World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Guanghan Airfield (Postal Map romanization: Kwanghan), located about 30 kilometers northeast of the city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province, China, was built in 1942. In 1943, it was adopted by the USAAF 444th Bombardment Group as a forward staging base. The base was also shared by USAAF 81st Fighter Group, whose P-40 Warhawk and P-47 Thunderbolt fighters supplied fighter defense for the airfield, escorts for the bombers, and support for Chinese ground troops. The airfield's supplies were flown in from Dudhkundi, India over the eastern Himalaya Mountains, which was nicknamed "The Hump". On 14 Jun 1944, from this airfield, 444th Bombardment Group launched its first of several raids of the Japanese Home Islands, hitting the Imperial Iron and Steel Works at Yawata on the island of Kyushu using B-29 Superfortress bombers. In Jan 1945, 444th Bombardment Group was relocated to the Mariana Islands, followed by 81st Fighter Group's relocation to nearby Chengdu Airfield. It remained a military airfield of the Air Force of the Republic of China for several years after the American departure. Since 1956 (and until today), the airfield was being operated by the Civil Aviation Flight University of the People's Republic of China.