David Mason 2004
Justin Taylan 2005
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Location
Located to the east of Mabalacat town and the highway, this airfield
is located on a flat field with only crops growing on it.
Construction
Perfect
for an airfield, it was cleared as a single runway built by the Americans prior to the war, and used by the Japanese.
Japanese
Units based at Mabalacat
201st Kokutai (N1K1 George also at Clark Field)
Shimpu Special Attack Coprs
First Organized
Kamikaze Mission
From this airfield, the first Kamikaze attacks were launched, on
October 20, 1944 commanded by Vice-Admiral Takjuro Ohnishi. The
first volunteers were 23 pilots of the IJN's 201st Kokutai, 1st
Air Fleet. The Corps was divided into four units: Shikishima, Yamato,
Asahi, Yama Yukio Seki. At 7:25 October 25, 1944, the Shikishima
unit took off let by Lt. Yokjo Seki. At 10:45am they attacked targets
at Leyte. Credited as the first Kamikaze, Lt. Yokjo Seki succeeded
in hitting the carrier USS St. Lo, which sank 20 minutes later.
Today
Today, it is disused since the war, and has
reverted to crop land again.
Memorial & Kamikaze
Peace Shrine
A memorial and sign mark the site of the
old runway, and it is frequently visited by tourists,
especially Japanese. The memorial was built by ther
Mabalacat Tourism Office: 'Not for the glorification
of the Kamikaze but rather for the use of war history
as a tool for the promotionof peace and friendship
among nations. This shrine serves as a reminder that
the Kamikaze phenomenon shall never happen again.'
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