Yokota Air Base 1947-1954
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- Extremely rare B&W film footage of Yokota Air Base from 1947-1954. Features a 1947 tour of the base when it was designated Yokota Army Air Base, including the North and South Family Housing Areas, Officers Club, Post Exchange and Gym.
Yokota's history began well before World War II as Tama Army Airfield. Located in what was then a largely rural area about 28 miles northwest of Tokyo near the town of Fussa, it was built in 1940 by the Japanese Imperial Army as an aircraft test facility with a 3,937-foot runway. At war's end, it was requisitioned on September 3, 1945 by U.S. occupation forces. Tama was formally dedicated as Yokota Army Air Base on August 15, 1946 and the runway extended to 6,000 ft. to accommodate heavy aircraft such as the B-29 strategic bomber. Soon thereafter, two family housing areas -- north and south -- were constructed to house dependents of service personnel. With the creation of the U.S. Air Force in 1947 it was redesignated Yokota Air Base. The runway was later extended to 11,000 feet. Yokota saw intensive activity during the Korean War 1950-1953 when it hosted the Far East Air Forces (FEAF) Bomber Command and served as the Air Force's main B-29 bomber base. Activity intensified again during the Vietnam War, from 1955-1975. Today, Yokota is a joint-use facility with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. It serves as a principal transportation base and is home to the 374th Airlift Wing and headquarters of U.S.Forces Japan and 5th Air Force. It is also the Japan Air Defense Command headquarters.
BGM: Soundtrack from The Sand Pebbles by Jerry Goldsmith
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
#YokotaAirBase #YokotaFussa
Just look at those classic cars!
I was born there on December 26,1952 my dad was stationed there before returning to Berstrom AFB, Tx
I was stationed at Yokota from Dec 1968 till Dec 1970. Best two years I had in the Air Force. From looking at these photos not much changed from the 50s till I got there.
Check it out -- both the the Base and Fussa. Unrecognizble to the early 60's.
Excellent job, Tom. Your choice of background music evokes feelings of nostalgia. I lived in Momote Village 1953 - 1964, but seeing the housing areas at Yokota could be almost any housing area in Japan and brought back such wonderful memories.
Col. Stevers was Commander of the base in 1953. (My Grandpa)
Brought back a lot of childhood memories. Thank you.
Really brings back memories, some buildings really did not change even as late as the late 60's when we were there, Great Job!
Outstanding work Tom! Thank you for putting this together. It was great to see several locations that my father had in his photo album from his time at Yokota.
Awesome - what memories! I played women's softball at Wilkins Park, was a volunteer instructor at the Pool for the kids under 5 - worked with Yokota Players....so nice to have the memory jogged with those photos. THANKS!
Tom another great video, I hope you find some film on Tachi air base some day. I was told they made a few 30 min films .
We were there 62-66. Used to have brunch at the O club every Sunday after church. Learned to swim at the O club pool. Remember getting my green patch so I could go to the deep end unsupervised. Had 4 birthday parties there too. Lived in the last duplex in North Area near the flight line. Remember the windows rattling all the time when the jets took off. I can't remember exactly if they were 101's, 102's and or 105's. Loved it there. Thanks for posting.
I have pictures of this base since my dad was stationed in1953 there , when he was in the airforce .
We were there too at that time on Tachikawa. I had Kanto Plain fever which is a form of pneumonia. Apparently it was due to the air pollution. The ambulance used to come out to bring me penicillin shots. We were moved to Kyoto where I loved the gardens. I have a photo with my sister and I are wearing our kimonos sitting with the Japanese house maid. She was wonderful. I think her name was Miyko.
@@alicewells9684 that's cool my dad passed away 2 years ago , he was 88
My family was stationed at Yokota during the years 1972-74 attended Johnson High School at Johnson Air Base .. was some of the best years of my childhood…
Even then it was like small town USA paradise. "Monsoon rains"...It sure doesn't rain like that anymore in Tokyo. Now a days some days during rainy season can be more pleasant than summer.
So strange I thought when I arrived That i having a B29 specialist licens was sent to Tachikawa right by Yokota that had B29s when our group arrived in japan. in 48 but due to what happened with korea was glad of it and to be sent home before that war after what i saw in Korea on our kempo flights in the C46.
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Tom Barry who crated JapanBrats died in August 2022.
In 1952 during the Korean War, my dad was stationed in the 343rd Bomb Squadron. I was delighted to find a shot of his squadron headquarters as well as get a feel for where he was. Thanks.
Housing looks similar to Washington Heights.
Probably because the military awarded a contract to a company called Wary Civil Engineering that contracted to build pretty much all military housing post WWII. The contract was later assigned to Capehart Construction. They were all cookie cutter construction. While Wary housing is mostly two story townhouse types, Capehart were mostly single story, single unit ranch style.
Old-day videos look like movies rather than documentaries.
Isn't that Ward Cleaver at 4:38?
A few errors here. During the Korean War, Yokota AFB was a TAC base, home to the 15th Tactical Squadron “Cottonpickers”among others. They flew F-86s and RF-84’s into Korea on tactical and recon missions. B-29s had a very limited involvement due to being so obsolete in a jet environment.
The “remote control models” being flown were actually wire control models. I helped my dad build several of these when he was stationed there during the Korean Conflict.
One of the things they glossed over was the fact that the family housing units all had “Fox holes” dug in front of each unit. We used to play in them as kids.
Also, just as a bit of added trivia, base schools used to have annual evacuation/Broken Arrow drills where the students were put on buses and driven into countryside away from the base in case of Chinese/Korean attack. We were that close to Korea in Japan.
What years are you talking about? China and NK had no capabilities for attacking Japan during the Korean War.
Is it right for me to say that Japan became a “colony” of the United States after the Second World War?.
Absolutely incorrect. Japan colonized most of Asia and the South Pacific prior to and during World War II.
Unlike its war-time ally the Soviet Union in Eastern Europe, the United States merely occupied Japan after its surrender. The San Francisco Peace Treaty, signed by 48 nations on September 8, 1951, officially ended Japan's position as an imperial power, provided compensation to those who had suffered in Japan during the Second World War, and terminated the Allied post-war occupation of Japan. Japan officially regained its independence in 1952.
In sharp contrast to the U.S., the Soviet Union (now Russia) has refused to return the Kuril Islands, the northernmost chain of islands, to Japan despite repeated demands since 1945.
Under its constitution Japan is not permitted a military of its own, only a defense force. The U.S.-Japan Security Treaty permits the presence of U.S. military bases on its soil and to assist in its defense.
No.