.gif)
Northwest Field (Guam)
Encyclopedia
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 on Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
in the Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
. It was closed in 1949 and is unused.
History
Northwest Field was constructed in 1944–45 near Ritidian Point on the northwest end of the island of Guam as a base for Twentieth Air ForceTwentieth Air Force
The Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
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...
es to carry out the strategic bombing campaign against the Japanese Home Islands
Japanese Archipelago
The , which forms the country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland, washing upon the northwestern shores of the Pacific Ocean...
. Construction was accomplished by the Army Air Corps 1865th Aviation Engineering Battalion and United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
Seabee
Seabee
Seabees are members of the United States Navy construction battalions. The word Seabee is a proper noun that comes from the initials of Construction Battalion, of the United States Navy...
s. Deployed ground echelon personnel also assisted in construction, prior to the arrival of their group's air echelon.
In April 1945, it became the home of the 315th Bombardment Wing
315th Air Division
The 315th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Tachikawa Air Base, Japan. It was inactivated in April 1969.-History:...
, the command organization for the 16th
16th Air Expeditionary Wing
The United States Air Force's 16th Air Expeditionary Wing was an Air Expeditionary unit of the United States Air Forces in Europe until c.2005–06....
(Diamond-B), 331st
331st Bombardment Group
The 331st Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 315th Bombardment Wing, being stationed at Northwest Field, Guam. It was inactivated on 15 April 1946....
(Diamond-L), 501st
501st Combat Support Wing
The 501st Combat Support Wing is a United States Air Forces in Europe unit based at RAF Alconbury, England. The wing traces its history to a World War II bombardment group which served in the Pacific, mostly bombing mainland Japan, in 1944–45...
(Diamond-Y) and 502d Bombardment Group
502d Bombardment Group
The 502d Bombardment Group was a World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization. The unit was inactivated on 15 April 1946....
s (Diamond-H).
The field ultimately had two runways, the north and south runways. The south runway was the first to be completed. However, when the first 315th aircraft were deployed to Guam, the south runway was still under construction, and they had to land at nearby North Field (which eventually became today's Andersen AFB). When the main air echelons of the 16th and 501st Bomb Groups arrived the south runway was complete, but the taxiways were not. Aircraft had to be towed to their parking spaces over the rough coral. By the time the air echelons of the 331st and 502nd Bomb Groups arrived, both runways were complete. The 331st Bomb Group used the ramp space in the center of the base, the 502nd Bomb Group used the area on the east side, and the 16th and 501st Bomb Groups used ramp space on the west side.
The 315th Bomb Wing was unique as its groups flew the B-29B Superfortress, the only true variant of the B-29 ever manufactured. These aircraft were actually stripped-down versions of the normal B-29, bereft of the General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
gun system and a variety of other components, in order to save weight and increase bomb-carrying capacity. The resultant unladen weight of 69,000 pounds was a vast improvement, lessening the strain on engines and airframe and enabling the payload to be increased from 12,000 to 18,000 pound ordnance. In addition, the 502nd and all of the other 315th groups were equipped with the new AN/APQ-7 "Eagle" radar sets, which gave a much clearer presentation of ground images through a wing-shaped radar vane slung beneath the fuselage. It also gave a biplane effect in appearance. The "Eagle" was the product of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
's Eagle radar development group. It had been designed especially for night missions.
During World War II
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...
this special antenna and equipment for precision night radar missions was so secret that no B-29s were ever shown with it, and there are no actual official photographs in existence. The only armament on these aircraft was in the tail, where two .50 caliber machine guns were installed. Missions had to be planned and prepared so that briefing material could be slanted from the radar point of view.
Its groups flew "shakedown" missions against Japanese targets on Moen Island, Truk, and other points in the Carolines and Marianas. Bombing missions commenced against targets in the Japanese homeland on 26 June 1945 when the wing damaged the Utsube River oil refinery at Yokkaichi. Thereafter, oil targets in Japan served as the wings primary targets during the summer of 1945.
On 14 August 1945, nine days after the Atomic Bomb attacks on Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
and Nagasaki
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. Nagasaki was founded by the Portuguese in the second half of the 16th century on the site of a small fishing village, formerly part of Nishisonogi District...
, 143 B-29 aircraft from the 315th Bomb Wing left Northwest Field on a secret mission. The mission was the longest continuous mission ever attempted by Twentieth Air Force, a distance 3760 miles (6,051.1 km) and a duration of 17 hours. The mission was to destroy the largest remaining oil reserves in Japan at Akita
Akita, Akita
is the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of June 11, 2005, with the merger of the former Kawabe District , the city has an estimated population of 323,310 and density of...
. After holding for a long time, they finally lifted off at 4:42 local time. They had a secret recall code. It was "Apple", but the recall never came. Near Chichi-jima
Chichi-jima
, formerly known as Peel Island and in the 19th century known to the English as part of the Bonin Islands, is the largest island in the Ogasawara archipelago. Chichi-jima is approximately 150 miles north of Iwo Jima. The island is within the political boundaries of Ogasawara Town, Ogasawara...
Japanese radar picked them up and shortly thereafter Tokyo went black, expecting a strike. A total of 132 aircraft reached the primary target and accomplished their mission. All aircraft returned safely, although the aircraft were down to their last gallons of gasoline, and 13 had to land in Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
to get fuel in order to make it back.
The 315th was ordered to fly this mission for several crucial reasons:
- It was learned that on 14 August that Emperor Hirohito had decided to unconditionally surrender and was to make a recordingGyokuon-hosoThe , lit. "Jewel Voice Broadcast", was the radio broadcast in which Japanese emperor Hirohito read out the , announcing to the Japanese people that the Japanese Government had accepted the Potsdam Declaration demanding the unconditional surrender of the Japanese military at the end of World War II...
that night which would be played on Japanese Radio on the 15th. War Minister Anami and his Generals had other plans. They wanted to continue the war so they must kill the traitorous advisers and kidnap the Emperor who they were still spiritually bound to. But this plan turned into chaos and was abandoned hours after the power was turned off in Tokyo, and thus obviated the need for an Allied invasion of Japan and the deaths of millions. The Emperor’s recording was played the following day.
- President Truman wanted to end the war as soon as possible. Ending the war at once would stop the bloodshed and keep the Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
out of the process to end the Pacific WarPacific WarThe Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
. The Soviet Union had entered the Pacific War after the Atomic Bombing of Nagasaki, and was moving its forces rapidly though ManchuriaManchuriaManchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
and heading for the Korean peninsulaKorean PeninsulaThe Korean Peninsula is a peninsula in East Asia. It extends southwards for about 684 miles from continental Asia into the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by the Sea of Japan to the south, and the Yellow Sea to the west, the Korea Strait connecting the first two bodies of water.Until the end of...
directly for the Japanese Home IslandsJapanese ArchipelagoThe , which forms the country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland, washing upon the northwestern shores of the Pacific Ocean...
. It was believed that if the Japanese delayed the surrender, the Soviet Union would ask for reparations from the Japanese and attempt to divide Japan politically by invading HokkaidōHokkaido, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
as was the case in GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and to claim an occupation zone. The United States wanted the war to end immediately before this to keep the Soviets out of Japan. It was, essentially, the beginning of the Cold WarCold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
.
The attack by the B-29s achieved its desired purpose with the Japanese military, and President Harry S. Truman announced the official end of the Pacific War as the B-29s were returning to Northwest Field. It was the last combat mission flown by the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.
When hostilities ended, the wing's B 29s carried relief supplies to Allied prisoner of war camps in Japan and Manchuria before moving to other bases in April 1946. The airfield was also used as a facility for deactivating various air force units after the war.
In the postwar era, Northwest Field (later, Northwest Guam AFB), was used by the 20th Fighter Wing, 23d Fighter Group
23d Fighter Group
The 23d Fighter Group is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 23d Wing and stationed at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia....
(23d Fighter Wing
23d Wing
The 23d Wing is a front-line United States Air Force Air Combat Command wing currently assigned to Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.-Mission:The mission of the 23d Wing is to organize, train and employ combat-ready A-10, HC-130 and HH-60, as well as pararescuemen and force protection assets...
after 16 August 1948) between 10 October 1946 and 3 April 1949, where the group flew training, interception, and island defense missions with F-47 Thunderbolts until the base was closed due to fiscal reasons.
Current status
Today the wartime airfield is all but abandoned, although the runways are used occasionally by rotary-wing aircraft from nearby Andersen Air Force BaseAndersen Air Force Base
Andersen Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam....
for training purposes. Most of the wartime taxiways and revetments still exist and the two airfields are still linked by taxiways. In 2008, Northwest Field was undergoing a rehabilitation and construction effort costing more than $200 million to provide barracks, vehicle facilities, simulators, classrooms, armories, warehousing and training sites for highly specialized forces. A total of 89 projects encompass the building of 80+ facilities that include roads, water tanks, pump houses, utilities as well as an electrical grid and substation.
The wartime taxiways that once allowed the dispersal of hundreds of B-29 heavy bombers are now overhung by jungle. But in a clever piece of innovation, they are being used for practicing defense and reaction against convoy ambushes. Other new construction includes weapons ranges, field exercise areas and an unused residential area that has been turned into an urban assault course.
The south runway has been opened for helicopter and air-drop operations and may eventually be used as a C-130 landing site.
See also
- USAAF in the Central PacificUnited States Army Air Forces in the Central Pacific AreaDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces engaged in combat against the Empire of Japan in the Central Pacific Area. As defined by the War Department, this consisted of most of the Pacific Ocean and its islands, excluding the Philippines, Australia, the Netherlands East Indies, the...