| Iba Airfield | |
|---|---|
| Part of Fifth Air Force | |
| Luzon, Philippines | |
Rare color photo taken of one of the first B-17Ds in the Philippines, October 1941, Iba Field. Nine B-17s from Hawaii arrived shortly before. |
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| Type | Military airfield |
| Built | 1930s |
| In use | 1940–1941 (Occupied by the Japanese, December 1941 – January 1945) |
| Controlled by | United States Army Air Forces |
| Battles/wars | Battle of the Philippines (1942) |
Iba 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).
The airfield was built by the Americans prior to World War II and used primarily for gunnery training. It was located Located on the western coast of Luzon in Zambales provience. The Fifth Air Force based P-40E Warhawks assigned to the 3d Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group at the airfield prior to the Japanese air attack on the Philippines, 8 December 1941. In addition to the pursuit planes, a RADAR early warning station was located at the airfield.
The first word of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was received by commercial radio between 0300–0330 hours local. Within 30 minutes radar at Iba Field, Luzon plotted a formation of airplanes 75-miles (120-km) offshore, heading for Corregidor Island. P-40's were sent out to intercept but made no contact. By 1130 hours, the fighters sent into the air earlier landed for refueling, and radar disclosed another flight of Japanese aircraft 70-miles (112-km) West of Lingayen Gulf, headed south. Fighters from Iba Field made another fruitless search over the South China Sea. The P-40's sent on patrol of the South China Sea returned to Iba with fuel running low at the beginning of a Japanese attack on the airfield. The P-40's failed to prevent bombing but did manage to prevent the low-level strafing of the sort which proved so destructive at Clark Field earlier that day. The RADAR facilities at Iba, however, were destroyed in the attack.
On 9 December, the 3d Pursuit Squadron transferred from Iba to Nichols Field. 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.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.
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