HOW IT WAS! KUNSAN AIRBASE (1938-1947) Japanese Army Aviation Training (1938-1945) Page 1 of 6

KUNSAN AIRBASE:

Kunsan Aerodrome (1938-1945): Japanese -- The Japanese construction of Kunsan Aerodrome as part of a tidal reclamation project and what the Americans saw upon their arrival in 1945.
Camp Hillenmeyer (1945-1949): Occupation Forces

• 63rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion (1945-1949) --Thanks to Dr. Fred Ottoboni. Describes Mission of the 63d Regiment and the impossible conditions in Korea at the time.
  
• 63rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion: A Soldier's Story (1947-1948) -- Thanks to Dr. Fred Ottoboni. Describes the living conditions and life of a soldier at K-8.
  
• 63rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion: 63d Service Company (1947-1948) -- Thanks to Al Vidal. Describes the living conditions and life at Kunsan Harbor.
  
• Photos of Camp Hillenmeyer & Kunsan City (1947) -- Thanks to Mr. James Witt
  
• Officer's family tour (1946 - 1947) -- Thanks to Robert Grenig (Lt. Col., USA, Ret) and Betty Grenig
  
• Information for Dependents (11 September 1946): -- Thanks to Robert Grenig (Lt. Col., USA, Ret). Provides historical background of the harsh conditions in Post-WWII Korea.
  

Kunsan Aerodrome (1949-1951): Korean Constabulary

Cholla Region Korean War History

Cholla Region Korean War History

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS:

Time Line of Korean War -- Tanner Publication Co.

Welcome to Kunsan City -- Extensive section with Photos, Maps, narratives tracing the history of the city from a poor fishing village to a bustling international port city with a major industrial zone.
Korean War Reference

• Airfield Location and Designator Map
  
• North Korean Main Supply Routes Map (Spring 1953)
  
• North Korean Railways Map (Spring 1953)
  
• Korean Airfield Identification Codes (Korean War)
  
• Additional Links about the Korean War
  

Willy's Web Award Willy's Web (NR) England

Superior Community Resource Award Nu-Horizon Design Studio (NR) Canada

Acknowledgment: Special thanks to Dr. Fred Ottoboni of Reno, Nevada for providing his invaluable information on Kunsan Aerodrome. Thanks to Lt. Col. Robert Grenig, USA, Ret., of Scottsdale, Arizona for his reminiscences as to the disposition of some of these Japanese structures. Special thanks to Alfred Vidal, Jr. of San Diego for sharing his information and photos of the Service Co. Special thanks to Bruce Verhaaren, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago, for providing materials and information that I could not otherwise have accessed.

The history of Kunsan Air Base dates back to 1938, when Japanese forces in Korea built a base near Kunsan for fighter-interceptor aircraft to support the Japanese drive into Manchuria. At the Kunsan Aerodrome, the short sod-covered dirt runway was typical of that time. (NOTE: Prior to the building of Kunsan Air Base, the strip was listed as an 2,800 foot dirt emergency landing strip.)

During World War II, the Allies did not view Korea as having many strategic targets -- and very few bombs were dropped on Korea targets. However, Kunsan's port facilities supplying rice for the Japanese homeland and armies still required protection. During this time, Japanese farmer families controlled most of the rice acreage in the Honam Plains. The Japanese 150th and 160th Infantry Divisions were stationed in the Cholla province to protect this valuable resource.

The unexpected suddenness with which Japan surrendered to the Allies caught the Americans by surprise. The U.S. XXIVth Corps of the Eighth Army, which had fought in the Okinawa campaigns, was ordered to go to Korea and accept the surrender of the Japanese in the area south of the 38th parallel line. On September 6th, a month after Soviet troops invaded Korea, 72,000 American troops under Lt. General John R. Hodge landed at Inchon and proceeded to Seoul and other localities. The next day, Governor-General Abe Nobuyuki surrendered to the Americans. The Japanese troops were quickly disarmed without incident.

The American occupation forces arrived in Korea without any plans other than to disarm Japanese troops and evacuate Japanese from South Korea. They had no knowledge of Korean history, culture, or economic and social conditions, and none spoke the Korean language. To complicate matters, the Japanese had assumed full control of the country and most Koreans were relegated to minor roles in government. All the leaders of government and police were Japanese...causing the Americans to retain them in place until they could find Koreans who could fill their roles.

Incheon Landings from Air (8 Sep 1945) (US Navy)

Incheon Landings from Air (8 Sep 1945) (US Navy)


Deoksu Palace and City Hall (9 Sep 1945) (US Navy)
Dongdaemun and Cheonggye Stream and Namsan Mountain (9 Sep 1945) (US Navy)

Japanese Troop Strength: Bruce Verhaaren, Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago, provided some very interesting information of the troop counts before the 63d Infantry Regiment arrived. He states, "According to a G-2 report for the 7th Division dated 22 SEP 1945 [G-2 Periodic Report #12] (this is before the 63rd IR arrived) the Japanese reported their troop strength at Kunsan as follows:

12th Advanced Air Training Unit - 600
23rd Advanced Air Training Unit - 600
19th Air Training Unit - 600
165th Field Airfield Construction Unit - 300
141st Independent Maintenance Unit - 300
171st Independent Maintenance Unit - 300

Barracks structures: There were ten 24-bunk barracks at the southern "toe" of what is now called "Gunsmoke Hill" on Kunsan Air Base. By referencing the 1932 Lautensach map (Fig. 76) of this area, these barracks were most likely in the general area of the present BOQ on the west side of Gunsmoke hill with a North Gate exiting to the Japanese farm holdings to the north. Dr. Fred Ottoboni, author of Korea Between the Wars -- A Soldier's Story wrote, "When I arrived in early January, 1947, there were Japanese barracks located at the toe of the hill at the north end of the airstrip. There were probably 10 single story wooden buildings remaining at the time. They were fairly long with a hallway down the middle. Rooms that held about a dozen people were along each side of this hallway. The outside was unpainted wood." These were the enlisted barracks.

In Russell E. McLogan's book Boy Soldier -- Coming of Age During World War II (p.303) it mentions long buildings 250-300 ft long with rooms on either side holding 6-8 persons were there upon their arrival in October 1945. From these buildings, one could estimate that there were between 120-180 persons to 240 persons in this area of the base. On p. 300, he states, "It took all day to make the trip from Seoul to Kunsan, some 130 miles. It was dark when we arrived at the Japanese Air Base near Kunsan where the third battalion was billeted in wooden barracks." He described the barracks (p. 303) as "very long and constructed of wood. The interior walls were made of paper-tin plywood. A long, narrow, central hallway ran the length of the barracks some 250 or 300 feet. There were small rooms on both sides of the hallway housing offices and sleeping quarters of the men, six or eight to a room. They were unheated and veritable fire traps." He went on, "Apparently the Japanese military were hardy souls who could live in that climate without heating the barracks. We Americans, who had just arrived from a tropical island, were always cold. We had available for our use small portable kerosene stoves. They were about six inches in diameter and eighteen inches high, about the size of a kerosene lantern, with a single burner on top. We used these little stoves mostly to keep warm, but also to make tea or coffee or to boil fresh eggs which we obtained from the local Koreans. Later one of these stoves was accidentally tipped over and the whole barracks was destroyed.

On pp. 305-306, he went on, "One building, which must have been officers' quarters, had a mini-swimming pool in it which turned out to be a communal bath tub. The story was that the Japanese all bathed together and sat around on the ledge. The cranked the heat way up and the last one to get out was considered to be the toughest. We used it as a reservoir of hot water and dipped buckets out of the pool to bathe." This was the traditional Japanese "furo" used for baths. From Fred Ottoboni's descriptions, there was a building was on the EAST side of what is now Gunsmoke Hill -- near the present POL above ground tank. It was away from the enlisted barracks area on the WEST side of the hill. My assumption is that this was the flight crew or officer billets because of its segregated location.

The Shimbun Theater
(From Korea Between the Wars courtesy Fred Ottoboni)

Other Structures: Fred Ottoboni wrote, "The original theater used into the spring of 1947 was an old one-story, wooden Japanese building about 15-20 feet wide and maybe 60 feet long. It was replaced by the new theater in the picture." He continued, "The new theater was built from the ground up with concrete foundations and floor. The main structure was a big metal quonset hut (40 feet wide) with a sheet metal building on one end to form the stage area. It was built in early 1947 by a Korean Contractor under the supervision of the Engineer Utility Detachment."

In addition, there were three large hangars (one aircraft each), and a wooden barracks that could accommodate about 500 military personnel. My assumption would be that this was the enlisted men's billeting area. These were located in the area of the present day Enlisted Barracks. According to Fred's book, Korea Between the Wars -- A Soldier's Story, one hangar was used by the dry cleaning service for a time; one hangar was converted for use as a beer hall (until a NCO club was built in 1947); and one hangar was used by a service company (transportation). Judging from a photo of the beer bar (in Fred Ottoboni's book), the hangar would probably accommodate only one aircraft. (Go to the Camp Hillenmeyer photos to view an aerial shot of one of the Japanese hangars that remained.)

The large 500-man structure was converted into "Shimbu" movie theater by the Occupation forces. (When the 3d Bomb Group arrived in 1951, the "Shimbu" movie theater had already been torn down.)

One of the three hangars that were left by the Japanese
(From Korea Between the Wars courtesy Fred Ottoboni)

From the Japanese buildings that remained, one can guess that there were between 120-500 Japanese personnel at the base at any given anytime -- with maximum space for 1000 troops. However, following the practice of Japan in the latter days of the war, the personnel at this base were probably a skeleton crew of the sick-and-lame or youngsters as all able-bodied troops went to the front lines of Okinawa. As was mentioned before, the unit stationed at Kunsan was a training unit. However, as petroleum was scarce in the later stages of the war, the amount of aerial training would probably have been very limited.

Ironically, the Real Property records of the USAF in 1999 indicated that there were STILL old Japanese structures on Kunsan. The problem was that Real Property records were not started until 1955 or 1957. There was no corporate knowledge of who built what on Korean bases during the Korean War -- and NO knowledge of the occupation years as the bases had reverted to the Koreans. When they did their survey, they classified the buildings by the types of materials used. Many buildings (such as the dependent quarters at Kunsan) were constructed of Japanese War Reparations materials (from Japan) using Japanese-trained Korean carpenters under the direction of the Occupation forces.

From comparisons of Camp Hillenmeyer photographs and details related by Fred Ottoboni and Col. Grenig, we can say with some assurance that there are NO Japanese structures remaining on the USAF side of Kunsan Air Base ... though some USAF agencies may reluctantly want to believe otherwise. Most buildings classified as Japanese construction have been positively identified as being constructed by the 63rd Infantry Regiment, 3d Battalion, 508th Engineering Utility Detachment (EUD) for their dependents. Others such as Bldg 101 (Water Treatment leanto) were not there during the Occupation forces years and can be attributed to the 3rd Airfield Installation Operations (AIO) who built the original water treatment plant with water pumped from the Okku reservoir in 1953.

Ironically though, some vestiges of the Japanese occupation are still seen today. Wooden water pipes are periodically dug up on Kunsan Airbase that are from this era -- held together by the calcium deposits built up over a 60-year period.

Base Site and Aerodrome: The base was sited on what was originally an island. Two areas were recovered from the tidal flats and connected to the island through the use of dikes. A reservoir separated the two areas. Hermann Lautensach in his book, Korea: A Geography Based on the Author's Travels and Literature states, "On the foreside of the peninsula where Kunsan lies the rice polders (reclaimed tidal flats) of the Fuji Company have spread out since 1923. Basically they are set up the same as the Yong-ampo polders. Previously there were silty mud flats here as well, with a few pine-covered islands sticking out, some of them connected by (sand)bars (913, 914) By means of mighty dikes, completely covered with stones outside and therefore very steep, which run straight for miles and use the islands as supports, two large polders have been wrested from the tidal flats. They are separated from each other by the largest island and a reservoir. ..." (For additional information about the Kunsan area during this time period go to Kunsan City (1920s-1930s).

By comparing Fig. 76 of Lautensach's book to current maps of Kunsan, one sees that the Kunsan Aerodrome was built up on the largest island of the tidal reclamation project. Most likely parts of the base had to be built up as it fronted on the mudflats. It should be noted here that there was a later extension project that expanded the land area again to the three small islands (shown on Fig. 76) out to another island anchor point (not shown). A reservoir was created about the location of the top left island in Fig 76. I am uncertain when this expansion was done, but as the base opened in 1938 (and the book's material is from 1936), I make the assumption that the project probably was done around 1938.

(NOTE: At this point it might be appropriate to make a comment that Kunsan's Civil Engineers would have benefitted immensely from reviewing Lautensach's book when siting new construction around the original east-west runway (now called Taxiway Charlie). In the late 1980s, they attempted to build the new 35th Aircraft Maintenance Unit (AMU) structure in this area. If they had examined the 1932 maps, they would have seen that the area was the original edge of the island and they were sinking piles into basically a "bottomless" bog. The new 35th AMU is now built on the mainland portion of the old island.)

At the top of the island (in Fig. 76 of Lautensach's book), there is a hilly area with three "peaks." The lowest "peak" is what is currently called "Gunsmoke hill" (or "Beacon Hill/Water Point" in 1954) where ten 24-bunk Japanese barracks buildings were situated. Between the lower "peak" and the top "peak," a road ran to the "north gate" of the base. (On Fred Ottoboni's 1947 hand-drawn map the road north from the Officer's quarters was to the north gate. The road marked "To Kunsan" was to the main gate.) The "peak" to the right is where the village of Okku is located near the reservoir. This town has existed since Japanese times.

By comparing Fred Ottoboni's sketch to Fig. 76., you can see that the Japanese runway was built between the top hills and the lower hills (now Haje (Okku landing) with a ROK Army lookout/training area and fishing village). The runway was built a 1/2 mile inland on the flat part of the island's center. The runway area was leveled and a bed of sand put in place and covered by dirt. According to Fred Ottoboni's book, "The airstrip originally had been built by the Japanese military, and named Kunsan Airdrome. The airstrip was about 3000 feet long and ran roughly parallel with the shore of the Yellow Sea, which was about one half mile to the west. The strip was not paved, but had a sod (grass) surface." (Go to the 1947 hand-drawn map by Fred Ottoboni. Note that prior to the Air Force taking over Kunsan Air Base, the dirt runway was listed on the aeronautical charts as a 2,800 feet dirt emergency runway.)

Fred goes on to say, "Based on test holes that we dug, it appeared to have been carefully built. About three inches of topsoil had been placed on a deep bed of clean, packed sand. Some of the local Korean workers told us that the area had been a mud flat on the shore of the Yellow Sea and that the whole area upon which the airfield and Camp Hillenmeyer (Kunsan Airbase) stood had been filled in using hand labor."

Camp Hillenmeyer Airstrip (Poor Quality Reproduction).
In the background is a L-4 Liaison aircraft
parked on the raised sod airstrip.
(Courtesy James Wilt)

Ammo Dump: At the South end of the base was the Ammo Dump. An explosion at this site on November 30, 1945 killed two American officers, 3 enlisted men and 12 civilians. They were attempting to defuse the abandoned Japanese munitions. Two villages were destroyed and 3,000 people left homeless. (Ref: G-2 Periodic Report of the XXIV Corps USAFIK, Report # 82 dated 1 DEC 1945.)

In Boy Soldier -- Coming of Age During World War II (p.308) Col. Arndt Mueller wrote that Capt. (Henry R.) Hillenmeyer, the S3 Operations Staff Officer along with another officer was killed in this explosion. (McLogan's book has a copy of the condolence letter to Capt. Hillenmeyer's widow signed by Gen. McArthur. Later the 3d Battalion's camp would be unofficially be renamed, Camp Hillenmeyer, though the records indicate that it was officially called first Camp Iri and then Camp Kunsan.)

Col Mueller wrote, "There were numerous Korean casualties. Some were the brave firemen...the rest were in the neighboring village. Most of the houses were flattened. A fierce fire broke out. The figure of 300 Korean caualties is not out of line and may even be a low figure. ... This was a tragedy waiting to happen. Every time I went into that dump, my skin would crawl ... Ammo, black powder, picric acid explosives, fuses and blasting caps were all mixed up. Black powder had been spilled on the ground. The Japs did not obeserve the strict ammo storage procedures that we did..." went on to describe the explosion in the Japanese ammo dump on the South side of the base on Nov 30, 1945. He stated that "Division sent us an explosives expert who was to supervise the job of reducing the dump ... An engineer Lt. in charge of repair of a nearby bridge said that the last he saw of the expert, (just before the explosion), he was standing on top of a pile of explosives directing the Korean firemen in their attempt to put out a fire in the rice stubble inside the dump." This site remained the ammo storage area for Kunsan AB (K-8) during the Korean War and is the current location of the 8th FW munitions storage area.

McLogan described how they disposed of the Japanese munitions by dumping them into the sea from flat-bottomed barges. Requests to use the Japanese regiment to do this labor was denied because of the fear that Japanese treachery would create a disaster. After the explosion, Col. Mueller stated, "Division said it was OK to use the Japs to dispose the ammo at sea. They did it without incident ... gave me no trouble -- followed all the rules I laid down to the letter. I even took my guards off their compound."

Off-base Roads: The old roads to Kunsan City followed the route as the irrigation canals (marked in Fig 76 of Lautensach's book). The road proceeded out of the main gate (at the top left corner of the southern polder). The first road proceeds to the reservoir and makes the bend through the hill in the reservoir (21); heads straight through what is now Mimiyon/American town to the base of Wolmyong mountain. Currently there is a new intersection here with an east-west road (Industrial-Complex Road) to connect to the new Industrial road of Waehang. The old road then continued straight to follow the waterfront, much as it does today down to the Wolmyong mountain tunnel. Col. Grenig remembers that there were two roads to the base. The second road connected at the reservoir. The narrow one-truck lane runs along the top of the reservoir dike -- that still exists today -- and connected to the old farm road that headed to Iri (Iksan).

Yellow Sea and Perimeter Defense: In Russell E. McLogan's book Boy Soldier -- Coming of Age During World War II (p.308) he mentions that "The Yellow Sea was within walking distance and we often walked down to the shore. The tides in this part of the world are enormous, sometimes running as high as 30 heet. When it was at low tide we could stand on the beach and look out over miles and miles of mud flats with the ocean barely discernible on the horizon." There were rice fields between the base and "beach," but the shore line was open.

The Japanese defended their bases with pillboxes overlooking the shoreline. One was near the present Civil Engineering compound on Avenue C and appeared to be a command post. It was used by the 3rd Comm Squadron in the Korean War, but was a nightmare to demolish in the mid-1960s. This resulted in the decision to leave the other pillboxes intact. These pillboxes are along the edge of the golf course. One is across from the gas station and is still used in exercises. One is near the BOQ area and is locked and unused. These pillboxes on the Golf Course were on what was then the perimeter of the base as the north-south runway was not built at the time.

Kunsan City: McLogan states, "We could also catch a ride to town, which was a congested, smelly place of mud houses with thatched roofs. The shops were full of junk that we weren't interested in buying. Hair pomades, for instance. There seemed to be hundreds of jars of the stuff in every other shop. They were also overstocked with incense and equipment to burn it. Some soldiers bought some but got a lot of complaints when they tried burning it in the barracks. ... We were forbidden to eat or drink any of the native foods because they didn't have much and needed what little they did have to keep from starving, and their standards of public health were much lower and the prevalence of communicable intestinal diseases, principally typhoid fever and cholera, was very high. This was because they used human excrement as fertilizer on their farms."

One humorous statement was the combination of human excrement and KIMCHI was the reason for the rank smell of Kunsan. He went on, "Actually, Kunsan was a fairly large city of some 40,000 people at that time. It was Korea's sixth largest port and could accommodate ships of 4000 tons. However, a ship drawing more than eight feet of water could reach the harbor only at high tide. Kunsan was being used to ship out the Japanese and bring in the repatriated Koreans." The pontoon docks were built in about 1932 and later expanded by the Japanese. These conditions in the harbor lasted up until the present times -- even with dredging. It was not until the mid-1990s that they developed the deep water "outer port" (wei hang) area for ships.

Repatriation: 33,845 Koreans were processed through Kunsan on the way to relocation centers in Korea. According to reports there were 2 million Koreans in Japan at the end of the war. 1.4 million were voluntarily repatriated, but 600,000 remained in Japan. In the opposite direction, 22,095 Japanese were returned to Japan. (NOTE: Though South Koreans still claim that the Koreans in Japan today are descendants of those conscripted as forced labor before and during WWII, this in NOT true. The fact is that the Japan was forced to use Japanese ships to repatriate the Koreans -- at their expense -- by direction of Gen. McArthur's GHQ. Those that remained in Japan voluntarily became the "Zainichi Koreans" who received special residency permits from the Japanese Government. The facts are that the bulk of these Koreans came to Japan for economic reasons AFTER World War II.)

Sanitation at the time must have been very primative. McLogan commented, "I heard some medics talking once about how they had to meet the incoming ships, mostly LCIs and LSTs, and spray delousing powder on the Koreans before they were allowed to board trains for their home towns."

Japanese Being Marched to Inchon Port (1945) (US Army)

Korean Policeman Guarding Japanese (1945) (US Army)

63rd Infantry Division History (Dec 1945): An interesting note about the 63rd's history is on p. 313. "The Unit History also says that by December 31, 1945, the 63rd Infantry had accomplished the following (abridged) missions in Korea:"

• a. Completed the occupation of Cholla-Pukto Province.
• b. Completed the disarmament and evacuation of 3,751 Japanese Army troops to Japan.
• c. Military Government in Cholla-Pukto Provice down to all 14 Guns (Counties) totaling 1,700,000 in population.
• d. Completed the evacuation of 22,095 Jap civilains to Japan.
• e. Established a processing station at the port of Kunsan. At total of 33,845 Koreans from Japan were unloaded and dispatched by rail to relocations centers in Korea. A total of 251 Chinese were dispatched by LST to China.
• f. Approximately 600 tons of Japanese ammunition and explosives were destroyed.

• Go to Japanese Aviation Training Base (1938-1945)
  
• Go to Occupation Forces: 6th Infantry Division, 63d Infantry Regiment, 3d Battalion; A Soldier's Story (1945-1947)
  
• Go to Occupation Forces: 63d Service Company, Kunsan Harbor
  
• Go to Occupation Forces: Officer's Tour (1946-1947); Korean Constabulary (1949-1951)
  
• Go to Cholla Province Korean War History (1950-1951): North Korean Invasion and Military Actions in Cholla area
  
• Go to Cholla Province Korean War History (1951-1952): Invasion of Inchon and Retaking of Kunsan AB
  

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