A photograph of the Mabalacat West Airfield taken in February 1945 showing the ridge line and the Bamban Mountains in the background. IN the foreground is the wreck site or boneyard of Japanese army and navy aircraft, as they littered part of the runway. There is also the Mabalacat hydro-electric plant facility at the center of the image while on the right is the Lafe Hill.
To be able to highlight some of the facilities and direction from the airfield, I was able to identify and had given the names of the hill-mass parts as well as the airfield facility including revetments.
Mabalacat West Airfield was an important Japanese air service facility during the Air War of 1944, where many of the conventional and Kamikaze special attack sorties took off and had used the air strip. The first Kamikaze special attack water purification ceremony was held on the edge of this airfield by the Shikishima Unit of the First Kamikaze Special Attack Force led personally by Vice-Admiral Ohnishi Takijiro with Lt. Seki leading his Tokko pilots on October 20, 1944.
Photos:
(1) Mabalacat West A/F, US NARA photo.
(2) Water-purification ceremony and final briefing by VA Ohnishi Takijiro of the 1st Air Fleet, with Lt. Seki Yukio and other pilots of the Shikishima – Tai, at edge of Mabalacat West A/F, October 20, 1944.
(3) VA Shigeru Fukutome, CO of the Japanese navy 2nd Air Fleet, giving instructions to Tokko pilots of the Kongo Tai at Mabalacat West A/F, December 1944. Image taken from NHK documentary on Tokko Tai.
(4) Same image With highlights from Snapseed.
