Location
Located at Barangay Sanga-Sanga on Tawi-Tawi Island. To the south is Bongao Island and Bongao Peak.

Construction
Single coral surfaced runway running roughly north to south. During the Japanese occupation, the airfield had fifty revetments.

Wartime History
Occupied by the Japanese. Used by the Japanese as a transit airbase especially with carrier air units that were on shore leave.

Japanese Units based at Sanga-Sanga (Tawi-Tawi)
652nd Kokutai (A6M Zero) May 16 - June 1944

American Missions against Sanga-Sanga
December 9, 1944 - March 30, 1945

On April 2, 1945 the U.S. Army 41st Infantry Division liberated the area. After capture, RAAF 6 Airfield Construction Squadron arrived from Morotai on May 21 to extended the runway to 1,500 meters, and add parking for sixty additional aircraft.

1st TAF Beaufighters and Kittyhawks, flying from Sanga Sanga started operating over North Borneo. Sanga Sanga Airfield was used as a primary airfield because recently occupied Tarakan Airfield was not yet operable. Parking areas had to be extended prior to Nos 22, 30 and 31 Beaufighter Squadrons deploying to Sanga Sanga, which delayed operations until June 3, 1945.

As part of the pre-invasion attacks against Balikpapan, 13th Air Force Lightnings temporarily deployed to Sanga Sanga. 77 Wing Beaufighters and 76 Squadron Kittyhawks moved to Morotai to make room for them. These RAAF aircraft were scheduled to occupy Tarakan Airfield, but it was still not yet ready.

American Units based at Sanga-Sanga
13th FC, 85th FW (det), 419th NFS Tacloban May 28 - ?
419th NFS (P-61) Tacloban May 28 - June 24, 45 Puerto Princesa
550th NFS (P-61), Tacloban May 28 - Aug 1, 1945 Tacloban
RAAF Units Based at Sanga-Sanga
76 Squadron (P-40) Morotai 1945 Morotai
21 Squadron (B-24) 1945
22 Squadron (Beaufighter) 1945

Today
Still in use today as a secondary airport. Rehabilitated, it can accomodate C-130H and a few other medium sized civilian aircraft

References
Thanks to Tony Feredo for additional information

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Last Updated
October 1, 2009