Del Carmen Airfield

Del Carmen Field
Part of Fifth Air Force
Luzon, Philippines
Type	Military Airfield
Site information
Controlled by	United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built	1930s
In use	1940-1941 (Occupied by the Japanese, Dec 1941-Jan 1945)
Battles/wars	Battle of the Philippines (1942) Philippines Campaign (1944–45)

Del Carmen Airfield is a former 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).

History

The airfield was built by the Americans prior to World War II. It was located to the south of Clark Field in Pampanga Province. The Fifth Air Force based Seversky P-35s assigned to the 34th Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group at the airfield prior to the Japanese air attack on the Philippines, 8 December 1941. Most of the squadrons aircraft were destroyed on the ground during the attack.

The airfield was abandoned by the USAAF about 20 December prior to it being overrun by the invading Imperial Japanese Army. After its occupation, it was used by Japanese aircraft as a satellite field for the Clark area.

After the recapture of Lete during the Philippines Campaign (1944–45), the airfield was not used by the USAAF. It was, however, the scene of a Japanese attack on 7 December 1944 when Japanese General Yamashita ordered the entire First Airborne Brigade with two regiments to jump the American beachhead on Leyte on 6 December. Japanese paratroopers loaded into 95th Sentai Ki-49 Helens and Ki-57 Topsys. They took off from Angeles South Airfield and Del Carmen Airfield. For the paratrooper drop and crash landings against the American liberated San Pablo Airfield and Buri Airfieldat 1800 hours. Although the paratroopers caught the Americans by surprise, those who did reach the airfields were ineffective. The attack proved to be disorganized and an abortive effort.

See also

• Geography of the Philippines
• Military History of the Philippines
• Military History of the United States

See also

• United States Army Air Forces in the South West Pacific Theatre

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0892010924.
• Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0892010975
• The Army Air Forces in World War II, Chapter 6, Pearl Harbor and Clark Field