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:

See also

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.


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