Bolo Airfield
Encyclopedia
Bolo Airfield is a former World War II
airfield in Okinawa, at Bolo Point on the East China Sea
coast. The airfield was inactivated after 1946 and returned to Japanese control in 1972. Today it has been redeveloped into a golf course and recreation area.
in April 1945. It was allocated to 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
7th and 8th Combat Cargo Squadrons (2d Combat Cargo Group
) from 20 August 1945 until 5 January 1946 flying 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 Base
s. It was returned to Japanese control in 1972.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
airfield in Okinawa, at Bolo Point on the East China Sea
East China Sea
The East China Sea is a marginal sea east of China. It is a part of the Pacific Ocean and covers an area of 1,249,000 km² or 750,000 square miles.-Geography:...
coast. The airfield was inactivated after 1946 and returned to Japanese control in 1972. Today it has been redeveloped into a golf course and recreation area.
History
This airfield was originally built by the Japanese. It was seized by the United States during the Battle of OkinawaBattle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
in April 1945. It was allocated to Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
in July 1945 to station B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
bombers to fly strategic bombing missions in the planned Invasion of Japan
Operation Downfall
Operation Downfall was the Allied plan for the invasion of Japan near the end of World War II. The operation was cancelled when Japan surrendered after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union's declaration of war against Japan. The operation had two parts: Operation...
.
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
Fifth Air Force
The Fifth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan....
7th and 8th Combat Cargo Squadrons (2d Combat Cargo Group
2d Combat Cargo Group
The 2d Combat Cargo Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last duty station was at Yokota Air Base, Japan, where it was inactivated on 15 January 1946.-Lineage:...
) from 20 August 1945 until 5 January 1946 flying C-47 Skytrain
C-47 Skytrain
The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
aircraft. After the transport units moved to Yokota Air Base
Yokota Air Base
, is a United States Air Force base in the city of Fussa, one of 26 cities in the Tama Area, or Western Tokyo.The base houses 14,000 personnel. The base occupies a total area of and has a runway...
, 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
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. During the 1950s and 1960s the airfield was used as an auxiliary training facility for Kadena
Kadena Air Base
, is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.-Units:The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena...
and Naha Air Base
Naha Airport
-Incidents:* On December 1, 1994, Ramzi Yousef planted a bomb on Philippine Airlines Flight 434, with the intent of mass murder. The bomb exploded on the Boeing 747-283B en route from Cebu to Tokyo, killing one passenger...
s. It was returned to Japanese control in 1972.
See also
- USAAF in OkinawaUnited States Army Air Forces in OkinawaThe Battle of Okinawa was the last major ground battle between the armed forces of the Empire of Japan and the United States of the Pacific War.United States Army and United States Marine Corps ground forces landed on the island on 1 April 1945 at 08:30 am. The Battle of Okinawa lasted 83 days...