VIDEO: 11th Airborne Jump School at the Lipa Airfield, Batangas - Batangas History, Culture and Folklore

By the month of April in the year 1945, the province of Batangas had been all but liberated from the hands of the Japanese by the United States Army and the Allied Forces. All that was left to do conduct mopping up operations in the province and in other parts of southern Luzon, before the troops were ordered out to Okinawa for the expected invasion of Japan.

The lull in inactivity accorded soldiers some much needed and much deserved rest and recreation. Meanwhile, XI Airborne Division took the opportunity provided by the lull to open a Jump School that would train newly arrived replacement soldiers from the States in parachuting.

The jump school was created in the Lipa Airstrip, which just the few weeks before was one of the airfields being operated by the Japanese Imperial Army. The video in this article shows some activities being undertaken by the jump school.

This video has been taken from the United States National Archives. It does not contain any audio.

Notes and references:
“11th Airborne Jump School Lipa Strip, Batangas, Luzon, Philippine Islands,” video page online at the United States National Archives.