Rosales

Rosales

Lat 15° 53' 40N Long 120° 37' 58E Located in the south of Pangasinan, along the MacArthur Highway.

Japanese Occupation
Occupied by the Japanese on December 25, 1941. They operated a rice mill and occupied the town hall and other civilian buildings and residences in town.

American Liberation
Liberated by the US Army on January 19, 1945 without resistance. After liberation, it became an American camp area as well. Although there is no historical record of any Japanese gold, or treasures in the town, a number of buildings were demolished, central park dug up and large trees in the market cut down in an attempt to locate 'japanese gold' stashed into the trunks. All of these searches yielded nothing of course. The mayor at the time was criticized for working with treasure hunters, and destroying the town's history.

American Units based in Rosales:
201st CIC (Counter Intelligence Corps)
Are you a veteran that was station in Rosales?
Email Us to share your experiences

Unknown Soldier's Shrine
Located in the center of town, this monument had fallen into disrepair. In June 2005, the monument was rehabilitated and rededicated by Mayor Revita and funds from Rosales Association of Southern California. Its memorial plaque reads: "In Memory of the valiant and noble heroes who courageously fought and offered their lives for us to be free"

Carmen
Barrio to the west, part of Rosales town, bordering the north-south MacArthur Highway. Liberated by the US Army on January 19, 1945 without resistance.

Rosales Airfield (Rosales / Carmen Airport)

Location
Located to the west of Rosales town, in Carmen barangay along the north-south highway.

Construction
Prewar auxiliary field single runway, grass strip for the 3rd Pursuit Squadron. The land used to build the runway was owned by an American sugar cane farmer living in the area, who turned the land over to the US Army. He also made sure a fence was built around the airfield to keep his cattle from wandering onto the strip. Later (prewar?) a Philippine Army camp was established there. The strip was also used as the parade ground and no planes were based there since it was just an emergency and auxiliary strip, but there were fuel and a few supplies stored there.

Wartime History
On December 8, 1941 when the Japanese attacked Luzon, several American planes including on B-18 and several P-40s landed at Rosales to escape attacks on their base at Clark. These aircraft used the fuel stores here to refuel and return to base the next day. It is unclear and unlikely if the Japanese used it during their occupation of the area. It is unclear and unlikely that the Americans utilized it after they liberated the area on January 19, 1945.

Today
The strip is today still grass covered, but appears to be disused in recent history.

References
The book December 8, 1941 mentions this airfield's use on that day. Also, thanks to Tony Feredo for additional information.

Pacific Wrecks Incorporated is a non-profit charity 501(c)(3) Donate Now