McGuire Field, Mindoro — 90th Bomb Group home base, February–May 1945

Why this place matters

Robert Earl's core combat-tour home base — the strip he flew most of his thirty-plus B-24 missions out of. Promoted to 2nd Lt c. 30 April 1945 in a jungle-ceremony at the strip, then 1st Lt on 31 May 1945 — his 'shortest time in grade as a 2nd Lieutenant, about 30 days.'

McGuire Field was the U.S. Army Air Forces strip on the southwest coast of Mindoro Island in the central Philippines, about 75 miles south of Manila. The Mindoro airstrip was constructed by U.S. forces beginning in mid-December 1944 following the 15 December 1944 amphibious landing, and was named for Major Thomas B. McGuire Jr. — the war’s number-two American fighter ace with 38 confirmed kills, who went missing over Negros Island in a P-38 Lightning dogfight on 7 January 1945. The Mindoro strip was formally rededicated in his honor in early January.

The 90th Bomb Group moves to Mindoro — 26 January 1945

The 90th Bombardment Group (“Jolly Rogers”) arrived at Mindoro on 26 January 1945, completing the long forward leap from Mokmer Drome at Biak by ship. The move happened while the Van Valen crew was still attached out to the 22nd Bomb Group at Tacloban — when they rejoined the 400th BS, the squadron was at McGuire Field already, with someone having carefully saved their wooden tent floor.

What happened here for Robert Earl

McGuire Field was the core combat-tour base of Robert Earl Wildermuth’s Pacific tour. From this strip, February through May 1945, the 400th BS flew most of its 90th BG combat missions:

Corregidor pre-invasion strikes — 2, 17, and 25 February 1945.
Luzon close-support missions for the southern Bataan campaign, the Ft. Stotsenburg-Pampanga line, and the Lingayen Gulf advance — 4, 10, 17, 22, 24 February and 8 April.
The South China Sea fleet mission (13 February) that produced the dumped 2000-lb bomb.
Repeated Taiwan airfield and industrial strikes — Koshun (19 February, 16 April), Kiirun City and harbor (26 February, 17 May), Takao Nippon Aluminum (1 March), Tainan (12 April), Shinchu hydroelectric (14 May), and the phosphorous-gel-AA-shells mission (18 April).
The Sydney R&R (2 March) that turned into 21 days — the Van Valen crew was the last 90th BG crew to fly the Sydney leave before the practice was discontinued for distance.
The Indo-China oil and transport strikes of late April–May — the Saigon submarine mission (25 April) and the Shell Oil Refinery strike as Squadron Lead (4 May).
The Canton, China airdrome strike at White Cloud (10 May) — the first daylight China-proper mission for the crew.
The Kiirun hydroelectric plant strike (17 May) that ended with Lt. Finley parachuting into China.

The jungle commission ceremony

Around 30 April 1945 at McGuire Field, Robert Earl was promoted from Flight Officer to Second Lieutenant. The ceremony happened “in the jungles” — the commanding general came out of his tent and pinned the gold bar on him and the other newly-commissioned officers. On 31 May 1945 he was promoted again to First Lieutenant — “shortest time in grade as a 2nd Lieutenant, about 30 days.” That promotion closed the dated combat log.

After the war

The McGuire Field strip on Mindoro is essentially gone today; the area returned to agricultural use after the war. The civilian airport now serving Mindoro is at San Jose, several miles from the wartime strip. Pacific Wrecks documents the location and the wartime layout.

Sources: The Big One, Phase 3 (McGuire Field combat tour); Pacific Wrecks — San Jose / McGuire Field; Thomas McGuire Wikipedia entry.