Location
Dalirig Airfield was located near Del Monte Airfield and Del Monte in central Mindanao.

Construction
Built prewar by the U. S. Army as an emergency runway.

Wartime History
After the U. S. evacuation to Mindanao, Dalirig Airfield was used by the few remaining P-40s and P-35A to fly reconnaissance missions to the north with American personnel living in a private home near the runway. This effort was led by Brownewell until he was evacuated on April 20, 1942. Afterwards, flights were made by John Geer and Marne Noelke from the 19th Bombardment Group.

On April 26, 1942 Keator flew an afternoon reconnaissance mission over Cebu and Bohol spotting a Japanese force including six transports and two destroyers leaving Cebu and heading to the southeast.

After the surrender of U. S. forces, Daliring Airfield was occupied by the Japanese until 1945. Targeted by at least one U. S. Army Air Force (USAAF) bombing misison on May 9, 1945 prior to the landing at Macajalar Bay the next day.

American missions against Dalirig
May 9, 1945

References
Doomed From The Start page 413-414 (April 25-26, 1942 reconnaissance missions)

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Last Updated
September 30, 2018