San Marcelino Airfield

San Marcelino Airfield
Part of Fifth Air Force
Province of Zambales, Philippines
San Marcelino Airfield
Coordinates	14°58′29.22″N 120°09′23.07″E / 14.9747833°N 120.1564083°E / 14.9747833; 120.1564083Coordinates: 14°58′29.22″N 120°09′23.07″E / 14.9747833°N 120.1564083°E / 14.9747833; 120.1564083
Type	Military airfield
Site information
Owner	Town of San Marcelino
Controlled by	United States Army Air Forces
Site history
Built	1940
In use	1940-1945
Garrison information
Past commanders	Capt. Ramon Magsaysay
Occupants	Elements of the US 38th Division

San Marcelino Airfield is a World War II airfield located in Zambales province of the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. It was closed after the war.

History

San Marcelino Airfield was built before the war by the Americans. On the morning of 29 January 1945 nearly 35,000 U.S. troops landed just northwest of San Marcelino. Elements of the US 38th Division immediately dashed inland to take the airstrip, but found that Filipino guerrillas under the command of Capt. Ramon Magsaysay, later president of the Republic of the Philippines, had secured the field three days earlier.

After the liberation by combined Filipino-American troops on Zambales in 1945, it was developed into a Fifth Air Force command facility as well as an operational airfield. With the end of the war, the airfield was closed and is now part of the town of San Marcelino. Units assigned were:

• 308th Bombardment Wing (11 January-16 June 1945)
• 309th Bombardment Wing (8 February-29 May 1945)
• 90th Bombardment Group (26 January-10 August 1945)
• 345th Bombardment Group (13 February-12 May 1945)
• 348th Fighter Group (4 February-15 May 1945)
• 421st Night Fighter Squadron (25 October 1944-8 February 1945)
• 547th Night Fighter Squadron (December 1944 16 January 1945)

See also

• USAAF in the Southwest Pacific

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of 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 0-89201-092-4.
• www.pacificwrecks.com

External links

USAAF Fifth Air Force in World War II Previously: Philippine Department Air Force (1941); Far East Air Force (1941-1942) Airfields Pacific USAAF in Australia USAAF in the Southwest Pacific USAAF in Okinawa Units Commands V Bomber V Fighter 5th Interceptor (Provisional) Wings 54th Troop Carrier 85th Fighter 86th Fighter 91st Reconnaissance 308th Bombardment 309th Bombardment 310th Bombardment Groups Air Commando 3d Air Commando Bombardment 3d Bombardment 7th Bombardment 19th Bombardment 22d Bombardment 27th Bombardment 38th Bombardment 43d Bombardment 90th Bombardment 312th Bombardment 345th Bombardment 380th Bombardment 417th Bombardment Combat Cargo 2d Combat Cargo Fighter 8th Fighter 24th Pursuit 35th Fighter 49th Fighter 58th Fighter 348th Fighter 475th Fighter Reconnaissance 6th Reconnaissance 71st Reconnaissance Troop Carrier 317th Troop Carrier 374th Troop Carrier 375th Troop Carrier 433d Troop Carrier Squadrons Bombardment 31st Bombardment Night Fighter 418th Night Fighter 421st Night Fighter 547th Intelligence Reconnaissance 2d Observation 8th Photographic Reconnaissance 36th Photographic Reconnaissance Troop Carrier 21st Troop Carrier 22d Troop Carrier 65th Troop Carrier 66th Troop Carrier United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth