Bolo Airfield

Last updated

Bolo Airfield
Eighth Air Force - Emblem (World War II).png
Part of Eighth Air Force
Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, Japan
Bolo airfield.jpg
Aerial view of Bolo airfield, Okinawa
Coordinates 26°26′19.64″N127°43′06.73″E / 26.4387889°N 127.7185361°E / 26.4387889; 127.7185361
TypeMilitary Airfield
Site information
Controlled by United States Army Air Forces
Site history
BuiltPrior to April 1945
In use1945-1946
Bolo Airfield Seabee map 1945 BoloAirfieldmap1945.jpg
Bolo Airfield Seabee map 1945

Bolo Airfield (also known as Bolo Point Airfield) is a former World War II airfield at Naval Base Okinawa in Okinawa, at Bolo Point on the East China Sea coast. The airfield was inactivated after 1946 and returned to Japanese control in 1972. Currently, it is a part of Yomitan village, where it has been redeveloped into a golf course and recreation area.

History

This airfield was originally built by the Japanese on what used to be Uzza neighborhood of Yutanza (読谷山) village (now Yomitan). It was seized by the United States during the Battle of Okinawa in April 1945. It was allocated to the Eighth Air Force in July 1945 to station B-29 Superfortress bombers to fly strategic bombing missions in the planned Invasion of Japan.

The airfield was never used for combat operations due to the surrender of Imperial Japan on 2 September 1945. It was however, used by the Fifth Air Force's 7th and 8th Combat Cargo Squadrons (2d Combat Cargo Group) from 20 August 1945 until 5 January 1946 flying Douglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft. After the transport units moved to Yokota Air Base, the facility was closed and used as a surplus storage depot for equipment left on Okinawa after the war was over. There were many tanks, various trucks, crates of airplanes, graders, bulldozers, and crates of other equipment. Eventually, most of this equipment was sent to Japan and then to Korea during the Korean War. During the 1950s and 1960s the airfield was used as an auxiliary training facility for Kadena and Naha Air Bases. It was returned to Japanese control in 1972.

Location of Bolo Airfield Okinawa airfields 1945.jpg
Location of Bolo Airfield

Related Research Articles

Nagoya Airfield Domestic airport

Nagoya Airfield, also known as Komaki Airport or Nagoya Airport, is an airport which lies within the local government areas of Toyoyama, Komaki, Kasugai and Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was once an international airport, but is now a domestic secondary airport serving Nagoya while the current primary civil airport for Nagoya is Chūbu Centrair International Airport in Tokoname.

Kadena Air Base U.S. Air Force base in Japan

Kadena Air Base 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 highly strategic and geographic location. It is located just 650 km off the coast of China and at a distance of just 770 km from Shanghai, a major economic hub. It is home to the USAF's 18th Wing, the 353rd Special Operations Group, reconnaissance units, 1st Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery Regiment, and a variety of associated units. Over 20,000 American servicemembers, family members, and Japanese employees live or work aboard Kadena Air Base. It is the largest and most active U.S. Air Force base in East Asia.

498th Nuclear Systems Wing Military unit

The 498th Nuclear Systems Wing was a wing of the United States Air Force based at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.

Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield Former airfield in Yomitan, Okinawa

Yontan Airfield is a former military airfield located near Yomitan 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.

29th Flying Training Wing Military unit

The 29th Flying Training Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit last based at Craig Air Force Base, Alabama. It was inactivated when Craig was closed when the Air Force reduced its pilot training program after the Vietnam War.

21st Airlift Squadron Unit of the US Air Force, part of the 60th Operations Group

The 21st Airlift Squadron is part of the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, California. It operates C-17 Globemaster III aircraft carrying out United States Air Force global transport missions, duties which involve airlift and airdrop missions as well as provision of services and support in order to promote quality of life for both soldiers and civilians in situations requiring humanitarian aid.

54th Tactical Fighter Wing Military unit

The 54th Tactical Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Pacific Air Forces Fifth Air Force, being stationed at Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. It was inactivated on 31 October 1970.

2d Combat Cargo Group Military unit

The 2d Combat Cargo Group is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. The unit was organized at Syracuse Army Air Base in New York. It operated during World War II in the Southwest Pacific, transporting passengers and cargo. Its last duty station under this designation was Yokota Air Base, Japan, where it was inactivated on 15 January 1946.

308th Bombardment Wing (U.S. Army Air Forces) US Air Force unit

The 308th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Far East Air Forces at Nagoya, Japan, where it was inactivated on 30 June 1948.

41st Tactical Group Military unit

The 41st Tactical Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 7217th Air Division at Cigli Air Base, Turkey, where it was inactivated in 1970. From 1966 to 1970 the group controlled deployed fighter squadrons.

6th Air Intelligence Squadron Military unit

The 6th Air Intelligence Squadron is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force. Its last assignment was with Seventh Air Force, stationed at Osan Air Base, Korea. It was inactivated in 1993. The unit was originally established at Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, Colorado as the 6th Photographic Group on 5 February 1943, under the command of Lt Waymond Davis. Later that year, the unit was redesignated the 6th Reconnaissance Group and deployed to the southwest Pacific as a component of the Fifth Air Force.

64th Bombardment Squadron Military unit

The 64th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 43d Bombardment Wing at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, where it was inactivated on 31 January 1970.

Ie Shima Airfield U.S. Marine Corps facility in Japan

Ie Shima Auxiliary Airfield is a training facility, managed by the United States Marine Corps and a former World War II airfield complex on Ie Shima, an island located off the northwest coast of Okinawa Island in the East China Sea. The airfield as such was inactivated after 1946 but part of the former airfield is still used as a training facility for parachute drops and vertical take off and landing aircraft such as the F-35. The facility is referenced as FAC6005 by Okinawa Prefecture.

820th Bombardment Squadron Military unit

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 campaign off the Atlantic coast of the United States as the 16th Antisubmarine Squadron.

Ashiya Air Field Airport in Ashiya, Japan

Ashiya Air Field is a military airdrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Ashiya Airbase. It is located 0.5 NM north of Ashiya in the Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.

433rd Operations Group Military unit

The 433rd Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force Reserve 433rd Airlift Wing. It is stationed at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

874th Tactical Missile Squadron Military unit

The 874th Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 498th Tactical Missile Group at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. The squadron was first activated in late 1943 for service during World War II as the 874th Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States with Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers, the squadron moved to the Mariana Islands, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Japan, earning two Distinguished Unit Citations before the end of hostilities in August 1945. The squadron returned to the United States in December 1945 and was inactivated in March 1946, and its personnel and equipment transferred to another organization.

873rd Tactical Missile Squadron Military unit

The 873rd Tactical Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with 498th Tactical Missile Group at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. The squadron was first activated in 1943 for service during World War II as the 873rd Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States with Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers, the squadron moved to the Mariana Islands, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Japan, earning two Distinguished Unit Citations before the end of hostilities in August 1945. The squadron returned to the United States in December 1945 and was inactivated in March 1946, and its personnel and equipment transferred to another organization.

6th Air Defense Missile Squadron Military unit

The 6th Air Defense Missile Squadron was an air defense unit of the United States Air Force. It was assigned to the New York Air Defense Sector of Aerospace Defense Command, at Suffolk County Air Force Base, New York, where it was inactivated on 15 December 1964. The squadron had its headquarters at Suffolk County Air Force Base, while the firing batteries of the squadron were at the nearby Suffolk County Air Force Base Missile Annex.

Naval Base Okinawa Major World War 2 base

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, and the troops fighting on Okinawa. The Navy repaired and did expansion of the airfields on Okinawa. United States Navy Seabee built or repaired the facilities on the island. The bases on Okinawa put the United States Armed Forces only 350 miles from Japan's home islands. Most facilities closed after the war, but some are still in use today in all branches of the United States Armed Forces.

References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates  public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website https://www.afhra.af.mil/ .