Location
Due north of Bayug Airstrip, on Leyte Island near the eastern coast.
Construction
Japanese built single 4,500' runway, with taxiways off both sides.
American Usage
Liberated after the landings at Leyte, the strip had serious drainage problems that hampered operations and was only used to a small extent by American forces, but then was abandoned in favor of Dulag Strip.
American Units based at Buri
866th Anti-Aircraft Automatic Weapons Battalion
Japanese
Paratrooper Attack - December 7, 1944
Operation Te-Go: On the night of December 6/7, 1944. Japanese General
Yamashita ordered the entire First Airborne Brigade with
two regiments to jump on San Pabalo and Buri Airstrips at 1800 hours. Although the
paratroopers caught the Americans by surprise, the first plane load of paratroopers
began leaving their aircraft direct over the Div. Hdqs. some 600 feet short
of their objective. Others were strung out well beyond the airstrip in an
area of tall trees, where many were entangled. One entire plane load jumped
to their deaths when the anchor line which pulls the rip chord failed to open.
Those who did reach the airfields were ineffective. The attack proved to be disorganized and an abortive
effort.
Pilot John Tilley 431st FS (via Robert Rocker)
"The strip was built on a flood plain and the engineers could not keep the water off the strip and the P-38's were alway's getting stuck, and the engineers were moving the aircraft around with track machines."
When Dulag was ready, Buri was abandoned, and the 475th FG, 431st FS left about 10 P-38's behind as wrecks. These were rendered useless by a explosive in the cockpit so the Japanese could not come back and find anything of use. A wartime photo also shows an Stinson L-5 abandon there. Thanks to Robert Rocker for this reference.
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