Hokuto Airfield
Type | 140 Air Base | |
Historical Name of Location | Hokuto, Taichu, Taiwan | |
Coordinates | 23.865039000, 120.441570000 |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseHokuto Airfield was located in central Taiwan. Hokuto was the Japanese pronunciation for the Chinese characters for the town of Beidou in Taichu Prefecture (now Taichung), but the airfield was actually closer to present day towns of Zhutang and Pitou in Changhua County. Some Japanese records used the name Bakutau Airfield rather than Hokuto Airfield, with Bakutau being a phonetic translation of the Taiwanese pronunciation of Beidou. Finally, the Americans, having little intelligence on this small airfield, mislabeled it as "Keishu Airfield", thus further confusing the airfield's history. Hokuto Airfield was consisted of two runways roughly one mile apart. The airfield was struck by US Navy TBM Avenger torpedo bombers (from USS Langley and USS Essex) in Jan 1945. The runways were demolished some time after the war, with the land returning to agricultural use.
ww2dbaseSource: taiwanairpower.org
Last Major Update: May 2017
Hokuto Airfield Interactive Map
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Hokuto Airfield Timeline
3 Jan 1945 | 6 TBM-1C aircraft and 12 F6F-5 fighters, both of Air Group 44 from USS Langley, attacked Hokuto Airfield (referred by the Americans as "Keishu Airfield") in Hokuto (now Beidou) in central Taiwan with 60 100-pound bombs, rockets, and strafing. No Japanese aircraft rose to defend. |
4 Jan 1945 | TBM-5C torpedo bombers of VT-4 squadron, escorted by F6F-5 fighters of VF-4 squadron, both from USS Essex, attacked a number of Japanese airfields in Taiwan. Rojoseki Airfield in Rojoseki District of Shoka (now Erlin District of Changhua), Hokuto (misnamed "Keishu" in US records) Airfield in Shoka, and Mato Airfield in Tainan (now Madou District of Tainan) sustained damage. |
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WW2-Era Place Name | Hokuto, Taichu, Taiwan |
Lat/Long | 23.8650, 120.4416 |
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Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, 16 Mar 1945