Bolo Airfield.png) | |
|---|---|
| Part ofEighth Air Force | |
| Okinawa,Ryukyu Islands,Japan | |
 Aerial view of Bolo airfield, Okinawa | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Military Airfield |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 26°26′19.64″N127°43′06.73″E / 26.4387889°N 127.7185361°E /26.4387889; 127.7185361 |
| Site history | |
| Built | Prior to April 1945 |
| In use | 1945-1946 |
Bolo Airfield (also known as Bolo Point Airfield) is a formerWorld War II airfield atNaval Base Okinawa inOkinawa, at Bolo Point on theEast China Sea coast. The airfield was inactivated after 1946 and returned to Japanese control in 1972. Currently, it is a part ofYomitan village, where it has been redeveloped into a golf course and recreation area.
This airfield was originally built by the Japanese on what used to be Uzza neighborhood of Yutanza (読谷山) village (nowYomitan). It was seized by the United States during theBattle of Okinawa in April 1945. It was allocated to theEighth Air Force in July 1945 to stationB-29 Superfortress bombers to fly strategic bombing missions in the plannedInvasion 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 theFifth Air Force's 7th and 8th Combat Cargo Squadrons (2d Combat Cargo Group) from 20 August 1945 until 5 January 1946 flyingDouglas C-47 Skytrain aircraft. After the transport units moved toYokota 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 theKorean War. During the 1950s and 1960s the airfield was used as an auxiliary training facility forKadena andNaha Air Bases. It was returned to Japanese control in 1972.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
