Yontan Airfield file photo [28643]

Yontan Airfield

Type   143 Air Base
Historical Name of Location   Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan
Coordinates   26.393564000, 127.746700000

Contributor:

ww2dbaseKita Airfield was built by the Japanese Army in 1944 at the village of Yomitan, which was situated on the western coast of Okinawa island, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It was captured by US forces on 1 Apr 1945, the first day of the invasion of the island. It was quickly repaired and put into action against Japanese positions in the region. Named Yontan Airfield by the Americans, it quickly grew into a major base for aircraft belonging to US Army, US Navy, and US Marine Corps. At the end of the war, after dropping the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, the B-29 bomber Bockscar landed at Yontan after the mission.

ww2dbaseAfter the war, Yontan remained an active base for the US occupation forces until 1947, at which time it was only used as an auxiliary installaion, housing only communications, support, and parachute training units. In the mid-1950s, it was placed in reserve status. In 1972, the US occupation returned Okinawa to Japan, and the Japanese government allowed US forces to continue operating the base. In the late 1970s, the size of the base shrank after peripheral lands were released into the civilian sector, and by Apr 1978 the base was situated on only 191 acres of land. On 27 Jul 1978, Yontan was transferred from the US Air Force to US Navy. On 9 Oct 1980, control of the base was transferred to the US Marine Corps. The base was decommissioned in Dec 2006. The land had since been developed into village office administration buildings, baseball fields, running tracks, and other public facilities.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Update: Jul 2019



Yontan Airfield Interactive Map

Photographs

Silhouette of a USMC Corsair fighter seen against a burning supply dump, Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, Japan, Apr 1945Captured MXY7 Ohka Model 11 aircraft I-18, Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, Japan, Apr 1945, photo 1 of 7Captured MXY7 Ohka Model 11 aircraft I-18, Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, Japan, Apr 1945, photo 2 of 7Captured MXY7 Ohka Model 11 aircraft I-18, Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, Japan, Apr 1945, photo 3 of 7
See all 24 photographs of Yontan Airfield



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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Mike Hiner says:
23 Apr 2018 04:46:14 PM

Looking for information on John P. Coakley, Capt, USMC, Yontan Airfield, 1945
2. Jimmy Mcbrayer says:
3 Sep 2019 04:51:19 PM

My father was a radio mechanic on yontan,until vj day,494th bomb group.was wondering if anyone knows where I can get some pictures of ground crew, from the 866 the squadron.thanks so much.
3. Robert orenshaw says:
11 Aug 2022 06:49:59 PM

Marine night fighter squadron 542 April 1 till end of war proud of my father’s service there
4. Dick Esselborn says:
4 Oct 2022 08:14:54 AM

I used to fly Cessna 150's out of Yontan in thr late 60's. It was fun, and I sometimes spotted large schools of fish from the air. It was my favorite private flying experience!!!

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Search WW2DB
Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan
Lat/Long 26.3936, 127.7467
Yontan Airfield Photo Gallery
Silhouette of a USMC Corsair fighter seen against a burning supply dump, Yontan Airfield, Okinawa, Japan, Apr 1945
See all 24 photographs of Yontan Airfield


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