Military units during WWII
Clark and its subordinate airfield at Del Monte were the only airfields in the Philippines capable of heavy bomber operations at the outbreak of World War II.
News of the Pearl Harbor attack was received at about 3 am on 8 December in the Philippines. According to the previously agreed upon plan, if hostilities were to break out, an attack on Japanese bases in Formosa was to be immediately carried out by the 19th Bombardment Group's Fortresses. On 8 December, there were 35 USAAC B-17s in the Philippines, with two squadrons at Clark Field on Luzon with a total of 19 planes, and two squadrons at Del Monte on Mindanao 500 miles to the south with the other 16 B-17s.
For reasons which are still unclear even today, the planned raid on Formosa was delayed. Instead, in order to prevent them from being destroyed on the ground by a Japanese air attack, all flyable B-17s based at Clark Field had been ordered into the air and to patrol the waters around Luzon. In the meantime, General Lewis H. Brereton, General MacArthur's air commander, finally got approval to carry out the strike against Japanese bases on Formosa, and the B-17s were recalled to Clark. When the Fortresses returned to Clark, three of them were equipped with cameras for reconnaissance and the remainder were loaded up with 100-lb and 300-lb bombs in preparation for the planned mission to Formosa.
The three reconnaissance B-17s were taxiing out for the initial photographic mission to Formosa when about 200 Japanese aircraft struck. Unfortunately, all the P-40 fighters had been recalled for refueling and were on the ground. At the end of the day's action, it was apparent that the Japanese had won a major victory. The effective striking power of Far East AF had been destroyed, the fighter strength had been seriously reduced, most B-17 maintenance facilities were demolished, and about 80 men were killed. The sole surviving B-17 had not taken off on the morning alert and had been taken up in the air while the rest were being prepared for the Formosa raid. The Fortresses at Del Monte 500 miles to the south were out of range of the Zeros from Formosa and were left untouched.
At Clark Field, three or four of the damaged B-17s were put back into service. They were joined by the B-17s from Del Monte. By 9 December, reconnaissance missions were being undertaken by the 19th Bombardment Group in search of the Japanese fleet. Also, the 17th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), 24th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), based at Nichols Field were transferred to Clark with P-40's.
On 10 December, a Japanese convoy was spotted, and five B-17s were dispatched. This was the first American bombardment mission of World War II. No fighter opposition was encountered, and some hits were recorded on the transports.
That same day, a B-17C piloted by Captain Colin P. Kelly dropped bombs from high altitude on what the crew thought to be a Japanese battleship. Hits were recorded, and a tremendous explosion was observed. Kelly's plane was immediately pounced upon by Zeros, one of which was flown by Saburō Sakai, who was later to become a famous ace. Kelly guided his heavily damaged plane back towards Clark Field. He ordered the crew to parachute to safety, but before Kelly himself could leave, the aircraft exploded, and Kelly was killed.
When the surviving crew was questioned, the report was flashed out that they had sunk the Japanese battleship Haruna, and the mission was hailed as a great victory. Captain Kelly was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by President Franklin Roosevelt for his heroism and was written up in glowing press reports. However, information revealed in the immediate postwar years revealed that the Haruna was nowhere near the area at that time and that the ship most likely struck was the cruiser Ashigari, and it was only fairly lightly damaged by the attack.
On 12 December, about 100 Japanese aircraft again hit Clark. The airfield is severely damaged, and plans were made to evacuate the facility. On the 19th, the air echelon of the 93d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 19th Bombardment Group (Heavy) were transferred from Clark to Batchelor Field near Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia with B-17's. The ground echelon was attached to the 5th Interceptor Command (Provisional) and sent to fight as infantry on Luzon and Mindanao Islands. On Christmas Eve, HQ 19th Bombardment Group (Heavy) and the air echelon of the 28th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) were transferred from Clark to Batchelor Field with B-17's. The ground echelon of the 28th were dispatched to fight as infantry on Luzon and Mindanao.
The remaining aircraft and personnel at Clark were evacuated to Australia by 31 December 1941. The base was overrun by Japanese forces less than a week later in early January 1942.
Japanese occupation
During the period of Japanese occupation, Clark was known as Mabalacat Airfield, and several auxiliary airfields constructed and used. Lilly Hill, located near the center of the base (15*11'35.96"N 120*32'05.14"E), was excavated to allow tunnels to be built into its sides for the storage of fuel and munitions in an attempt to protect them from air raids. After the war Lilly Hill (named for the Papanga word for lonely) was so dangerous, because of the large number of unexploded bombs, the jungle was allowed to overtake the hill for a decade. When it was finally reclaimed at least one Japanese fighter aircraft was found to have crashed there. The Japanese also dug tunnels and built stone revetments in the ridge line at the north side of Clark (15*13'03.83"N 120*32'05.14"E). The Americans later built their northern bomb storage facility at the east end of the ridge, the horse stables on the southern side, the rifle range to the north, and the "Elephant cage" to the west.
The airfield was fortified with several Type 88 75 mm AA Guns. Several USAAF B-24 Liberator bombers flying over Clark were shot down by these weapons.
Following the surrender of Bataan in April 1942, American and Filipino prisoners were marched past the main gate of the airfield during the Bataan Death March
In late 1944, with the tide of the war turning against the Japanese, Vice Admiral Takijirō Ōnishi decided to form a suicide attack force, the Special Attack Unit. In a meeting at Mabalacat, on 19 October 1944, Onishi told officers of the 201st Flying Group headquarters that he believed the only way to retain control of the Philippines was to put 250-kg bombs on A6M Zero fighter planes and crash them into U.S. carriers, to wreak havoc on the U.S. Fleet and disable them for weeks.
Commanded by Ōnishi, the first Kamikaze missions were launched from Clark Air Base. The first volunteers were 23 pilots of the Imperial Japanese Navy's 201st Kōkūtai, 1st Air Fleet. These were divided into four separate groups: Shikishima, Yamato, Asahi and the Yama Yukio Seki units.
At 07:25 on 25 October 1944, the Shikishima unit departed Clark led by Lieutenant Yokjo Seki. At 10:45 am they attacked U.S. ships stationed at Leyte, Philippines during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Five Zeros, led by Seki, and escorted to the target by leading Japanese ace Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, attacked several escort carriers. One Zero attempted to hit the bridge of the USS Kitkun Bay but instead exploded on the port catwalk and cartwheeled into the sea. Two others dove at USS Fanshaw Bay but were destroyed by anti-aircraft fire. The last two ran at the USS White Plains, however one, under heavy fire and trailing smoke, aborted the attempt on the White Plains and instead banked toward the USS St. Lo, plowing into the flight deck. Its bomb caused fires that resulted in the bomb magazine exploding, sinking the carrier.
1945 recapture
Clark Air Base was recaptured by Americans in January 1945 after three months of fierce fighting. Elements of the Sixth U.S. Army cleared most Japanese from the Fort Stotsenburg-Clark Field area and flying activity commenced using the least damaged runway while the field still drew Japanese fire on 25 January 1945; saboteurs and infiltrators sporadically damaged parked aircraft until 10 February 1945.
Clark was used as an operational base for several groups in the closing months of the war in the southwest Pacific. Operational units flying from Clark were:
- 475th Fighter Group (P-38 Lightning) - flew many missions to support ground forces on Luzon during the first part of 1945. Also flew escort missions to China and attacked railways on Formosa.
- 22d Bombardment Group (Heavy) (B-24 Liberator) - Bombed Japanese airfields, shipping, and oil installations in Borneo, Ceram, and Halmahera.
- 43d Bombardment Group (Heavy) (B-24) - Struck industries, airfields, and installations in China and Formosa; and supported ground forces on Luzon.
- 35th Fighter Group (P-51D Mustang) - Operated in support of ground forces on Luzon. Also escorted bombers and completed some fighter sweeps to Formosa and China.
- 421st Night Fighter Squadron (P-61 Black Widow) - Flew night intruder missions against Japanese airfields and ground installations. Also provided protection of B-29 bases on Saipan against night attacks and flew combat air patrols and interception missions.
- 312th Bombardment Group - Performed operational combat testing of Consolidated B-32 Dominator Bomber. The first combat mission took place on 29 May 1945 with a strike against a Japanese supply depot in Luzon's Cagayan Valley. This raid was followed by a series of attacks on Japanese targets in the Philippines, in Formosa, and on Hainan Island in the Tonkin Gulf.
