The Pacific War

Critique of Content

The book was superbly written that its vivid description and narrations of events allows the readers to visualize not only the battle environment but most especially the aerial fights. With a vast bibliography and interview references, most of the pilots and crew involved in bombing and pursuit missions were named. The commendable stories of bravery, escape, survival, death, airmanship, patriotism and leadership of pilots, crew, engineers, mechanics, support personnel and commanders like Wagner, Mahony, Dyess, Church, Eubank, George, Sprague, Robinson, Danoho, Wiezorek, etc. were also included. The breakdown and deployment of units and air assets, and the date and time of events were incredibly figured.

Aside from the PAAC

Thus, there is a need for a strong air force to successfully defend the Philippines. In a way, although the Philippines still relied on its partnership with the U.S., the PAF leadership which consisted of World War heroes like Pelagio Cruz, Benito Ebuen, Pedro Molina to name a few, must have learned from the lessons of the war because it entered the supersonic age in 1955 to 1957 with the acquisition of fighter planes and reconstruction of the multimillion jet strip in Basa Air Base. Pilots were also sent to the U.S. and Japan for jet training.*** The PAF continually grew that it was able to send contingents to Congo and Bali in 1963, and Vietnam in

Also, with the changes in the military leadership and legislative body, the PAF modernization (the AFP for that matter) was set aside until the recent dispute on the West Philippine Sea arose. By now, the country has far been left out in modernizing the Air Force and the Navy compared to its neighboring states.

Below is a tabulation of the aggregate problems that contributed to the defeat of the USAF which are relevant to the current situation of the PAF.

Status of the US Air Forces during the war Status of the PAF at present

The advocacy on increasing air power to successfully defend the Philippines was met with little or no response. The AFP was not prioritized for government funding despite its overstretched roles. It is only now that the government is seeing the imminent roles of airpower in asserting territorial and economic rights.

Clark airfield was the only available airdrome for bombers apart from the meadow of Del Monte. The newly acquired FA-50s were being housed in Clark because the Basa runway is not suitable for its use.

Only one radar unit was installed in Iba which was destroyed during the first Japanese attacks. The PAF has no operational radars. However, it is one of the projects in the PAF Flight Plan