Batan Island (121.98E
20.45N) is a small island located between Luzon and Formosa.
It is politically a part of the Philippines. Though
it
lacks a good anchorage, in 1941 it
had a primitive grass airstrip.
The Third
Surprise Attack Force
seized the airstrip on the morning of the Pearl Harbor attack (8
December 1941, local time) to provide air cover for landings at Aparri.
However, the unexpectedly swift collapse of American air
power in the Philippines allowed the Aparri landings to take place long
before the Japanese
were able to base Nates
on the island.
References
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia (c) 2006, 2008 by Kent G. Budge. Index