Vintage Philippine Airforce Pre & Second World War Era

[machinecult]

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Just sharing another historical eye-candy and tidbits about the Philippine Airforce, back then when it actually meant to put 'Force' in our airspace.



Boeing P-26 "Peashooter". Most of those P-26s that had been stationed in the Philippines had been sold to the government of the Philippines by the time of the Japanese attack. The Philippine government acquired 12 P-26As beginning in July of 1941. Some of these P-26s were serving with the 6th Pursuit Squadron of the Philippine Army Air Force based at Batangas Field at the time of the Japanese attack. Despite their total obsolescence, the Filipino P-26s succeeded in scoring some victories against the more advanced Mitsubishi A6M Zero during the first few days of the Japanese attack (which is considered an impressive feat btw). One of the Philippine P-26s is credited with shooting down the first Japanese plane destroyed during the early attacks on the islands. However, the few P-26s operated by the Philippine Army Air Force were quickly overwhelmed by the onslaught of the Japanese Zero fighters, and the surviving P-26s were destroyed on the ground by Filipinos to prevent them from falling into enemy hands.

• Capt. Jesus Villamor manning his P-26.

[IMG]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KYBGSlKo4Q8/TlOulxA4xvI/AAAAAAAAABA/KmxHYFJTBVA*******jesus+villamor.jpg[/IMG]

Shown in this stamp is a pilot and known for his ingenuity as an intelligence officer. He fought bravely with the Japanese aces during World War II. President Ramon Magsaysay, awarded Col. Jesus Villamor the Medal of Valor, the highest Philippine military bravery decoration, on January 21, 1954. The Philippine Air Forces principal facility in Metro Manila Metro which was first known as Nichols Field then later Nichols Air Base was renamed Col. Jesus Villamor Air Base in his honor.

The Boeing P-26 was the main fighter used in the Philippines from 1937-1940. This picture was taken about 1937, shortly after the first fighters were assembled. Assigned to the 3rd P.S. at Nichols Field. Although very advanced for the mid-1930s, by 1941, the P-26 was nearly a museum piece. As several of you know, a number went to the Philippine Army Air Corps.

• P-26A Peashooter with the 3rd Pursuit Squadron at Nichols Field.

• The best-known action took place on December 12, 1942, then a group of six Philippine P-26s led by Capt. Jesus Villamor shot one bomber and two Zeros with the loss of three P-26s. Artwork depicts that incident ('Blue Diamond' was the symbol of the Philippine Army Air Corps)

Boeing P-26A Pilot, Lt Godofredo M. Juliano of the 6th Pursuit Squadron, Philippine Army Air Corp,
tries to help out squadron mate Lt. Jose Mondigo over Batangas. Mondigo bailed out only to be immedielty set up by the Zeros while helplessly dangling from his chute. Seeing his countryman's plight Juliano flying No. 306, dived on the enemy fighters and drove them off while avoiding being shot down himself.

Art of Flight, Aviation History Magazine, May 1998

• César Fernando Basa (1915 – 1941) was a Filipino pilot and hero of World War II. Born in 1915, he was one of the pioneer fighter pilots in the Philippine Air Force and the first Filipino casualty during World War II.

Basa's fight took place at Batangas Field on the morning of December 12, 1941 when fifty-four Japanese bombers and fighter escorts raided the base. Five Filipino fighter pilots, led by Captain Jesús Villamor, engaged the numerically superior enemy in aerial combat at 12,000 feet (3,700 m). Lieutenant Basa arrived on the scene from an air patrol mission with only 15 minutes of fuel left in his tanks, but attempted to join his comrades in the fight. While still half the distance away, he was intercepted by seven Japanese fighters and shot down. Although he bailed out, he was strafed with machine-gun fire by the A6M Zero fighters. Captain Villamor and his pilots won the battle, with the only casualty being Basa. In recognition of his heroism, Lieutenant Basa was posthumously awarded the Silver Star.

Bonus: More info on these pictures is appreciated.


Philippine Army Air Corps scout plane observes crashed Nazi Focke-Wulf FW 200 Condor in Manila Bay.



Newspaper clipping of the incident from The Lewiston Sun Daily Dec. 10, 1938. Apparently it was on a good will visit.

[jhggz1989]

Nice to know this :

[vj_amam]

sauna pa gyud diay ta obsolete ug gamit... pero payter gyud pinoy.....

[machinecult]

Dili pa gyud na siya ignun outdated the Americans were still using it early 1940's but compared sa mga Japanese 'zero' iyang performance is. Like Germans were using not so powerful and somewhat bordering on obsolete tanks or dali kaayo na outdated during the early days of World War II pero tungod sa ilang tactics seen as new (like using less material and men as possible while conducting quick offensives) dali kaayo nila na pa tumba ilang silingan.

[mudskipper77]

good one...

[Ramini]

nice thread TS! have you read "Bride of War" if naa ka sa cebu you can buy it sa national bookstore mango..it's a very nice read it's about the memoirs of a cebuano girl who had a pinoy soldier husband..perhaps the book can shed some light to topics similar to this..i haven't read the entire book just a portion of it kai mahalan pkos Php480 price tag..but it does let you travel back to time where cebu was a much awesome place to live in (imagine cobbled stones pa diay nang dalan sa Manalili sa una!). nice thread TS!

[elvandesantos]

Dili pa gyud na siya ignun outdated the Americans were still using it early 1940's but compared sa mga Japanese 'zero' iyang performance is. Like Germans were using not so powerful and somewhat bordering on obsolete tanks or dali kaayo na outdated during the early days of World War II pero tungod sa ilang tactics seen as new (like using less material and men as possible while conducting quick offensives) dali kaayo nila na pa tumba ilang silingan.

sori i got lost there.. german using obsolete tanks the only way the german where defeated in tank to tank battle was because the other side uses the huge number tactics compared to quality-limited tanks.

[machinecult]

sori i got lost there.. german using obsolete tanks the only way the german where defeated in tank to tank battle was because the other side uses the huge number tactics compared to quality-limited tanks.

Ja. By 1941 daghan na to sila gi consider obsolete. That's the term they used anyway especially in Africa and Operation Barbarossa.

[æRLO]

^I wouldn't call them obsolete, but you're correct. In 1940, the bulk of Germany's armor divisions were composed of pre-Panzer III tanks, technically not obsolete as they could get the job done, but the French was more than capable to put them out of commission--But Germany did not face them head on, they outflanked the Maginot Line via Ardennes, so strategy was the reason Germany succeeded in their French Campaign. mga more or less 10% ra siguro ang Panzer III ug Panzer IV when the war began, by 1942-3, The bulk was made up of mainly Panzer IVs with Panthers and Tigers, and an assortment of lighter armors.

[cardo]

Its a rare sight seeing that swastika within the bounds of our territory during that era. More pa TS