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Re: Air battle 25 December 1944 near Clark field
1 Flying Regiment (1 Hikō Sentai)
(Operational Code: 133 and 8301)
//Extract//
Transferred from Kashiwa to Gannosu in N Kyūshū toward the end of Aug to reinforce air defenses over western Honshū and Kyūshū in response to increased B-29 Superfortress activity. From there ordered to Clark Field on Luzon in the Philippines on 15-17 Oct with 41 FRANKs on strength as part of the SHO-Go 1 and 2 contingency plan build-up, staging through Shanghai and Taichu on Formosa.
Oct 44 – Feb 45: during the last week of Oct and the month of Nov, flew air defense of the Manila area and fighter escort for special attack (Kamikaze) missions directed against Allied landings on Leyte, with many of the latter being staged from Manapla airfield on Negros in the Central Philippines. By 28 Nov 44 all assigned aircraft had been destroyed in the air or on the ground by U.S. carrier planes. Surviving pilots were transported to Shimodate near Tokyo, re-equipped with new Ki-84 FRANKs, and immediately returned to the Philippines. Based at Porac near Clark Field, flew escort and fighter-bomber attacks on Allied invasion shipping around Mindoro Is. On 5 Jan 45, for example, 5 Ki-84s struck a large convoy bound for Lingayen Gulf in C Luzon, hitting at least one transport in the stern with a 550-lb. bomb; 3 of the 5 FRANKs were lost to fighters and AA fire. Again out of planes, surviving pilots were withdrawn to Chaochou/Formosa in mid-Jan 45 and from there departed without aircraft in early Mar for Shimodate to rebuild.
//End Extract//
Commander:
Maj. Shunsuke MATSUMURA (Mar 43 - Oct 44) KIA
Capt. Shigeharu HASHIMOTO (Nov 44 - Dec 44) KIA
Sources:
JM#151; JM#157; SRH-258; Izawa-Fighters.
Aircam #29; JM#12; SRH-258; Izawa-Fighters.
Note:
Porac, 12 km southwest of Clark, had a single airstrip measuring 1800x250.
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