Starting in just two weeks after the invasion, Marine Corps and Navy aircraft started operating on Okinawa and Ie Shima island. The U.S. Army Air Crops (USAAF) would soon follow. By August 1945, the skies were alive with aircraft of all shapes and sizes. Five Major bases operated on Okinawa: Kadena, Yontan, Awase, Naha, and Ie Shima island.
Okinawa Airfields: Kadena, Yontan, Awase, Naha
Air Groups Air Squadrons Type of Aircraft
2nd Combat Cargo GP
3rd Air Commando
3RD B GP light
6TH Recon GP
6TH Recon GP
7TH AF
7TH AF
7th AF
8TH AF
11TH B GP heavy,
13TH AF
22nd B GP heavy
35TH F GP
38TH B GP heavy
38th B GP med
41ST B GP med
49th F GP
58TH F GP
312th B GP heavy
312TH B GP heavy
317th T Carrier GP
319TH B GP light
333RD B GP v heavy
346TH B GP v heavy
380TH B GP heavy
417th B GP light
494TH B GP heavy
Ie Shima Airfield
87th Fighter Command
301ST Fighter Wing
3rd Air Commando GP
3rd Air Commando GP
3rd Air Commando GP
7TH AF
7TH AF
8TH F GP
43RD B GP heavy
71ST Recon GP
71ST Recon GP
90TH B GP heavy
318TH F GP
345TH B GP med
348TH F GP
413TH F GP
475TH F GP
494TH B GP heavy
163 Liaison SQ
5th, 6th, 7th, 8th SQ
157th, 159th Liaison SQ
8TH, 13TH, 89TH, 90TH SQ
5TH, 25TH, 26TH Photo Recon SQ
20TH Recon SQ
28TH Photo Recon SQ
311TH Troop Carrier SQ
418TH Night F SQ
346TH B GP Very Heavy
26TH, 98TH, 431ST BS
868TH BS heavy
2nd, 19th, 33rd, 408th B SQ
39TH FS
822, 823 SQ
71ST SQ
396TH 820TH BS med
7th, 8th, 9th FS
69TH, 310TH, 311TH FS
386th BS
387TH BS heavy
39th TC SQ
437TH, 438TH, 439TH, 440TH
435TH, 460TH, 507TH SQ
461st, 462nd, 463rd SQ
528TH, 529TH SQ
672nd, 673rd, 674th, 675th SQ
373RD SQ
3RD, 4TH SQ
547th, 548TH Night SQ
28th Photo Recon SQ
80TH, 35TH, 36TH SQ
64TH, 65TH, 3RD SQ
82ND, 110TH Tact Recon SQ
17TH Recon SQ
319TH, 320TH, 400TH SQ
19th, 73rd, 333rd SQ
498TH, 499TH, 500TH, 501ST SQ
340th, 341st, 342nd, 460th SQ
1ST, 21ST, 34TH SQ
431ST, 432ND, 433RD SQ
864TH, 865TH, 866TH, 867TH SQ
2d Marine Air Wing Yontan Airstrip
HQ Squadron
VMO-3
VMO-6
VMO-7
MAG-14 Awase Air field
HQ Squadron-14
SMS-14
VMF-212 "Lancers"
VMF-222 "Flying Deuces"
VMF-223 "Bulldogs"
MAG-22 Ie Shima Island
HQ Squadron-22
SMS-22
VMF-113 "Whistling Devils"
VMF-314 "Bob's Cats"
VMF-422 "Flying Buccaneers"
VMF(N)-533 "Black Mac's Killers"
VMTB-131 "Diamondbacks"
MAG-31 Yontan Airfield
HQ Squadron-31
SMS-31
VMF-224 "Bengals"
VMF-311 "Tomcats"
VMF-441 "Blackjacks"
VMF(N)-542 "Bat eyes"
MAG-33 Kadena Air Base
HQ Squadron-33
SMS-33
VMF-312 "Checkerboards"
VMF-322 "Fighting Gamecocks"
VMF-323 "Death Rattlers"
VMF(N)-513 "Nightmares"
VMTB-232
MAG-43 Ie Shima Island
HQ Squadron-43
AWS-1, 6, 7, 8
3,095 sorties, air warning/defensive umbrella
U.S. Marine Corps Air Groups Apr-Aug 1945
The Battle of the Frozen Guns
On May 10th, Lt Robert Klingman flew his Corsair into one of the strangest air combat battles. After spotting vapor trails, his wingman, Capt Kenneth Reusser and him engaged Nick fighters and Baka bombers over Ie Shima Island. Short into the battle Lt Klingman's guns froze putting him out of the fight. Instead of doing the normal plan of action and returning to base. Lt Klingman turned his propellers into his new weapon. Making three passes on his adversary, who he could see banging his fists on his own frozen guns, slowing chewed the verticle stabilizer to bits. This caused the Nick fighter to go into a spin and crash into the sea.
Being dangerously low on fuel, the Corsair's made a emergency landing at Kadena Airfield.
7th Air Force
8th Air Force
5TH Fighter Command
20TH Bomber Command
308TH Bombardment Wing heavy
A collection of: Navagation, Invasion, Recon, & Battle maps
