Yonpo Airfield, also known as Yonpo Air Base or K-27 Air Base, is an

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consists of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surfa ...

near

Hamhung Hamhŭng (''Hamhŭng-si''; ) is North Korea's second-largest city, and the capital of South Hamgyŏng Province. It has an estimated population of 768,551. Located in the southern part of the South Hamgyong province, Hamhung is the main and most p ...

South Hamgyong South Hamgyong Province (, ''Hamgyŏngnamdo''; ) is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the southern half of the former Hamgyong Province, remained a province of Korea until 1945, then became a province of North Kor ...

Province,

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

History

Korean War

19501200 - Radio Callsign was 'Edith' - Yong-po, Korea

On 2 July 1950 the

19th Bombardment Group 19 (nineteen) is the natural number following 18 and preceding 20. It is a prime number. Mathematics 19 is the eighth prime number, and forms a sexy prime with 13, a twin prime with 17, and a cousin prime with 23. It is the third full re ...

launched a strike on Yonpo Airfield based on faulty intelligence there were 65 Korean People's Air Force (KPAF) aircraft there, but only 16 KPAF aircraft were in the field, none of which were damaged by the airstrike. On 19 July carrier aircraft of Task Force 77 attacked Yonpo destroying 15 aircraft. The Yonpo area was captured by the

5th Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

and

7th Marine Regiment The 7th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. Nicknamed the "Magnificent Seventh", the regiment falls under the command of the 1 ...

s advancing from

Wonsan Wŏnsan (), previously known as Wŏnsanjin (), Port Lazarev, and Genzan (), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwŏn Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. ...

on 30 October 1950 and the airfield was put into service by the UN forces. The USAF designated the base K-27. The

35th Fighter-Interceptor 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 July 1 ...

moved to the base on 18 November and was joined by the

Marine Aircraft Group 12 Marine Aircraft Group 12 (MAG-12) is an active air group of the United States Marine Corps, tasked with providing fighter and assault support aircraft. It is currently part of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (1st MAW), itself an integral part of th ...

on 1 December, both provided close air support to the U. S. Army

X Corps 10th Corps, Tenth Corps, or X Corps may refer to: France * 10th Army Corps (France) * X Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * X Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * X ...

and the 1st U.S. Marine Division surrounded at the

Battle of Chosin Reservoir The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as the Chosin Reservoir Campaign or the Battle of Lake Changjin (), was an important battle in the Korean War. The name "Chosin" is derived from the Japanese pronunciation "''Chōshin'', instead of th ...

. X Corps established a casualty clearing and evacuation station at Yonpo for casualties evacuated from the Chosin. USAF units based there included: *

from 18 November-7 December 1950, units attached included: ** 39th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron operating F-51Ds **

40th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron 4 (four) is a number, numeral (linguistics), numeral and numerical digit, digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is tetraphobia, considered unlucky in many East Asian c ...

operating F-51Ds **

339th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 339th Flight Test Squadron is a United States Air Force unit based at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is part of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, with a mission to certify aircraft as worthy to return to service. The squadron ...

operating F-82Gs * 437th Troop Carrier Wing operating C-46s * 6150th Tactical Support Wing from 27 November-1 December 1950 USMC units based there included: *

from 1–17 December 1950, units attached included: ** VMF-212 operating F4Us until 7 December 1950 ** VMF-311 operating F-9Fs from 10 to 14 December 1950 **

VMO-6 Marine Observation Squadron 6 (VMO-6) was an observation squadron of the United States Marine Corps which saw extensive action during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars. The squadron was the first Marine Corps ...

operating OYs and HO3S' UN units based there included: *

No. 77 Squadron RAAF No. 77 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) squadron headquartered at RAAF Base Williamtown, New South Wales. It is controlled by No. 81 Wing, and equipped with Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II multi-role fighters. The squadr ...

operating F-51Ds attached to the 35th Fighter-Interceptor Group Following the successful retreat from the Chosin Reservoir, US Marines of Regimental Combat Teams 5 and 7 prepared a defensive line around Yonpo on 9 December, however General

Douglas MacArthur Douglas MacArthur (26 January 18805 April 1964) was an American military leader who served as General of the Army for the United States, as well as a field marshal to the Philippine Army. He had served with distinction in World War I, was ...

ordered the withdrawal of X Corps to South Korea. General MacArthur met with General

Edward Almond Lieutenant General Edward Mallory Almond (December 12, 1892 – June 11, 1979) was a senior United States Army officer who fought in World War I, World War II, where he commanded the 92nd Infantry Division, and the Korean War, where he command ...

at Yonpo on 11 December and approved the X Corps

evacuation plan Emergency evacuation is the urgent immediate egress or escape of people away from an area that contains an imminent threat, an ongoing threat or a hazard to lives or property. Examples range from the small-scale evacuation of a building due t ...

. From 14 to 17 December USAF Combat Cargo Command moved 228 patients, 3,891 passengers, and 20,088 tons of cargo from Yonpo. The aerial evacuation from Yonpo continued until 17 December when the field was closed and operations were moved to a temporary field at Hungnam harbour.

Postwar

The KPAF continues to use the base and several squadrons of

Antonov An-2 The Antonov An-2 ("kukuruznik"—corn crop duster; USAF/DoD reporting name Type 22, NATO reporting name Colt) is a Soviet mass-produced single-engine biplane utility/agricultural aircraft designed and manufactured by the Antonov Design Bure ...

s appear to be based there.

References

* {{authority control Airports in North Korea Korean War air bases

History

Korean War

Postwar

See also

References