Photographs of the Batangas Airdrome 1945

Photo of the Batangas Airdrome taken in 1945.  Image source:  United States National Archives.

The photos above and below were taken from above the Batangas Airdrome, presumably the Batangas Landing Field or Batangas Airfield as it was known in other pre-World War II documents. Both pictures were downloaded from the Flickr account of the San Diego Air and Space Museum (SADSM) and are categorized as falling under “No known license restrictions.”

According to the SADSM descriptions on each photo’s web page, the photographs belonged to a donated album showing images of the Philippines during World War II. The album originally belonged to a T. B. Suitor.

Both pictures’ descriptions appear to state that they were taken on 12 January 1945. If this was the case, then this was before the landing of American forces on the beaches of Nasugbu and the entire province of Batangas was still very much in the hands of the Japanese.  This means that the Batangas Airdrome was also still in the hands of the Japanese.  The reader will please note the dummy aircraft on the ground.

A different angle of the same place, this time showing dummy aircraft on the ground.  Image source:  United States National Archives.

Therefore, the pictures were likely taken by American airplanes flying from carriers or bases in Mindoro to reconnoiter Batangas or soften Japanese positions for subsequent invasion.

The two pictures have been enlarged and enhanced using graphic software to improve clarity then colorized courtesy of Algorithmia.