Guskhara Airfield

The airfield was closed following the end of World War II. The primary reason was the withdrawal of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) from the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater. With the cessation of hostilities, the extensive network of temporary combat airfields, including Guskhara, was no longer required for military operations. The base was handed over to the British colonial government and subsequently abandoned.

The airfield is abandoned and in a state of decay. Satellite imagery and local reports confirm that the original wartime runways and taxiways are still visible but are heavily deteriorated, overgrown with vegetation, and unusable for aviation. The land is now under the control of the Indian Army and is part of the Guskara Army Camp / Cantonment. Some parts of the former airfield are used by the military for training or other ground activities, while other sections have been encroached upon for local agriculture. There are no functional airport facilities remaining.

Guskhara Airfield, also known as USAAF Station A-74, was a major American military airfield of immense strategic importance during World War II. Constructed in 1942-1943, it served as a key base for the USAAF Tenth and Twentieth Air Forces.

Operations and Units:

1. **Tenth Air Force Operations (1943-1944):**
* **7th Bombardment Group (Heavy):** Stationed at Guskhara from October 1943 to June 1944, flying B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. They conducted long-range bombing missions against Japanese supply lines, bridges, airfields, and infrastructure in Burma.
* **341st Bombardment Group (Medium):** Flew B-25 Mitchell medium bombers from the airfield between January and June 1944, supporting the ground campaign in Burma by attacking Japanese troop concentrations and communication lines.

2. **Twentieth Air Force & Operation Matterhorn (1944-1945):**
* Guskhara became one of the four primary B-29 Superfortress bases in the Bengal region for the XX Bomber Command.
* **444th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy):** This group was stationed at Guskhara from April 1944 to March 1945. Flying the new B-29s, they participated in 'Operation Matterhorn', the strategic bombing campaign against the Japanese home islands. The B-29s would fly from Guskhara to forward airfields in China (near Chengdu) to refuel before conducting perilous, very long-range bombing raids on targets in Japan, Manchuria, and Formosa.

The airfield was a critical logistical and operational hub, supporting some of the most advanced aircraft and ambitious bombing campaigns of the war.

There are no known official plans or credible prospects for reopening Guskhara Airfield for either civilian or military aviation. Its proximity to the large, modern, and fully operational Panagarh Air Force Station (which serves as a major hub for the Indian Air Force's C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft) makes the revival of Guskhara redundant. The current use of the land by the Indian Army and the significant cost required to rebuild the infrastructure from its current derelict state make any future reopening highly improbable.