Yontan Airfield Yontan Airfield ( also known as Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield ) is a former military airfield on Okinawa , located Yomitan , Okinawa Village on the Okinawa western coast . It was closed in July 1996 and turned over to the Japanese government in December 2006 . Today it is abandoned with a series of roads overlaid over the former airfield runways . History . Yontan ( Yomitan ) Airfield was originally established by Imperial Japanese Army in 1944 as . During the Battle of Okinawa on April 1 , 1945 , United States Marine Corps and United States Army forces seized the airfield on the first day of the landing . It was quickly repaired and became the first airfield on Okinawa to be used by the American forces . Later , it was developed into a major American base for Army , Marine and Navy aircraft . It was at Yontan that the American forces first found copies of the Yokosuka MXY - 7 " Ohka " rocket - propelled kamikaze aircraft . It was a manned flying bomb that was usually carried underneath a Mitsubishi G4M " Betty " , Yokosuka P1Y Ginga " Frances " ( guided Type 22 ) or planned Heavy Nakajima G8N Renzan " Rita " ( transport type 43A / B ) bomber to within range of its target ; on release , the pilot would first glide toward the target and when close enough he would fire the Ohka ' s rocket engine and guide the missile towards the ship that he intended to destroy . The final approach was almost unstoppable ( especially for Type 11 ) because the aircraft gained tremendous speed . Seven US ships were damaged or sunk by Ohkas throughout the war . Major USAAF units assigned to Yontan . In addition to the USAAF units , Yontan Airfield hosted several Naval and Marine Corps air squadrons equipped with F4U Corsair s , PBY Catalina s and F6F Hellcat s . B - 32 Dominator . The 312th Bomb Group , 386th Bomb Squadron was the sole USAAF squadron that flew the Consolidated B - 32 Dominator in combat . Following the dropping of the atomic bombs , in August 1945 , the squadron was ordered to move to Okinawa from the Philippines , where the squadron flew several combat missions over Japan . These combat missions were flown in spite of a " de facto " cease - fire that had been called following the bombing of Nagasaki . During this time , the B - 32s flew mainly photographic reconnaissance missions , most of which were unopposed . However , on August 17 , a group of four B - 32s flying over Tokyo were fired on by radar - directed flak and were attacked by Japanese fighters . The American aircraft escaped with only minor damage , claiming one confirmed fighter kill and two probables . During a reconnaissance mission over Tokyo on August 18 , serials 42 - 108532 and 42 - 108578 were attacked by Japanese fighters . The American gunners claimed two kills and one probable , but 578 was badly shot up and one of her crew was killed with two being injured . That was to prove to be the last combat action of World War II . The last Dominator mission of the war was flown by four B - 32s on August 28 in a reconnaissance mission to Tokyo . The mission was a disaster , although not because of any enemy action . 42 - 108544 lost an engine on takeoff and skidded off the runway . All 13 men aboard perished when the aircraft exploded and burned . On the way back from the target , 42 - 108528 lost power on two of its four engines . The plane ' s pilot ordered the crew to bail out , but two men were killed . Postwar use . After 1947 , there were no permanently assigned units to Yontan , and the base was used as auxiliary for Kadena Air Base until the mid - 1950s . Afterward it was placed in auxiliary reserve status . In June 1948 , the 170th Airway and Air Communications Service ( AACS ) Squadron was activated at Yontan , to provides air trafic control and communications support for USAF units in Okinawa . Shortly after the 170th redesignated as 1962d AACS Squadron . The unit moved to Kadena AB and redesignated as 1962d AACS Group ( later , Communications Group ) on 18 February 1955 . By 1950 , Yontan was redesignated as a parachute drop training facility due to its runways not feasible for large / jet aircraft operations . By that time , local residents were started farming at the airfield with the tacit permission of the Air Force , there were no fences installed on the base boundaries except administrative area . Since the parachute drop trainings were first begun , 33 serious off range drop accidents occurred including the death of a girl on 2 August 1950 when a fuel tank fell into private house , and a 11 June 1965 accident in which a trailer landed off target crushing a 10 - year - old girl , who was playing in the family yard . From 1969 thru the early 70 ' s special services from Kadena AB used Yomitan as an Air Force Aeroclub training base . With six Cessna 150s based there flying seven days a week . With the Okinawa reversion in 1972 , the Government of Japan ( GOJ ) has concurrently provide the airfield as Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield ( FAC 6027 ) for the USFJ requirements . Under the agreement of the 16th U . S . - Japan Security Consultative Committee in 1976 , 250 . 78 acres of land at eastern portions of the airfield were partially returned to the GOJ in 3 release actions ; 0 . 48 acres were released on 14 May 1977 , 0 . 19 acres were released on 31 May 1977 , and 250 . 11 acres were released on 30 April 1978 . The remainder approximately 191 acres were transferred from Fifth Air Force to the control of Commander Fleet Activities , Okinawa ( COMFLEACTS Okinawa ) on 27 July 1978 . In addition , control of the Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield passed from COMFLEACTS Okinawa to Commanding General Marine Corps Base , Camp Butler on 9 October 1980 . The last parachute drop training was conducted at Yomitan on 19 July 1996 . Under the agreement of SACO Final Report , the training relocated to Ie Jima Auxiliary Airfield ( FAC 6005 ) , Yomitan retained as an electromagnetic interference restriction for HF / DF operations at Sobe Communication Site . With the completion of the functional relocation of Sobe Communication Site into Camp Hansen , Yomitan Auxiliary Airfield was completely returned to the GOJ and landowners in December 2006 .