Jesús A. Villamor

Battle of Zablan Field General Douglas MacArthur (left) is shown pinning a Distinguished Service Cross on Villamor for heroism in the air. Eight hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 8, 1941 10:00 am PST, bombers and fighters of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy took off from Takao Airbase in Japanese-held Formosa and targeted sites around Baguio and Iba Airfield in Zambales, with a second wave attacking Clark Air Base and Naval Station Sangley Point. The next day, the FEAF's capabilities were crippled with half of its air assets destroyed, with the Japanese losing only seven aircraft in the two-day raid, giving them practical air superiority over northern Luzon.

With the FEAF crippled, the 6th Pursuit Squadron at Nichols Airfield was one of the remaining units available to meet the enemy. At 11:30 am on December 10, while the unit was having lunch, general quarters was sounded, and the PAAC would have its baptism of fire. Capt. Villamor, along with Lieutenants Godofredo Juliano, Gerónimo Aclan, Alberto Aranzaso, and José Gozar, met another wave of Mitsubishi G3M "Nell" bombers and Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters over the skies of Zablan Airfield and nearby Pasig with their Boeing P-26 Peashooters.

Capt. Villamor was first to take off and meet the attackers, only to find himself greatly outclassed by the better Japanese fighters. A Japanese Zero gave chase, and Capt. Villamor manoeuvred his aircraft to shake off his opponent. He dove his P-26 and hugged the treetops of the Marikina Valley and even flew under high-tension wires. The Japanese pilot gave up the chase thinking he had hit the ground. Capt. Villamor then pulled up only to find himself being pounced by another Japanese Zero. He swung his aircraft on a vertical left bank, putting it on a stall but training his guns towards a face-to-face engagement with the enemy. The Japanese pilot was surprised by the manoeuvre, but Capt. Villamor was able to fire at the wings of the Zero, which burst into flames. This was the first confirmed kill by the PAAC.

While outclassed and outnumbered, the accomplishments of the 6th Pursuit Squadron have become legendary among ground forces and civilians who witnessed the defence they mounted in the skies of Luzon. On December 15 Capt. Villamor, Capt. Colin Kelly, and Lt. Gozar were personally awarded by Gen. Douglas MacArthur the Distinguished Service Cross for defending the airspace above Manila. Lt. Gozar's wingmate, Lt. Godofredo Juliano, received the Gold Cross.

Retreat to Bataan

Upon activation of War Plan Orange, the 6th Pursuit Squadron and the rest of the PAAC were ordered to destroy their aircraft inventory. Capt. Villamor and his unit were ordered to a strategic retreat to Bataan and transformed their mission to air defense. He would join Gen. MacArthur and President Manuel L. Quezon on the ferry to Fort Mills on Corregidor Island on December 24, 1941. Capt. Villamor and his unit were still hoping to receive new aircraft from Australia. However, the shipment of the Pensacola Convoy never came through.

For leading his squadron, Capt. Villamor was twice cited by the United States Army for bravery, receiving the Distinguished Service Cross for actions on December 10, 1941, and an Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a second award of the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for actions on December 12, 1941. Villamor is the only Filipino to receive the DSC twice.

Gen. Harold Huston George, head of the Far East Air Force was tasked by MacArthur to conduct an aerial photography mission over Ternate, Cavite to search for the artillery placement of Maj. Toshinori Kondo. Gen. George had tasked Capt. Villamor for this mission. On February 9, 1942, Capt. Villamor conducted a reconnaissance mission over occupied Cavite in a PT-13, escorted by four American P-40 Warhawks. Capt. Villamor was on the student-pilot seat, while Sgt. Juan V. Abanes from the 5th Photographic Squadron volunteered to operate the camera. Six Japanese Zeros appeared, and while Capt. Villamor's aircraft was damaged he was still able to land it safely. One P-40 was lost at the cost of four Zeros. Capt. Villamor's mission proved to be a success, as the films were delivered, information was collated with ground observers, and counter-battery fire was put into effect.

Maj. McMicking listened to Capt. Villamor, and agreed that he could become useful for another mission to the Philippines. McMicking lead Villamor to an office and was introduced to Col. Allison Ind, and Villamor realized this was the Allied Intelligence Bureau. Col. Ind knew who Capt. Villamor was, and told him of the need by the Allies to connect with the guerrillas in the Philippines, and brought him his superior, BGen. Charles Willoughby. Within that meeting, it was decided to give Villamor a cover story that he was to be transferred to the 91st Air Depot Group in Amberly. Planet Party initially made contact with Roy Bell on Negros. Villamor went on to work with Bell, who would then make contact with James M. Cushing in 1943. Villamor's party was hosted by Filipino-Spanish mestizo Estanislao Bilbao.

Villamor would leave Hinoba-an for Sipalay to identify a safe location for their radio station, hiking through the hills to avoid Japanese spies. He then tasked his guerrilla liaison to contact the local guerrilla leader, Maj. Salvador Abcede in the Tantauayan Mountain area of Cauayan. Abcede provided Villamor a thorough briefing of guerrilla forces and operations in the Visayas, also disclosing his contention with Maj. Plácido Ausejo, who recognized the authority of Lt. Col. Wendell Fertig. At this time, Fertig also promoted himself to General, which Abcede believed was unauthorised. Villamor felt he needed to meet with the various factions and bring everyone under tactical unity. Completing his mission, Villamor returned to Australia. Villamor's reports from the field were met with indifference by some within the SWPA, but were later publicly lauded by President Dwight Eisenhower. His cause of death was lung cancer.

Awards

For his bravery as a pilot and ingenuity as an intelligence officer, President Ramón Magsaysay awarded Lieutenant Col. Villamor the Medal of Valor, the highest Philippine military decoration, on January 21, 1954. In addition, Villamor was a two-time recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, and a recipient of the Distinguished Conduct Star.