Tsuiki Air Field

Tsuiki Air Field

築城飛行場

Tsuiki Hikōjō
Tsuiki Air Field; 築城飛行場; Tsuiki Hikōjō
	IATA: none; ICAO: RJFZ;
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	Japan Air Self-Defense Force
Location	Tsuiki, Japan
Elevation AMSL	55 ft / 17 m
Map
	RJFZ Location in Japan
Runways
	Source: Japanese AIP at AIS Japan

Tsuiki Air Field (築城飛行場, Tsuiki Hikōjō) (ICAO: RJFZ) is a military aerodrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Tsuiki Airbase (築城基地, Tsuiki Kichi). It is located in Tsuiki, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan.

Units

Western Air Defense Force

8th Air Wing
- 6SQ (F-2A/B)
- 304SQ (F-15J/DJ)
2nd Air Defence Missile Group
- 7th Fire Unit

History

Tsuiki Airfield was originally built by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force during World War II. The airfield was attacked by USAAF Fifth Air Force B-24 Liberator and A-26 Invader bombers on 7 August 1945, largely destroying the base and incapacitating the airfield for operational use.

Not rebuilt in the immediate postwar era, the old IJAAF airfield was pressed into use during the early days of the Korean War, when the United States Air Force 8th Fighter Group moved F-51 Mustangs to Tsuiki in mid-August 1950 for operations over the South Korean Pusan Perimeter. When airfields became available in South Korea, the unit moved to Suwon AB (K-13) to conduct ground support operations.

In addition, the 35th Fighter Group, one of the first USAF units deployed to South Korea, pulled out of the line for F-51 replacement aircraft and personnel R&R at Tsuiki in mid-August. In October, it returned to the South Korean battlefield, moving with the 8th FG to Suwon AB.

After its reactivation, Tsuiki Air Base became a second-line USAF facility for the remainder of the Korean War, hosting several weather squadrons, with the 6169th Air Base Squadron being the main host support unit, and supervising construction of new runways and support buildings. After the combat in Korea ended in 1953, it remained a reserve base until being returned to Japanese control in June 1957.

References

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

Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.