Atsugi Airfield

Type   66 Air Base
Historical Name of Location   Ayase, Kanagawa, Japan
Coordinates   35.454722000, 139.450000000

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe Japanese Navy established the Atsugi Airfield, named after the city 7 kilometers to the west of the airfield site, in 1938. It was made the base of the 302 Naval Aviation Corps, whose fighters were among the defenders of the Tokyo region against American bombing. When the war ended, General Douglas MacArthur arrived in Japan via Atsugi. After the war, it housed units of the US Army Air Force 3rd Bombardment Group, USAAF 49th Fighter Group, 1539th Army Air Forces Base Unit, and then USAAF 418th Night Fighter Squadron through 1946. After the departure of those units in late 1946, the airfield was kept to minimal usage until the Korean War, which was taken over by the US Navy and was renamed Naval Air Station Atsugi in Dec 1950. Atsugi would remain an active US military base through the date of this writing. Well known historical events tied to Atsugi included the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft that was downed over the Soviet Union in 1960 (which took off from Atsugi) and the 1964 crash of a US Marine Corps F8U-2 Crusader aircraft that killed 32 civilians in Tokyo.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Update: May 2014



Atsugi Airfield Interactive Map

Photographs

C6N-1S Saiun nightfighter aircraft of Japanese Navy 302nd Naval Air Group at rest, Atsugi Airfield, Kanagawa, Japan, Jun 1945Colonel E. H. Tench, Lieutenant General Seizo Arisuyu, and Lieutenant General Seiyichi Asmata at Atsugi Airfield, Japan, 27 Aug 1945Lieutenant Commander Don Thorburn, Lieutenant Commander E. V. Wedell, interpreter S. Toda, Lieutenant Commander John MacInnes, Lieutenant W. V. ballow, and Lieutenant Commander Cliff McDowell at Atsugi Airfield, Japan, 28 Aug 1945Lieutenant Commander John MacInnes, Lieutenant Commander Don Thorburn, Soviet legation member K. Samiloff, Lieutenant W. V. bellow, Commander Anatoliy Rodinov, and Lieutenant Commander E. V. Wedell, Atsugi Airfield, Japan, 28 Aug 1945
See all 7 photographs of Atsugi Airfield

Atsugi Airfield Timeline

30 Aug 1945 Douglas MacArthur arrived at Atsugi Airfield near Tokyo, Japan.
8 Sep 1945 Elements of the USAAF 3rd Bomberment Group was assigned to Atsugi Airfield in Japan.
15 Sep 1945 Elements of the USAAF 49th Fighter Group was assigned to Atsugi Airfield in Japan.
22 Sep 2000 Saburo Sakai passed away from a heart attack while being a guest at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan.




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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Anonymous says:
30 Dec 2017 08:03:16 PM

In an old bldg. there I once reada corner stone that stated that thebuilding had been used for abortionsthat occured after a demoralized Japanmilitary returned home and started torape the local population.I did not like working there in thefirst place but after reading thatit became very upsetting!

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Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name Ayase, Kanagawa, Japan
Lat/Long 35.4547, 139.4500
Atsugi Airfield Photo Gallery
C6N-1S Saiun nightfighter aircraft of Japanese Navy 302nd Naval Air Group at rest, Atsugi Airfield, Kanagawa, Japan, Jun 1945
See all 7 photographs of Atsugi Airfield


Famous WW2 Quote
"Among the men who fought on Iwo Jima, uncommon valor was a common virtue."

Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, 16 Mar 1945


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