Bataan Airfield
Encyclopedia
Bataan Airfield was a former wartime United States Army Air Forces
airfield on Luzon
in the Philippines
. It was overrun by the Imperial Japanese Army
during the Battle of the Philippines (1942). The airfield was located near the village of Lucanin, south Lamao in Bataan Provience
The airfield was used by whatever surviving aircraft were left on Luzon, mostly P-40s from the 24th Pursuit Group
, but also a variety of observation aircraft and Navy planes.
During the Battle of Bataan
, the airfield was attacked and strafed daily by the Japanese, however no aircraft were lost on the ground as a result of the attacks. Bataan Field, along with airfields at Cabcaben and Mariveles were kept in operation for several months during the Battle of Bataan.
Surviving aircraft were sent to Del Monte Airfield on Mindanao
about 8 April 1942 to carry on the fight. Bataan Field was captured as part of the American surrender on 9 April 1942.
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
airfield on Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. It was overrun by the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
during the Battle of the Philippines (1942). The airfield was located near the village of Lucanin, south Lamao in Bataan Provience
History
The airfield was a temporary field located several miles from the southern tip of the Bataan peninsula built about 20 December 1941. Bataan Field consisted of a dirt runway, hacked out of the jungle by Army engineers. However, it was well camouflaged.The airfield was used by whatever surviving aircraft were left on Luzon, mostly P-40s from the 24th Pursuit Group
24th Pursuit Group
The 24th Pursuit Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was wiped out in the Battle of the Philippines . The survivors fought as infantry during Battle of Bataan and after their surrender, were subjected to the Bataan Death March, although some did escape to Australia. The unit was...
, but also a variety of observation aircraft and Navy planes.
During the Battle of Bataan
Battle of Bataan
The Battle of Bataan represented the most intense phase of Imperial Japan's invasion of the Philippines during World War II. The capture of the Philippine Islands was crucial to Japan's effort to control the Southwest Pacific, seize the resource-rich Dutch East Indies, and protect its Southeast...
, the airfield was attacked and strafed daily by the Japanese, however no aircraft were lost on the ground as a result of the attacks. Bataan Field, along with airfields at Cabcaben and Mariveles were kept in operation for several months during the Battle of Bataan.
Surviving aircraft were sent to Del Monte Airfield on Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
about 8 April 1942 to carry on the fight. Bataan Field was captured as part of the American surrender on 9 April 1942.
See also
- Geography of the PhilippinesGeography of the PhilippinesThe Philippines is an archipelago comprising 7,107 islands with a total land area of 300,000 km2. The 11 largest islands contain 94% of the total land area. The largest of these islands is Luzon at about 105,000 km2. The next largest island is Mindanao at about 95,000 km2...
- Military History of the PhilippinesMilitary history of the Philippines-Battle of Mactan:The Battle of Mactan on April 27, 1521, is celebrated as the earliest reported resistance of the natives in the Philippines against foreign invaders. Lapu-Lapu, a Chieftain of Mactan Island, defeated Christian European explorers led by the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand...
- Military History of the United StatesMilitary history of the United StatesThe military history of the United States spans a period of over two centuries. During the course of those years, the United States evolved from a new nation fighting the British Empire for independence without a professional military , through a monumental American Civil War to the world's sole...
- United States Army Air Forces in the South West Pacific TheatreUnited States Army Air Forces in the South West Pacific TheatreDuring World War II, the United States Army Air Forces engaged in combat against the air, ground and naval forces of the Empire of Japan in the South West Pacific Theatre....