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Guanghan Airport Kwanghan Airfield 广汉机场 Guanghan Jichang
IATA: GHN ICAO: ZUGH
Summary
Airport type	Pilot training
Operator	Civil Aviation Flight University of China
Location	Guanghan, Sichuan, China
Built	1942
Coordinates	30°56′52″N 104°19′47″E / 30.94778°N 104.32972°E / 30.94778; 104.32972
Map
GHNLocation of airport in Sichuan

Guanghan Airport (Chinese: 广汉机场) (IATA: GHN, ICAO: ZUGH) is an airport southeast of Guanghan, Sichuan, China. Formerly a military airfield known as Kwanghan Airfield (A-3) during World War II. It is now used by Civil Aviation Flight University of China for pilot training and has no commercial flights.

History

During World War II, the airfield was the forward staging base for the 444th Bombardment Group, which carried out B-29 Superfortress raids on the Japanese Home Islands.

In 1943, The United States Army Air Force was given rights to use the airfield to stage bombing missions from India to attack Japan. It was one of four B-29 bases established by the Americans in China.

The USAAF 444th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy) flew missions from the airfield beginning in mid-June 1944. The group had to transport its supplies of fuel, bombs, and spare parts from its base at Dudhkundi, India over "The Hump" (the name given by Allied pilots to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains), since Japanese control of the seas around the Chinese coast made seaborne supply of China impossible. The first mission was carried out on the night of June 14/15, 1944 against the Imperial Iron and Steel Works at Yawata on Kyushu. This plant was considered to be the most important single objective within Japan's steel industry, and had long held top priority for the first strike. It was the first time since the Doolittle raid of 1942 that American aircraft had bombed the Japanese home islands.

In addition to the bombers, the USAAF 81st Fighter Group used the airfield, flying P-40 Warhawk and P-47 Thunderbolt fighters as part of the Fourteenth Air Force "Flying Tigers". The 81st provided close air support for Chinese Army ground forces fighting the Japanese, as well as flying escort missions for the B-29s over the Japanese-occupied area of China. In January 1945 the B-29 bombers were moved back to India before transferring in April to the newly captured bases in the Mariana Islands. In February, the fighters were moved to a new airfield near Fungwansham. With the departure of the Americans, the much-improved airfield was then returned to Chinese authorities.

See also

• Operation Matterhorn

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

1. ^ Craven, Wesley Frank; James Lea Cate. "Vol. V: The Pacific: MATTERHORN to Nagasaki, June 1944 to August 1945". The Army Air Forces in World War II. U.S. Office of Air Force History. http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/AAF/V/index.html.
2. ^ Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.

External links

v t e USAAF Fourteenth Air Force in World War II
Previously: 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG) "Flying Tigers" (Dec 1941-July 1942) China Air Task Force (July 1942-Mar 1943)
Airfields	China Ankang Chanyi Chengkung Chengtu Chihkiang Hanchung Hankow Hsian Hsingching Huhsien Kanchow Kunming Kwanghan Kweilin Laifeng Laohwangping Loping Liangshan Liuchow Luliang Nanning Peishiyi Pungchacheng Shwangliu Suichwan Tsuyung Yangkai Yunnani
Units	Wings 68th Composite 69th Composite 312th Fighter Chinese-American Composite Wing (Provisional) Groups Bombardment 308th Bombardment 341st Bombardment 402d Bombardment Fighter 23d Fighter 33d Fighter 51st Fighter 81st Fighter 311th Fighter 476th Fighter Transport 443d Troop Carrier Squadrons Combat Cargo 1st Combat Cargo 2d Combat Cargo 11th Combat Cargo Night Fighter 426th Night Fighter 427th Night Fighter Reconnaissance 21st Photographic Reconnaissance 35th Photographic Reconnaissance Transport 322d Troop Carrier
United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth

v t e USAAF Twentieth Air Force in World War II
Airfields	China Hsinching Airfield (A-1) Kwanghan Airfield (A-3) Kuinglai Airfield (A-5) Pengshan Airfield (A-7) India Chakulia Airfield Dudhkundi Airfield Piardoba Airfield Kalaikunda Airfield Ceylon RAF China Bay Marianas Harmon Airfield (Guam) Isely Airfield (Saipan) North Airfield (Guam) North Airfield (Tinian) Northwest Airfield (Guam) West Airfield (Tinian)
Units	Commands VII Fighter XX Bomber XXI Bomber Wings 58th Bombardment 73d Bombardment 313th Bombardment 314th Bombardment 315th Bombardment 301st Fighter Groups Bombardment 6th Bombardment 9th Bombardment 16th Bombardment 19th Bombardment 29th Bombardment 39th Bombardment 40th Bombardment 330th Bombardment 331st Bombardment 444th Bombardment 462d Bombardment 468th Bombardment 497th Bombardment 498th Bombardment 499th Bombardment 500th Bombardment 501st Bombardment 502d Bombardment 504th Bombardment 505th Bombardment 509th Composite Fighter 15th Fighter 21st Fighter 413th Fighter 414th Fighter 506th Fighter 507th Fighter
United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth

• Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in China
• Airports in Sichuan
• Airports established in 1942
• 1942 establishments in China
• Deyang