Yunnanyi Airport, formerly known as Xiangyun Airport and during WWII as Beitun Airport, is a military airport in western

Xiangyun County Xiangyun County (; Bai: ) is a county in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture located in the west-central part of Yunnan province, China. It borders Dayao County, Yao'an County and Nanhua County to the east, Midu County to the south, Dali City ...

, Yunnan province, China. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, there were two airports in Xiangyun County: (after the nearby town, ) and Beitun Airport (). The original Yunnanyi Airport was abandoned after 1949. Beitun Airport stayed in use, and was renamed Xiangyun Airport. Xiangyun Airport was later renamed again to become the current Yunnanyi Airport.

History

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the original Yunnanyi Airport (also known as Yunnani or Siangyun Airfield) and was used by the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

Fourteenth Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizatio ...

as part of the China Defensive Campaign beginning in September 1944. The airfield was primarily used by transport (

C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a low-wing, twin-engine aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurized high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company ...

C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for troo ...

) squadrons arriving from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

after flying over "

the Hump The Hump was the name given by Allies of World War II, Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from British Raj, India to Republic of China (1912- ...

". The transport aircraft unloaded supplies and equipment for the Chinese forces, primarily being food and ammunition. In addition, USAAF F-4 (

P-38 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinc ...

) aircraft flew combat reconnaissance missions over Japanese-held areas from the airport in late 1944 and early 1945. The Americans closed their facilities at the airport in July 1945.

References

* * Maurer, Maurer. Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983.
Airfields & Seaplane Anchorages China

USAFHRA history search, Yunnani
{{authority control Airfields of the United States Army Air Forces in China Airports in Yunnan Transport in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture