Military units of Clark Air Base consisted primarily of United States Army and United States Air Force organizations.
Major units assigned
Pre World War II (1919–1940) 3d Aero Squadron (Observation)*, 2 December 1919 – 14 May 1921 Redesignated 3d Squadron*, 14 May 1921 – 25 January 1923 Redesignated 3d Pursuit Squadron*, 25 January 1923 – 16 June 1938 28th Squadron (Bomb), 1 September 1922 – 4 June 1923 28th Bombardment Squadron*, 16 June 1938 – 24 December 1941
World War II (1941) Philippine Department Air Force (September – October 1941)Redesignated Far East Air Force (28 October – 24 December 1941) V Bomber Command, 14 November – 24 December 1941 20th Pursuit Squadron, July – December 1941 (P-40B) 14th Bombardment Squadron 16 September 1941 – 1 January 1942 (B-17) 24th Pursuit Group, 1 October – 20 December 1941 (P-40B) 19th Bombardment Group, 26 October – 24 December 1941 (B-17) 30th Bombardment Squadron 23 October – 20 December 1941 (B-17) 93d Bombardment Squadron 23 October – 20 December 1941 (B-17)
World War II (1945) Advance Echelon, Headquarters, Fifth Air Force*, 10 February – 1 April 1945 Redesignated Fifth Air Force 1 April – 30 June 1945 V Bomber Command, – 4 March August 1945 V Fighter Command, – 4 March August 1945 Headquarters, 13th Air Force, 1 January – 20 May 1946 475th Fighter Group, 28 February – 20 April 1945 (P-38) 22d Bombardment Group, 12 March – 4 August 1945 (B-24) 43d Bombardment Group, 16 March – 26 July 1945 (B-24) 317th Troop Carrier Group, 17 March – 24 August 1945 91st Reconnaissance Wing, 24 March – 30 July 1945 421st Night Fighter Squadron, 26 April – 5 August 1945 433d Troop Carrier Group, 31 May – 11 September 1945 35th Fighter Group, 19 April – 28 June 1945 (P-51D) 421st Night Fighter Squadron, 26 April 1945 – 16 July 1945 (P-61) 312th Bombardment Group, May–August 1945 (B-32) 6th Reconnaissance Group, 1 May – 31 July 1945 345th Bombardment Group, 12 May – 25 July 1945 54th Troop Carrier Wing, June–September 1945 (C-47) 201st Mexican Fighter Squadron, June–September 1945 (P-47D) 419th Night Fighter Squadron 10 January 1946 – 7 May 1946 (P-61) US Navy Fleet Air Wing Seventeen, 26 February – 31 December 1945(Disestablished in Japan, 2 January 1945) Patrol Bombing Squadron VPB-104 (PB4Y-1 Liberators), 1 March – 25 October 1945 Patrol Bombing Squadron VPB-119 (PB4Y-2 Privateers), 2 March – 30 October 1945 ACORN-34 : CBMU 606 / CASU 57 / CASU 9.1 310th Bombardment Wing, 23 August – 21 October 1945
Postwar Years (1946–1949) 29th Air Service Group*, 16 February 1946 – 1 January 1947 Headquarters, 313th Bombardment Wing 15 March 1946 – 15 June 1948 6th Bombardment Group (VH) 28 January 1946 – 1 June 1947 (B-29) 504th Bombardment Group (VH) 6 March – 15 June 1946 (B-29) 505th Bombardment Group (VH) 14 March – 30 June 1946 (B-29) 9th Bombardment Group (VH) 15 April 1946 – 9 June 1947 (B-29) 358th Air Service Group*, 1 January 1947 – 1 July 1949 18th Fighter Wing 16 September 1947 – 1 December 1950 (P/F-47, P/F-51, RB-17G, RB-29 (F-2)) Headquarters, 13th Air Force, 1 May 1949 – 2 December 1991 24th Air Depot Wing*, 1 July 1949 – 1 December 1950 6204th Photo Mapping Squadron, 16 September 1949 – 1 June 1953 6208th Depot Wing 17 December 1949 – 1 September 1952
Cold War (1950–1991) 6200th Air Base Wing*, 1 December 1950 – 1 February 1953Redesignated 6200th Air Base Group, 1 February 1953 – 10 April 1959 581st Air Resupply and Communications Wing 18 July 1952 – 7 September 1953 24th Air Depot Wing, 1 December 1950 – 16 February 1954 6424th Air Depot Wing 16 February – 25 November 1954 26th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron 11 November 1954 – 9 April 1959 509th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron 9 April 1959 – 24 July 1960 405th Fighter Wing*, 10 April 1959 – 16 September 1974 64th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (10 June 1966 – 15 December 1969) F-102A Delta Dagger 509th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron (9 April 1959 – 15 December 1969) Converted from F-86D to F-102A 10 June 1966 Both F-102 squadrons rotated between Clark and Bien Hoa Air Base and Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam. Rotational TDY also to Don Muang Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. Inactivated December 1969. 523rd Tactical Fighter Squadron (20 November 1965 – 31 August 1973) F-100D, F-4C/D Phantom IIInitially equipped with F-100D, converted to F-4D in 1970. Detachment of squadron maintained at Ching Chuan Kang Air Base, Taiwan. Deployed detachment of F-4Ds to 432d TRW, Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base during 1972 North Vietnamese Easter Offensive. 69th Military Airlift Support Group 8 July 1966 – 1 January 1972 463d Tactical Airlift Wing 15 Dec 1965 – 31 December 1971 29th Tactical Airlift Squadron (C-130B, Tail Code: QB) 772d Tactical Airlift Squadron (C-130B, Tail Code: QF) 773d Tactical Airlift Squadron (C-130B, Tail Code: QG) 774th Tactical Airlift Squadron (C-130B, Tail Code: QW)Most aircraft deployed on rotating basis to Tan Son Nhut and Cam Ranh Air Bases, South Vietnam 20th Operations Squadron (C-118, C-124) 1968–1971 374th Tactical Airlift Wing (C-130) 15 November 1973 – 30 June 1989 20th Aeromedical Airlift Squadron (C-9) 21st Tactical Airlift Squadron (C-130E) 776th Tactical Airlift Squadron (C-130E) (closed 1975) 624th Airlift Wing/624th Tactical Airlift Wing (C-130) 1 July 1989 – 19 December 1991 8th Mobile Aerial Port Squadron (C-130) 624th Aerial Port Squadron (C-130/C-141) 3d Tactical Fighter Wing*, 16 September 1974 – 19 December 1991 3rd Civil Engineering Squadron 3rd Security Police Group 3rd Security Police Squadron 3rd Law Enforcement Squadron 6009 Security Police Training Squadron 353rd Special Operations Group, April 1989-June 1991 (USSOOCOM/AFSOC) 1st Special Operations Squadron, MC-130H 17th Special Operations Squadron, MC-130P 31st Special Operations Squadron, MH-53J 1961st Communications Group (Air Force Communications Command) 1950s - June 1991 A detachment of United States Air Force Electronic Security Command Armed/American Forces Radio Television Service (Far East Network Philippines) 6120th Broadcasting Squadron 1962–1971 (re-designated 6204 Broadcasting Squadron 1971–1974) (re-designated 6204 AEROSS 1974–1976) (re-designated Detachment 1, 6204 Broadcasting Squadron 1976-1981?) (re-designated Detachment 1 Air Force Pacific Broadcasting Squadron 1981?-1991
.* Performed Host Unit Mission
Military units before WWII Clark Air Base was originally established as Fort Stotsenburg in Sapang Bato, Angeles, Pampanga in 1903 under control of the U.S. Army. Officers' quarters and water system constructed 1910–1911 and a flying school was created in 1912. Construction of steel hangars and a dirt air strip 1917–1918; a portion of Ft Stotsenburg officially set aside for the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps and named Clark Fld, September 1919.
The 3d Aero Squadron was assigned to Clark Field in December 1919 and for the next decade functioned as an observer training unit flying a wide variety of mono and biplanes.
In 1922, the 28th Squadron (Bomb) was assigned as a defense force for the Philippines.
Clark served as a landing field for medium bombers and accommodated half of the heavy bombers stationed in the Philippines during the 1930s. In the late summer and fall of 1941, many aircraft were sent to Clark in anticipation of war with Imperial Japan. Six B-17Cs and 29 B-17Ds were serving with the 19th Bombardment Group based at Clark The 14th Bomb Squadron of the 19th Bombardment Group had been transferred to the Philippines in September 1941 in a spectacular trans-Pacific flight to Clark Field, and two more squadrons had flown to Clark in October.
Military units during WWII Clark and its subordinate airfield at Del Monte were the only airfields in the Philippines capable of heavy bomber operations at the outbreak of World War II.
News of the Pearl Harbor attack was received at about 3 am on 8 December in the Philippines. According to the previously agreed upon plan, if hostilities were to break out, an attack on Japanese bases in Formosa was to be immediately carried out by the 19th Bombardment Group's Fortresses. On 8 December, there were 35 USAAC B-17s in the Philippines, with two squadrons at Clark Field on Luzon with a total of 19 planes, and two squadrons at Del Monte on Mindanao 500 miles to the south with the other 16 B-17s.
For reasons which are still unclear even today, the planned raid on Formosa was delayed. Instead, in order to prevent them from being destroyed on the ground by a Japanese air attack, all flyable B-17s based at Clark Field had been ordered into the air and to patrol the waters around Luzon. In the meantime, General Lewis H. Brereton, General MacArthur's air commander, finally got approval to carry out the strike against Japanese bases on Formosa, and the B-17s were recalled to Clark. When the Fortresses returned to Clark, three of them were equipped with cameras for reconnaissance and the remainder were loaded up with 100-lb and 300-lb bombs in preparation for the planned mission to Formosa.
The three reconnaissance B-17s were taxiing out for the initial photographic mission to Formosa when about 200 Japanese aircraft struck. Unfortunately, all the P-40 fighters had been recalled for refueling and were on the ground. At the end of the day's action, it was apparent that the Japanese had won a major victory. The effective striking power of Far East AF had been destroyed, the fighter strength had been seriously reduced, most B-17 maintenance facilities were demolished, and about 80 men were killed. The sole surviving B-17 had not taken off on the morning alert and had been taken up in the air while the rest were being prepared for the Formosa raid. The Fortresses at Del Monte 500 miles to the south were out of range of the Zeros from Formosa and were left untouched.
At Clark Field, three or four of the damaged B-17s were put back into service. They were joined by the B-17s from Del Monte. By 9 December, reconnaissance missions were being undertaken by the 19th Bombardment Group in search of the Japanese fleet. Also, the 17th Pursuit Squadron (Interceptor), 24th Pursuit Group (Interceptor), based at Nichols Field were transferred to Clark with P-40's.
On 10 December, a Japanese convoy was spotted, and five B-17s were dispatched. This was the first American bombardment mission of World War II. No fighter opposition was encountered, and some hits were recorded on the transports.
That same day, a B-17C piloted by Captain Colin P. Kelly dropped bombs from high altitude on what the crew thought to be a Japanese battleship. Hits were recorded, and a tremendous explosion was observed. Kelly's plane was immediately pounced upon by Zeros, one of which was flown by Saburō Sakai, who was later to become a famous ace. Kelly guided his heavily damaged plane back towards Clark Field. He ordered the crew to parachute to safety, but before Kelly himself could leave, the aircraft exploded, and Kelly was killed.
When the surviving crew was questioned, the report was flashed out that they had sunk the Japanese battleship Haruna, and the mission was hailed as a great victory. Captain Kelly was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by President Franklin Roosevelt for his heroism and was written up in glowing press reports. However, information revealed in the immediate postwar years revealed that the Haruna was nowhere near the area at that time and that the ship most likely struck was the cruiser Ashigari, and it was only fairly lightly damaged by the attack.