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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2010 1:27:43 GMT 8
Hi, Batteryboy
Thanks for your warm welcome! And thanks for visiting Flying in Crosswinds.
You are certainly right about Basa and Del Carmen. Based on old maps from Pacific Wrecks, etc, it does seem like Basa's runway isn't in the same place nor even aligned with Del Carmen's old runway (actually just a field?). Your explanation makes sense and does tie up with old material about the field.
Ironically, on the same day that you posted your note, Bill Bartsch emailed me. I had invited him to go flying in case he was ever back in the Philippines. Ironically, he never had a chance to see Clark Field.
I've seen the photos posted here of Clark and Iba. I've seen some of them in books, and some are new to me. The colored photo of the B-17 at Iba was reproduced recently in an aviation history magazine that was on the reading table at Omni Aviation (where my airplane is based) at Clark. I've tried to reproduce and enlarge it, to be framed and donated to the Iba airfield guys so that they can hang it on the wall and have some appreciation of the history of their airport.
The enlargement didn't come out well. Do you have a high resolution copy of that image, that I can use instead? I would credit you when I give them the framed reproduction, of course.
Also, do you have any maps or charts of Iba, Nichols and Clark during the 1939-41 era? I'd love to understand where the runways were vs. where they are now. I have that overhead shot of Clark being bombed, taken by a Japanese crewman on board one of the bombers. I am very intrigued by where the dispersal areas and airfield was, vs. the current air base. I have some charts, but they are undated and probably inaccurate.
Also, can you confirm that Loakan airfield was operational before the war? I always thought Loakan was a post-war airfield.
Finally, someone emailed me a list of Philippine airfields, with a request for dates when the airfields became operational. Could I refer him to you, or post the list here, and see what you know of them?
It sounds like you travel as much as I do. My admin assistant collected 107 boarding passes that I used last year. Which means that I'm boarding an airliner about once every 3.5 days. All Asia or Europe, since I cover both in my job. Even though I'm a private pilot, airline flights have very little attraction to me. It gets so old.
Thanks again for the warm welcome, and thanks in advance for any help on those requests!
Tonet
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Post by batteryboy on Jul 16, 2010 16:48:39 GMT 8
Hi Tonet,
You are most welcome and will be glad to help you out. I do have a good resolution shot of the B-17 at Iba including its capture by the Japanese intact at Clark. I am just on the road right now and will send them to you over the weekend. Send me an email at tferedo@gmail.com so that I can get your email addy.
Justin Taylan, the owner of Pacific Wrecks is a good friend of mine and have helped him a lot with corrections on the Philippine airfields. Even showed him the locations of the Quezon City airfields and the Manila airfields plus gave him a number of photos and their locations.
I do have some charts of Iba, Clark and Nicholls. Some of them I have reproduced in sketches as the original owners asked me not to put them in public without their permission. They gave me copies for my personal research. The sketches will help out from the early layouts to the WWII (41-42) up to the utilization of the six (6) runways by the Japanese in 44-45 and the layout of Clark upon retaking. Very interesting and its nice to map them with the existing layout today. I also have the Angeles, Mabalacat, Bamban, Porac and Floridablanca airfields.
I also have the photo the Dec. 8 bombing including the magnetic headings that the Japanese used in their approach. The runways were bombed by the G3M Nells of the 1st Kokutai while the barracks and the hangar areas were bombed by the G4M Bettys of the Takao Kokutai. Reason being was that the 1st Kokutai with the slower Nells had more bombing experience in hitting runways and dispersal areas due to their veteran stint in China in the late 30s.
Loakan was a pre-war airifeld and its use date back to the familiarization flights of the USAAC in the early 20s. I do have a few pre-war photos of Loakan including a rare colored pre-war one.
Just recieved a bunch of photos from the archives and signal corps showing some of the Negros airfields like Silay, Alicante (Saravia) and Tanjay airfield in Dumaguete and a number of strike photos of Lahug airfield in Cebu. The sender has asked me to analyze them.
Am also doing an article on the use of the P-26s by the Philippine Army Air Corps. Hopefully when I have the time (yeah right!) I can sit down and finish it.
Cheers, Tony
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Post by chadhill on Aug 21, 2010 12:11:21 GMT 8
What I believed to be Iba Field, as seen in 1985. Structure remains can be seen near the windsock, across the paved runway. In 1986 I rented a Cessna from the Cubi Point Flying Club, and flew along the shoreline near the field. Just offshore was the wreckage of a submerged aircraft. P-40 from 12/7/41? P-35? (A test to see if I can repost photos larger) Attachments:
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Post by okla on Aug 22, 2010 1:08:24 GMT 8
Hey Chad....Great pic of Iba. This is another one of the type photo that justs drips with "not much to look at, but if this place could talk", etc. I love these kinds of photographs. Speaking of submerged aircraft wrecks, do you know if any PBY remains still exist on the bottom of the Bay at Olongapo? Weren't you assigned to Subic or vicinity? As I understand it, quite a few "Cat" Boats were shot up and destroyed at their mooring stations by the visitors from the North. I would suppose most, if not all, burned to the waterline, but the engines,etc, if not salvaged would still be mired in the muck on the bottom. Just curious, but this kind of stuff runs me up the wall. When I run into some person who has been on the spot, such as you in this case, I just gotta pester the poor unfortunate soul for an answer. Cheers.
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Post by chadhill on Aug 22, 2010 9:22:31 GMT 8
Okla, when I was based at Subic Bay/Cubi Point 1985-88, they said the wreckage of those PBYs from PATWING 10 was still there. I was taking scuba diving lessons to obtain a wreck-diving qual so that I would be able to look for the PBYs and other historical wrecks in Subic Bay.
The old cruiser USS Rochester (originally named the USS New York and the sister ship of the USS Maine, I think) had been scuttled by the 4th Marines before they abandoned Subic in 12/41. As I recall they had used the ship as a barracks. While I was taking those scuba lessons a USN Seal went diving, alone, inside the Rochester. Apparently he became lost, ran out of air and drowned. From then on wreck diving was prohibited in an area that included the PBYs, so I never checked them out.
I did dive on several wrecks further out in the bay which might have included a ship Ed Dyess sank while flying his P-40, but I could not verify that.
The wreckage of the hellship Oryoku Maru is at Subic, and a wreath laying ceremony was conducted annually on the anniversary of its sinking in 12/44. With the remains of several hundred US POWs still on board and in only 60 feet of water, it was considered a War Graves site and diving on it was strictly prohibited. However, I've recently read that prohibition no longer exists and it has become a tourist attraction for visiting divers....
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Post by okla on Aug 22, 2010 20:34:46 GMT 8
Hey Chad...Seems that I learn something everyday scanning this forum. I had no idea that the former USS Rochester was scuttled in Subic. Tragic that the Navy Seal was lost exploring the interior of that hulk. Dangerous business, diving. Thanks for the info on the PBYs and the addition poop. Cheers.
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Post by batteryboy on Aug 22, 2010 20:50:32 GMT 8
What I believed to be Iba Field, as seen in 1985. Structure remains can be seen near the windsock, across the paved runway. In 1986 I rented a Cessna from the Cubi Point Flying Club, and flew along the shoreline near the field. Just offshore was the wreckage of a submerged aircraft. P-40 from 12/7/41? P-35? The P-40E would be the aircraft of Fred Roberts of the 3rd Pursuit Squadron that was based in Iba when the attack happened on Dec. 8, 41. It was said that Roberts just stood on the wing of the aircraft while he was picked up by an outrigger (banca) Here's a little something on Iba. Some say that only the Clark and Del Monte airfields can accomodate the B-17s. Well, here's one at Iba that dispelled the myth. Cheers,
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Post by chadhill on Aug 23, 2010 1:51:52 GMT 8
Thanks, batteryboy, rare and nice Fortress photo at Iba and right you are, 12/8/41 was the date in the PI. I checked out some satellite images of Iba last night and am sure now that my 1985 photo was of Iba Field. I wonder if a P-40 is still submerged offshore. I also remember seeing an aircraft wreck submerged offshore near East Point or Hooker Point on Corregidor about 1986 or '87.
The October 1997 issue of "Warbirds International" has an interesting article by Daniel Dizon. As a boy, Dizon came upon the wreckage of Colin Kelly's B-17C (some sources say it was a D model) a month after it had been shot down, near the villiage of Bical outside Angeles City. In 1996 he retrieved an electrical junction box from the bomber that a resident of Angeles had. There is also an interview with Mr. Dizon in the booklet "The Legend of Colin Kelly", by Dennis McClendon and Wallace Richards, 1994.
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Post by batteryboy on Aug 23, 2010 16:32:14 GMT 8
Hi Chad,
I have the copy and the description of Dan Dizon's sektch of Colin Kelly's crash. Let me look for it so that I can post it here. The B-17C crashed near Mt. Arayat.
chances are the P-40E may have been picked oof by scrappers after the war years and its very coroded if it still exist.
Cheers,
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Post by westernaus on Sept 10, 2010 13:33:21 GMT 8
Hi Tonet
From one aviator to another happy Belated Birthday .
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