Tingkawk Sakan Airfield
Encyclopedia
Tingkawk Sakan Airfield is a former wartime United States Army Air Forces
airfield in Burma used during the Burma Campaign 1944-1945
. It is now abandoned.
, beginning in late May 1944, flying P-51C Mustangs.
In August 1944, the 8th Reconnaissance Group
, based at Barrackpore, India, sent a detachment of the 20th Reconnaissance Squadron to fly reconnaissance missions from the field with F-5s (P-38 Lightning
). The detachment moved out in November.
The 311th was replaced in August by the 80th Fighter Group, flying P-47 Thunderbolt
s until January 1945 when the group moved to Myitkyina Airfield and the facility was closed.
Today, the airfield is abandoned, and has been reclaimed by the forest from which it was carved out of. A disturbed vegetation region in satellite imagery shows its approximate location.
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
airfield in Burma used during the Burma Campaign 1944-1945
Burma Campaign 1944-1945
The Burma Campaign in the South-East Asian Theatre of World War II was fought primarily between British Commonwealth, Chinese and United States forces against the forces of the Empire of Japan, who were assisted to some degree by Thailand, the Burmese Independence Army and the Indian National Army...
. It is now abandoned.
History
The airfield was a temporary field with a 4'000 runway consisting of gravel carved out of a 200 foot high teak forest with temperatures running well above 100 degrees. The airfield was used by the 311th Fighter Group311th Fighter Group
The 311th Fighter Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces, being inactivated on 6 January 1946 at Fort Lawton, Washington....
, beginning in late May 1944, flying P-51C Mustangs.
In August 1944, the 8th Reconnaissance Group
8th Reconnaissance Group
The 8th Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last duty station was at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, where it was inactivated on 5 November 1945....
, based at Barrackpore, India, sent a detachment of the 20th Reconnaissance Squadron to fly reconnaissance missions from the field with F-5s (P-38 Lightning
P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
). The detachment moved out in November.
The 311th was replaced in August by the 80th Fighter Group, flying P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
s until January 1945 when the group moved to Myitkyina Airfield and the facility was closed.
Today, the airfield is abandoned, and has been reclaimed by the forest from which it was carved out of. A disturbed vegetation region in satellite imagery shows its approximate location.