The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia
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Sungei Patani (100.489E
5.646N) was an important airbase
in northern Malaya. When war broke out, the airfield was equipped with radar and based 21 Squadron with 12 F2A3 Buffalo and 27 Squadron with 12
Blenheim 1F.
The airfield came under attack almost from the moment war broke out in the Pacific. The Japanese used fragmentation bombs that would not crater the runways, which they intended to quickly capture for their own use, and the British believed the superb timing of the Japanese raids pointed to a local intelligence source. The airfields were rendered unserviceable within a day. Demolition of the airfield was unsatisfactory, with 200,000 gallons (760,000 liters) of gasoline left behind to be captured by the Japanese, who also used construction materials left around the airfield perimeter to quickly repair craters.
The airfield was bombed by five B-17s on 15 January 1942. This could do little to stem the Japanese tide, however.
References
Craven and Cate (1947; accessed 2011-7-5)
London Gazette (1948-1-22; accessed 2011-7-5)
Richards and Saunders (1954; accessed 2011-7-5)
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