Yokota,
located approximately 28 miles northwest of Tokyo, was opened in
March 1940 by the Japanese Imperial Army as Tama Army Airfield. The
name of the airfield was derived from Tama Prefecture -- or county in
which it was located. At that time, the land area of the air base was
approximately 1,102 acres, while the length of the runway measured
4,265 feet. By the end of 1942, the airfield was operating at its
peak as the "Wright Field" of Japan, where newly designed
aircraft were first tested. When US Forces took control of the base
in 1945, they found 280 of the most modern Japanese aircraft still in
excellent running condition. At
least 100 of these were shipped to the U.S. for evaluation after the
surrender by Japan.
The Japanese had removed the tops
of hangars to resemble bomb-damaged facilities, so US fighters
thought they were already bombed areas. For the most part, the Yokota
area suffered little damage during World War II from American
bombers. The airfield was fully operational when the allies arrived.
With the end of
hostilities and the Japanese surrender in September 1945, a
detachment of the 1st Cavalry Division arrived at the base on 4 September. The 1st Cav named the facility Fussa
Army Airfield,
then renamed it Yokota
Army Airfield, after
a small village located on the northeast corner of the base, at
the end of September. The
353rd Engineering Construction and 864th Aviation Engineering
Battalion moved ahead with great speed and finished the runway
upgrade.
November 1948 visit to Yokota by personnel of the 1st Cavalry Division
The initial USAAF
use for the base was for airlift operations when the 2d
Combat Cargo Group
arrived with four C-47 squadrons. When the old runway deteriorated under heavy
usage, the runway was repaired and Yokota supported operations of the A-26-equipped 3rd Bombardment Group
by August 1946.
General Kenneth B. Wolfe, Fifth Air Force commander, landed his B-17
at the new airfield on August 15, 1946, at which time Yokota
was officially dedicated as an American base for Occupation forces.
Colonel
Edward H. Underhill, Commanding Officer of the 3rd Bombardment Group,
led fifteen A-26s into the field from Atsugi AB, a few miles to the
south, in conjunction with the dedication.
Fifth Air Force
Commanding General K.S. Wolfe, and Base Commander Colonel E.B Bobzien
unveiled a stone marker to mark the occasion of the official opening
of Yokota Army Air Field.
In October 1946, Yokota Commander
Colonel Bobzein was killed in a B-29 accident and Lt. Col. Warner L.
Gates became Commanding Officer until February 1st,
1947 when Colonel Edward H. Underhill assumed command. On June 2nd,
Col. James R. Gunn, Jr. took over as Yokota's Commander when Col.
Underhill was transferred to the position of Commanding Officer of
the 314th Composite Wing.
Yokota was to be the hub of
activity as it became the gathering point for aviation units from all
over Far East Air Forces {FEAF}. These units would arrive usually for
short stays for joint training exercises, including an Australian
P-51 Group from Iwikuni Air Base on the southern tip of the island
of Honshu as well as P-47 and B-29 units from Okinawa. Yokota provided
support for fighter, bomber, and military airlift operations, hosting B-26, B/RB 29, P/F-
51, KB-50J, C-54, P-47, P/F-82, P-80 and many other aircraft. Yokota was home base for the 3rd Bombardment Group (L) from August 1946 until March 1950, at which
time the move to Johnson Air Base was ordered.
