Tacloban Field
Airfield Identification
Late 1930's to present
Philippines
CITY: Tacloban
IATA/ICAO CODES: TAC / RPVA
COORDINATES: 11°14'N / 125°02'E
OTHER NAMES: San Jose Airstrip (until 1942), Tacloban Field (WWII), Tacloban National, Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport (present)
Right: Tacloban field on Cataisan Point. The 1944 US landings took place on the coast to the left of the picture..
Photo credit: Pacific Wrecks
Commando Operations
Tacloban Airfield was built just before World War II by Seabees of the 88th Naval Construction Battalion for use by the US military. It included an airstrip for the USAAF and a seaplane base for the US Navy. The field was strategically located on a peninsula between San Pedro Bay to the west and Leyte Gulf to the east, with the runway running north to south running parallel to the coastline.
From 1942, Tacloban was occupied by the Japanese who referred to the location as "Tacroban". On 20 October 1944, as part of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, US forces landed on the east coast of Leyte, Tacloban Airfield being one of the very landing sites. Immediately, the runway was repaired and expanded for use by American aircraft. Within a week, USAAF aircraft began moving to Tacloban and assumed control of direct air support over Leyte from the US Navy, when the carriers withdrew on 29 October 1944. Tacloban Field was later developed into a major American airbase.
Today, it still operates as the civilian airport for Tacloban, the main city on the island of Leyte.
Units & operators based
Last edited: 06/01/2024