second ha ...

s. * Headquarters,

Seventh Air Force The Seventh Air Force (Air Forces Korea) (7 AF) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Osan Air Base, South Korea. The command's mission is to plan and direct air component operations in ...

, July 12, 1945 – January 1, 1946 * Headquarters, VII Bomber Command, July 1945 – March 1946 * Headquarters,

38th Bombardment Group The 38th Bombardment Group is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. It was most recently assigned as the operational (flying) component of the 38th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Laon-Couvron Air Base, France, where it was inactivated ...

:: B-25 Mitchell, July 25 – November 22, 1945 : 71st Bombardment Squadron, July 25 – November 22, 1945 :

405th Bombardment Squadron 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. In mathematics Four is the smallest c ...

, July 25 – November 21, 1945 : 822d Bombardment Squadron, July 25 – November 22, 1945 : 823d Bombardment Squadron, July 25 – November 21, 1945 * 41st Bombardment Group

:: B-25 Mitchell, June 7 – December 13, 1945 : 47th Bombardment Squadron, June 7 – December 13, 1945 : 48th Bombardment Squadron, June 7 – December 13, 1945 :

396th Bombardment Squadron 396th may refer to: *396th Bombardment Group, inactive United States Air Force unit * 396th Bombardment Squadron, associate unit of the 15th Wing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii * 396th Fighter Squadron or 182d Fighter Squadron, unit of t ...

, June 7 – December 13, 1945 :

820th Bombardment Squadron The 820th Bombardment Squadron is a former Army Air Forces unit, inactivated on 4 January 1946. The squadron was first activated during World War II as the 521st Bombardment Squadron. The squadron was soon engaged in the antisubmarine campaig ...

, June 7 – December 13, 1945 *

494th Bombardment Group 494th may refer to: * 494th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 494th Bombardment Wing, inactive United States Air Force unit *494th Fighter Squadron (494 FS), part of the 48th Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, England See ...

:: B-24 Liberator, June 24 – December 8, 1945 : 373d Bombardment Squadron, July 21 – December 15, 1945 :

864th Bombardment Squadron The 864th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 494th Bombardment Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, where it flew Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses under Strategic Air Command. It wa ...

, June 24 – December 13, 1945 :

865th Bombardment Squadron The 865th Technical Training Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 1st Missile Division at Redstone Arsenal. Alabama, where it trained Italian Air Force personnel on the SM-78 Jupiter. It was ina ...

, June 24 – December 13, 1945 : 866th Bombardment Squadron, June 24 – December 13, 1945 : 867th Bombardment Squadron, June 24 – December 13, 1945 *

35th Fighter Group Military units * 35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force * 35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I * 35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 Jul ...

:: P-51 Mustang, June 28 – October 1945 : 39th Fighter Squadron, June 30 – October 10, 1945 : 40th Fighter Squadron, June 30 – October 10, 1945 : 41st Fighter Squadron, June 30 – October 10, 1945 * 312th Bombardment Group

:: A-20 Havoc August 13 – December 13, 1945 : 386th Bombardment Squadron, August 13 – November 28, 1945 (

B-32 Dominator The Consolidated B-32 Dominator (Consolidated Model 34) was an American heavy strategic bomber built for United States Army Air Forces during World War II, which had the distinction of being the last Allied aircraft to be engaged in combat duri ...

) : 387th Bombardment Squadron, August 13 – December 13, 1945 : 388th Bombardment Squadron, September – December 13, 1945 : 389th Bombardment Squadron, September – December 9, 1945 * 413th Fighter Group, Eighth/

Twentieth Air Force The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. 20 AF's primary mission is Interco ...

* ::

P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bom ...

January 29 – October 1946 :

1st Fighter Squadron The 1st Fighter Squadron is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. It was most recently based at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, where it operated McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle aircraft conducting advanced fighter training. Miss ...

, January 29 – October 15, 1946 :

21st Fighter Squadron The 21st Fighter Squadron is part of the 56th Operations Group at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. It is a United States Air Force squadron that operates Taiwanese-owned General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting fighter and mainten ...

, January 29 – October 15, 1946 :

34th Fighter Squadron The 34th Fighter Squadron is part of the United States Air Force's 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. On 2 August 2016, the Air Force announced that the 34th had become the first squadron to achieve initial operating capability w ...

, January 29 – October 15, 1946 * 507th Fighter Group, Eighth Air Force ::

, January 29 – May 27, 1946 : 463d Fighter Squadron, January 29 – May 27, 1946 : 464th Fighter Squadron, January 29 – May 27, 1946 : 465th Fighter Squadron, January 29 – May 27, 1946 * 51st Fighter Group,

, October 15, 1946 – May 22, 1947 :

16th Fighter Squadron HV-016 is a former military unit of Norway, that was a part of the Home Guard. It was established after 1985 to "stop terror- or sabotage actions that could weaken or paralyze Norway's ability to mobilize its military and its ability to resist". ...

, 15 October 1946-22 May 1947 :

25th Fighter Squadron The 25th Fighter Squadron is part of the US Air Force's 51st Operations Group, 51st Fighter Wing, at Osan Air Base, South Korea. It operates the Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft conducting close air support missions. Mission ...

, 15 October 1946-22 May 1947 : 26th Fighter Squadron, 15 October 1946-22 May 1947 * 4th Fighter Squadron (All Weather) ( 347th Fighter Group), February 20, 1947 – August 19, 1948 (

P-61 Black Widow The Northrop P-61 Black Widow is a twin-engine United States Army Air Forces fighter aircraft of World War II. It was the first operational U.S. warplane designed as a night fighter, and the first aircraft designed specifically as a night figh ...

)

* Eighth Air Force was reassigned to Mac Dill AAF,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

on June 7, 1946. All assigned units in the Pacific were reassigned to

that date.

References

*Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. .
www.pacificwrecks.com
*Harding, Stephen, (1993), Flying Terminated Inventory, Wings Magazine, April 1993 edition

External links

Research the Battle of Okinawa Here
*http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/yomitan.htm {{authority control Installations of the United States Air Force in Japan Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in Occupied Japan Airfields in the Pacific theatre of World War II Japan campaign Airports established in 1944 Defunct airports in Japan Closed installations of the United States Navy

Postwar use

Major USAAF units assigned to Yontan

See also

References

External links