Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC)

Background
Originally established as the Philippine Constabulary Air Corps (PCAC) as a branch of the Philippine Constabulary. On December 23, 1935 the Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC) was established as a branch of the Philippine Army by the Philippine National Assembly's National Defense Act of 1935 to defend the Philippines.

By July 31, 1941 included 275 officers and 2,132 enlisted men assigned to Headquarters, 4th Composite Group (4th CG), 20th Air Base Group, Tow Target Detachment and Weather Detachment. During 1941, thirty-one P-26A Peashooters were sold to the PAAC as their first pursuit aircraft. On August 15, 1941, inducted into the U.S. Army and incorporated as part of the Far East Air Force (FEAF) during a ceremony inside a hangar at Camp Murphy at Zablan Airfield attended by General Douglas MacArthur, Lt. Col. Richard K. Sutherland, Col. Harold H. George, Lt. Col. William F. Marquat and Major LeGrande A. Diller with Boeing P-26 Peashooters parked outside.

World War II
On December 8, 1941 at the start of the Pacific War although alerted to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and Oahu hours before, the Philippines was surprised when Japanese planes from Formosa (Taiwan) attack the Philippines and destroy roughly half of the American Far East Air Force (FEAF) and Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC) aircraft, many parked at airfields.

Postwar
During 1947, disbanded with the formation of the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

References
Philippine Air Force Museum (PAF Museum, PAF Aerospace Museum)
Philippine Air Force - History

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