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Yonabaru Airfield or NAB Yonabaru is a former
Photos of the base in 1945-6
Aviation in Japan Airfields of the United States Navy Military installations closed in 1947 Closed installations of the United States Navy
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
airfield on the Pacific coast of Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
. The base was disestablished on 30 June 1947.
History
World War II
Yonabaru Airfield was originally established by theImperial Japanese Army Air Force
The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) or Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF; ja, 大日本帝國陸軍航空部隊, Dainippon Teikoku Rikugun Kōkūbutai, lit=Greater Japan Empire Army Air Corps) was the aviation force of the Im ...
. The airfield was captured on 15 May 1945 during Battle of Okinawa
The , codenamed Operation Iceberg, was a major battle of the Pacific War fought on the island of Okinawa by United States Army (USA) and United States Marine Corps (USMC) forces against the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). The initial invasion of ...
. The 145th Naval Construction Battalion (Seebee
, colors =
, mascot = Bumblebee
, battles = Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Cape Gloucester, Los Negros, Guam, Peleliu, Tarawa, Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian, Iwo Jima, Philippines ...
s) began to improve the airfield for service as a patrol/bomber airstrip in June once the fighting had moved further south. On 15 August 1945 the base with its runway was ready for use by US Navy aircraft.
VPB-124 operating PB-4Ys was based at Yonabaru from 10 August until 12 December 1945.
The base was severely damaged by Typhoon Louise on 9 October 1945.
Postwar
On 27 February 1957, the Deputy Governor announced that the Yonabaru airfield site would be used as a Marine helicopter installation.See also
*Awase Airfield
Awase Airfield or NAB Awase is a former World War II airfield on the Pacific coast of Okinawa.
History
World War II
The Awase area was captured during the first week of the Battle of Okinawa and was surveyed for possible airbase construction ...
*Chimu Airfield
Chimu Airfield or NAB Chimu is a former World War II airfield on the Pacific coast of Okinawa. The airfield was inactivated after October 1945.
History
World War II
The Chimu Wan area was captured during the first week of the Battle of Okinawa. ...
*Naval Base Okinawa
Naval Base Okinawa, now Naval Facility Okinawa, was and is a number of bases built after the Battle of Okinawa by United States Navy on the Okinawa Island of Japan. The naval bases were built to support the landings on Okinawa on April 1, 1945, an ...
References
{{reflistExternal links
Photos of the base in 1945-6
Aviation in Japan Airfields of the United States Navy Military installations closed in 1947 Closed installations of the United States Navy