Question: How many B-17s took off from Midway for the first air attack?
About the article "Battle of Midway", section "Initial air attacks".

Candidate passages:
Initial air attacks.
At about 09:00 on 3 June, Ensign Jack Reid, piloting a PBY from US Navy patrol squadron VP-44, spotted the Japanese Occupation Force some to the west-southwest of Midway.
He mistakenly reported this group as the Main Force.
Nine B-17s took off from Midway at 12:30 for the first air attack.
Three hours later, they found the Japanese Tanaka's transport group to the west.
Under heavy anti-aircraft fire, they dropped their bombs.
Though hits were reported, none of the bombs actually hit and no significant damage was inflicted.
Early the following morning Japanese oil tanker "Akebono Maru" sustained the first hit when a torpedo from an attacking PBY struck her around 01:00.
This was the only successful air-launched torpedo attack by the U.S. during the entire battle.
At 04:30 on 4 June, Nagumo launched his initial attack on Midway itself, consisting of 36 Aichi D3A dive bombers and 36 Nakajima B5N torpedo bombers, escorted by 36 Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters.
At the same time he launched a defensive combat air patrol (CAP) with his eight search aircraft (one from the heavy cruiser launched 30 minutes late due to technical difficulties).
Japanese reconnaissance arrangements were flimsy, with too few aircraft to adequately cover the assigned search areas, laboring under poor weather conditions to the northeast and east of the task force.
Yamamoto's faulty dispositions had now become a serious liability.
As Nagumo's bombers and fighters were taking off, 11 PBYs were leaving Midway to run their search patterns.
At 05:30, PBY reported sighting two Japanese carriers with empty decks, indicating an air strike en route.
American radar picked up the enemy at a distance of several miles, and interceptors were scrambled.
Unescorted bombers headed off to attack the Japanese carrier fleet, their fighter escorts remaining behind to defend Midway.
At 06:20 Japanese carrier aircraft bombed and heavily damaged the U.S. base.
Midway-based Marine fighters, which included 7 F4Fs and 21 F2As, intercepted the Japanese and suffered heavy losses, though they managed to destroy four B5Ns and at least three A6Ms.
Within the first few minutes, 3 F4Fs and 13 F2As were destroyed, while most of the surviving U.S. planes were damaged, with only two remained airworthy.
American anti-aircraft fire was accurate and intense, destroying four additional Japanese aircraft and damaging many more.
Of the 108 Japanese aircraft involved in this attack, 11 were destroyed, 14 were heavily damaged, and 29 were damaged to some degree.
The initial Japanese attack did not succeed in neutralizing Midway: American bombers could still use the airbase to refuel and attack the Japanese invasion force, and most of Midway's land-based defenses were intact.
Japanese pilots reported to Nagumo that another aerial attack to soften Midway's defences would be necessary if troops were to go ashore by 7 June.
Having taken off prior to the Japanese attack, American bombers based on Midway made several attacks on the Japanese carrier fleet.
These included six Grumman Avengers, detached to Midway from the s VT-8 (Midway was the first combat mission for the VT-8 airmen, and it was the combat debut of the TBF), Marine Scout-Bombing Squadron 241 (VMSB-241), consisting of eleven SB2U-3s and sixteen SBDs, plus four USAAF B-26s, armed with torpedoes, and fifteen B-17s.
The Japanese repelled these attacks for the loss of two fighters, destroying five TBFs, two SB2Us, eight SBDs and two B-26s.
The first Marine aviator to perish in the battle, Major Lofton R. Henderson of VMSB-241, was killed while leading his inexperienced Dauntless squadron into action.
The main airfield at Guadalcanal was named Henderson Field after him in August 1942; two civil airports also bear this name.
One B-26, after being seriously damaged by anti-aircraft fire, veered into a steep dive straight toward the "Akagi".
Making no attempt to pull out of its run, the aircraft narrowly missed crashing directly into the carrier's bridge, which could potentially have killed Nagumo and his command staff.
This experience may well have contributed to Nagumo's determination to launch another attack on Midway, in direct violation of Yamamoto's order to keep the reserve strike force armed for anti-ship operations.
The B-17 was to achieve its first taste of combat during the Pearl Harbor Attack, when the 5th Bombardment Group based at Hickam Field, Hawaii had 12 B-17Ds parked on the ramp.
Five of these B-17s were destroyed, and eight were damaged in the attack.
On December 7, The 38th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy), 11th Bombardment Group, with four B-17Cs and two new B-17Es was inbound from Hamilton Field, California to Hickam on their way to the Philippines to reinforce the American forces there.
They arrived at Hickam at the height of the attack.
One was destroyed, three others badly damaged.
Remaining in Hawaii after the attack, in June 1942, B-17s from the 5th and 11th Bomb Groups were used in the Battle of Midway, but with little effectiveness.
Both the 5th and 11th Bombardment Groups joined the Thirteenth Air Force during 1942 and took part in the American campaign in the south west Pacific, fighting during the campaigns in the Solomon Islands (including the battle for Guadalcanal) and the return campaign to the Philippines.
By the middle of 1943 both units had replaced their B-17s with B-24 Liberators  5th Bombardment Group  Hawaii, Solomon Islands, Nov 1941 – Aug 1943  23d Bombardment Squadron  31st Bombardment Squadron  72d Bombardment Squadron  394th Bombardment Squadron  Converted to B-24 Liberators, Aug 1943  11th Bombardment Group  Hawaii, New Hebrides, Nov 1941 – Aug 1943  26th Bombardment Squadron  42d Bombardment Squadron  98th Bombardment Squadron  431st Bombardment Squadron  Converted to B-24 Liberators, Aug 1943  
On 7 December 1941, a group of 12 B-17s of the 38th (four B-17C) and 88th (eight B-17E) Reconnaissance Squadrons, en route to reinforce the Philippines, were flown into Pearl Harbor from Hamilton Field, California, arriving during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Leonard "Smitty" Smith Humiston, co-pilot on First Lieutenant Robert H. Richards' B-17C, AAF S/N "40-2049", reported that he thought the U.S. Navy was giving the flight a 21-gun salute to celebrate the arrival of the bombers, after which he realized that Pearl Harbor was under attack.
The Fortress came under fire from Japanese fighter aircraft, though the crew was unharmed with the exception of one member who suffered an abrasion on his hand.
Enemy activity forced an abort from Hickam Field to Bellows Field, where the aircraft overran the runway and into a ditch where it was then strafed.
Although initially deemed repairable, "40-2049" (11th BG / 38th RS) received more than 200 bullet holes and never flew again.
Ten of the 12 Fortresses survived the attack.
By 1941, the Far East Air Force (FEAF) based at Clark Field in the Philippines had 35 B-17s, with the War Department eventually planning to raise that to 165.
When the FEAF received word of the attack on Pearl Harbor, General Lewis H. Brereton sent his bombers and fighters on various patrol missions to prevent them from being caught on the ground.
Brereton planned B-17 raids on Japanese air fields in Formosa, in accordance with Rainbow 5 war plan directives, but this was overruled by General Douglas MacArthur.
A series of disputed discussions and decisions, followed by several confusing and false reports of air attacks, delayed the authorization of the sortie.
By the time the B-17s and escorting Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighters were about to get airborne, they were destroyed by Japanese bombers of the 11th Air Fleet.
The FEAF lost half its aircraft during the first strike, and was all but destroyed over the next few days.
Another early World War II Pacific engagement on 1941 involved Colin Kelly who reportedly crashed his B-17 into the Japanese battleship "Haruna", which was later acknowledged as a near bomb miss on the heavy cruiser "Ashigara".
Nonetheless, this deed made him a celebrated war hero.
Kelly's B-17C AAF S/N "40-2045" (19th BG / 30th BS) crashed about from Clark Field after he held the burning Fortress steady long enough for the surviving crew to bail out.
Kelly was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
Noted Japanese ace Saburo Sakai is credited with this kill, and in the process, came to respect the ability of the Fortress to absorb punishment.B-17s were used in early battles of the Pacific with little success, notably the Battle of Coral Sea and Battle of Midway.
While there, the Fifth Air Force B-17s were tasked with disrupting the Japanese sea lanes.
Air Corps doctrine dictated bombing runs from high altitude, but it was soon discovered that only one percent of their bombs hit targets.
However, B-17s were operating at heights too great for most A6M Zero fighters to reach, and the B-17's heavy gun armament was more than a match for lightly protected Japanese aircraft.
On 2 March 1943, six B-17s of the 64th Squadron attacked a major Japanese troop convoy from during the early stages of the Battle of the Bismarck Sea, off New Guinea, using skip bombing to sink three merchant ships including the .
A B-17 was shot down by a New Britain-based A6M Zero, whose pilot then machine-gunned some of the B-17 crew members as they descended in parachutes and attacked others in the water after they landed.
Later, 13 B-17s bombed the convoy from medium altitude, causing the ships to disperse and prolonging the journey.
The convoy was subsequently all but destroyed by a combination of low level strafing runs by Royal Australian Air Force Beaufighters, and skip bombing by USAAF North American B-25 Mitchells at , while B-17s claimed five hits from higher altitudes.
A peak of 168 B-17 bombers were in the Pacific theater in September 1942, with all groups converting to other types by mid-1943.
In mid-1942, Gen. Arnold decided that the B-17 was inadequate for the kind of operations required in the Pacific and made plans to replace all of the B-17s in the theater with B-24s as soon as they became available.
Although the conversion was not complete until mid-1943, B-17 combat operations in the Pacific theater came to an end after a little over a year.
Surviving aircraft were reassigned to the 54th Troop Carrier Wing's special airdrop section, and were used to drop supplies to ground forces operating in close contact with the enemy.
Special airdrop B-17s supported Australian commandos operating near the Japanese stronghold at Rabaul, which had been the primary B-17 target in 1942 and early 1943. 
A photographic reconnaissance detachment with a handful of F-5 Lightnings was sent to operate local flights from Poltava in late May, and a "triangular trade" in reconnaissance operations using Italy, Ukraine, and England preceded the bombing runs and also ran concurrently with them over the summer.
These flights were conducted by units of the 325th Reconnaissance Wing, commanded by Colonel Elliott Roosevelt.
After much preparation at the three Ukrainian airfields by advance elements of Headquarters, Eastern Command USAAF and Air Transport Command, the first shuttle mission ("Frantic-Joe") was conducted by Fifteenth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortresses and their P-51 Mustang fighter escorts taking off from airfields around Foggia, Italy, raiding the railroad marshalling yards at Debrecen, Hungary, and then flying on to the Ukraine.
First Shuttle Mission (Fifteenth Air Force)  2 June 1944 : 130 B-17s, escorted by 70 P-51 Mustangs, bombed the marshaling yard at Debrecen, Hungary and landed in the USSR, the B-17s at Poltava and Mirgorod and the P-51s at Piriatyn.
One B-17F (42-30319, 97th BG, 414th BS) lost over the target; 27 other B-17s, forced off course en route to the Oradea, Romania marshaling yard, also hit Debrecen.
6 June 1944 : 104 B-17s and 42 P-51 Mustangs (having flown to the USSR from Italy on 2 June) attacked the airfield at Galați, Romania and return to their shuttle bases in the USSR.
Eight enemy fighters are shot down and two P-51Bs (42-103369, 42-103432, 325th FG, 318th FS) are lost.
11 June 1944 : 126 B-17s and 60 P-51s departed Russian shuttle bases for Italy to complete FRANTIC-1.
On the way, 121 B-17s bombed the Focşani, Romania airfield .
One B-17F (42-3383, 97 BG) lost.
Second Shuttle Mission (Eighth Air Force) After the first shuttle mission, the consensus was that operations had been highly successful, and a joint atmosphere of celebration and high spirits reigned at Poltava.
The second shuttle raid assigned Eighth Air Force B-17s to attack synthetic oil facilities near Berlin on the way to the Ukraine.
21 June 1944 : 145 of 163 B-17s opened shuttle bombing between the United Kingdom and the USSR.
72 P-38 Lightnings, 38 P-47 Thunderbolts and 57 P-51 Mustangs escorted the B-17s to the target ( synthetic oil plant at Ruhland, Germany ); 123 B-17s bombed the primary target, 21 bombed the marshaling yard at Elsterwerda and a lone B-17 bombed the marshaling yard at Riesa, Germany, owing to a bomb rack malfunction.
4th Fighter Group P-51s accompanied the B-17s to the USSR (including 486 Squadron "borrowed" from the 352nd FG).
20 to 30 Luftwaffe fighters attack the force; in the resulting battle a P-51B (43-6784, 4th FG, 335th FS) and six German fighters are destroyed; an F model B-17 42-3490, 385th Bombardment Group, 549th Bomb Squadron piloted by Matthew Totter was damaged by Flak and lost three engines.
It flew to Sweden, was interned and later converted to SE-BAN, a Swedish airliner.
144 B-17s landed in the USSR, 73 at Poltava, and the rest at Mirgorod; the 64 remaining P-51s landed at Piriatyn.
: What was unknown at the time is that after the raid on Ruhland, the attacking B-17s were being shadowed from a distance by a Luftwaffe Heinkel He-111 bomber, which identified the Ukrainian airfields where they landed.
Other sources indicate that the Germans were already aware of the locations and had assembled a strike force at Minsk in anticipation.
On the night of 21 June, the Combat Wing of B-17s which earlier landed at Poltava sustained severe losses in a German air attack.
Hungarian planes also participated in the attack.
Personnel were alerted at approximately 2330 hours when it was announced that German bombers had crossed the front lines in the general direction of Poltava.
At 0030 hours, Pathfinder aircraft released flares directly above the airfield and ten minutes later the first bombs were dropped.
For almost two hours, an estimated 75 Luftwaffe bombers attacked the base, exhibiting a very high degree of accuracy.
Nearly all bombs were dropped in the dispersal area of the landing ground where only B-17s were parked, indicating without question that the B-17s constituted the specific objective of the raiders.
Of the 73 B-17s which had landed at Poltava, 47 were destroyed and most of the remainder severely damaged.
One American B-17 copilot, Joseph Lukacek, was killed.
His captain, Raymond Estele, was severely wounded and died later; several others suffered minor injuries.
The stores of fuel and ammunition brought so laboriously from the United States were also destroyed.
Three days after the attack, only nine of the 73 aircraft at Poltava were operational.
The truck-mounted 50-caliber machine guns that the Soviet high command insisted would be adequate had no effect on the Luftwaffe, as no aircraft were shot down or disabled.
Also, Russian and American fighter aircraft were not allowed to take off (by Soviet high-command) to engage the Luftwaffe during this attack; the reason for this is unclear.
American personnel losses were light due to adequate warning and the network of slit trenches distant from the aircraft parking area.
Russian losses were much higher since work crews were ordered to fight fires and disable anti-personnel bombs while the raid was ongoing.
Butterfly bombs continued to explode on the field for many weeks thereafter.
Red Air Force losses included 15 Yak-9s, 6 Yak-7s, three trainers, a Hawker Hurricane, and a VIP DC-3.
Soviet anti-aircraft fire was intense but random, and perversely served to outline the field for the German aircraft.
There are conflicting reports about whether Soviet aircraft engaged the enemy, but since there was no radar intercept capability, even American fighters would have been ineffective.
The well-planned German attack was led by Oberstleutnant Wilhelm Antrup of KG 55 and carried out by He-111Hs and Ju-88s of KG 4, KG 53, KG 55, and KG 27 operating from bases at Minsk.
The operation was nicknamed "Zaunkoenig".
After the He-111s left, the Ju-88s strafed the field at low altitude.
He-177s from Night Reconnaissance Squadrons performed target reconnaissance, pathfinder duties and bomb damage assessment.
There were no German losses.
22 June 1944 : Flyable B-17s at Mirgorod and P-51s at Piriatyn were flown to Soviet air bases farther east in anticipation of further attacks; they were to be returned and dispatched to bases in Italy as soon as the weather permitted.
This saved many aircraft, as German bombers struck both Piriatyn and Mirgorod during the nights of 22 and 23 June.
Piryatin had very short runways and had no fuel or munitions for the aircraft.
The Germans missed Piryatin while fuel and ammunition stores at Mirgorod were hit.
Air Transport Command ferried the now-excess aircrews back to the UK via Mehrabad Airport, Tehran, Iran.
26 June 1944 : Losses and damage sustained from the Luftwaffe bomber attack on Poltava and damage suffered en route to Russia had reduced the number of operational B-17s to a total of 73.
All available aircraft were formed into one composite Combat Wing of three groups for the execution of the return mission to Italy.
The aircraft at the dispersal airfields were flown back to Myrhorod and Poltava for servicing, rearming and refueling.
This delayed the take-off times to mid-afternoon, which meant that the aircraft would not arrive in Italy until the early evening twilight.
The B-17s rendezvous with 55 P-51s from Pyriatyn, bomb the oil refinery and marshaling yard at Drohobycz, Poland (one returns to the USSR because of mechanical trouble), and then proceed to Italy; Fifteenth Air Force P-51s meet the formation one hour after the attack and escort the B-17s to Foggia.
It was planned for the Eighth Air Force aircraft to return to bases in England on 27 June or as soon thereafter as weather conditions permitted, but unfavorable forecasts persisted.
During this period the B-17s participated in one Fifteenth Air Force mission and the P-51s in two missions.
2 July 1944 : The Eighth Air Force P-51 Group joined with other Fifteenth Air Force fighters in escorting 509 heavy bombers on a mission to three objectives in the Budapest, Hungary area; a marshaling yard (253 aircraft); Vecses Airfield (142 aircraft) and the Shell Oil Refinery (114 aircraft).
The P-51s preceded the bombers and conducted a free-lance sweep in the target area.
Aggressive enemy opposition was encountered and 4 P-51s were lost in combat and one other P-51 failed to return.
USAAF bombers and fighters claim 50+ fighters shot down.
3 July 1944 : Fifty-Seven Eighth Air Force B-17s were dispatched, escorted by the P-51 Mustang group (38 aircraft) in conjunction with 44 Fifteenth Air Force heavy bombers, attacking a marshaling yard and railway shops at Arad, Romania.
5 July 1944 : 72 Eighth Air Force B-17s complete the shuttle mission (UK-USSR-Italy-UK) and attack a marshaling yard at Béziers, France (with Fifteenth Air Force B-24s) while on the last leg from Italy to the UK; 42 P-51s return to the UK with the B-17s (of the 11 P-51s remaining in Italy, ten return to the UK the following day and the last several days later) After the Poltava disaster, the USAAF wanted to move the P-61 Black Widow-equipped 427th Night Fighter Squadron to Poltava to provide radar-enabled night air defense over the fields.
However, the Soviets vetoed this plan, insisting that air defense was their responsibility.
The P-61s were diverted to Italy.
The shuttle bombing missions were not abandoned for the moment, but they were suspended until the mess on the ground could be cleaned up and the defenses of the airbases improved.
Realizing that the Soviets could not adequately protect the heavy bombers from night raids, the Americans abandoned plans to permanently station three heavy bomber groups on Soviet airfields.
Because of the loss of fuel and the inability to protect the force, the next Frantic missions were composed of long-range fighters.
Third Shuttle Mission (Fifteenth Air Force) To keep the project alive, Fifteenth Air Force next shuttled P-38 and P-51 fighters to the Soviet Union in late July.
22 July 1944 : 76 P-38s and 58 P-51s begin the second Fifteenth Air Force shuttle mission, attacking airfields at Zilistea (Jiliste) and Buzău, Romania and landing at bases in the USSR.
25 July 1944 : Operating from USSR bases, 34 P-51s and 33 P-38s attack the airfield at Mielec, Poland and return to the USSR.
Mielec was the site of the PZL aircraft factory.
26 July 1944 : Fighters leave USSR bases, strafe enemy aircraft in the Bucharest–Ploiești, Romania area, and return to bases in Italy.
Fourth Shuttle Mission (Fifteenth Air Force)  4 August 1944 : In an attempt to comply with the first direct Soviet request for USAAF air strikes, 70+ P-38s and P-51s of the Fifteenth Air Force leave Italy, attack the airfield and town of Focşani, Romania and land at bases in the USSR.
6 August 1944 : 60 fighters of the USAAF Fifteenth Air Force take off from bases in the USSR, attack the Craiova marshaling yard and other railroad targets in the Bucharest–Ploiești, Romania area, and land at Italian bases.
After balancing losses and battle damage against the value of the targets, U.S. military leaders at the Soviet bases discontinue the fighter-bomber operations.
Fifth Shuttle Mission (Eighth Air Force)  6 August 1944 : 75 B-17s hit Rahmel aircraft factories at Gotenhafen (Gdynia), and proceed to the USSR.
Escort is provided by 154 P-51s.
7 August 1944 : A shuttle mission is flown in accordance with a Soviet request; 55 B-17s and 29 P-51s attack an oil refinery at Trzebina, Poland without loss; the aircraft return to bases in the USSR.
12 August 1944 : The second shuttle-bombing mission flown by Eighth Air Force from UK-USSR-Italy-UK is completed, with all aircraft flying to Fifteenth Air Force bases in Southern Italy.
13 August 1944 : 72 B-17s take off from Fifteenth Air Force bases in Italy; three have various problems, the others bomb Francazal Airfield, , just south of Toulouse, France and then proceed to the UK.
62 P-51 Mustangs (part of the shuttle-mission force) and 43 from the UK provide escort.
No aircraft are lost; 70 B-17s and 58 P-51s land in the UK, five B-17s and six P-51s, either left in Italy or returning there during this mission, subsequently return to the UK.
During this period, the United States at the highest level urgently requested the use of the Soviet bases for air support and supply of the ongoing Polish Home Army uprising in Warsaw.
However, until the Poles had already been substantially crushed, Stalin refused all assistance and vetoed these missions.
This caused a crisis in Soviet-American relations and changed U.S. perceptions of Soviet war aims among both military officers and diplomats.
Sixth Shuttle Mission (Eighth Air Force)  11 September 1944 : 75 Eighth Air Force B-17s bomb oil refineries at Chemnitz, Germany, with escort of 64 P-51 Mustangs, fly on and land in the USSR.
13 September 1944 : 73 B-17s, escorted by 63 P-51s, continuing the UK-USSR-Italy-UK shuttle-bombing mission, take off from USSR bases, bomb steel and armament works at Diósgyőr, Hungary and proceed to US Fifteenth Air Force bases in Italy.
15 September 1944 : Eighth Air Force in England dispatches 110 B-17s to drop supplies to the Warsaw Uprising Polish Home Army and then proceed to bases in the USSR.
However, a weather front is encountered over the North Sea and the bombers are recalled to England.
Escort is provided by 149 P-51 Mustangs; two P-51s (42-106783, 43-24842, 363d FS) collide in a cloud and are lost.
17 September 1944 : Shuttle mission is completed as 72 US Eighth Air Force B-17s and 59 P-51s fly without bombs from Italy to the UK.
Seventh Shuttle Mission (Eighth Air Force)  18 September 1944 : After turning back due to bad weather on 15 September, the last Eighth Air Force UK-USSR-Italy-UK mission sends 107 B-17s to supply the Polish Home Army in Warsaw with 1,248 para-dropped containers.
Fewer than 250 are on target for pick-up by the remaining Polish pockets.
One B-17 is lost (43-38175 390th BG 568th BS).
Escort is provided by 137 P-51s; 64 P-51s continue to the USSR, two P-51s are lost (42-26386, 44-19735, 355th FG 386th/368th FS).
19 September 1944 : 100 B-17s and 61 P-51s take off from bases in the USSR, bomb the marshaling yard at Szolnok, Hungary, and continue to bases in Italy.
Aircraft remain in Italy due to bad weather until 23 September, when they reposition to the UK.  
On 8 December, the initial Japanese attack on Clark Field caught the remaining 19th Bombardment Group on the ground and most of its aircraft were destroyed by the bomber and fighter sweeps on the field.
In the ensuing Battle of the Philippines (1942) and the destruction of Clark and Nichols Fields on Luzon in the first days of the war, the Japanese were flying extensive reconnaissance missions in an effort to discover the remaining American aircraft in the Philippines.
They had been unable to find the Del Monte field, but it was only a question of time before this last haven would be discovered and destroyed as were the airfields on Luzon.
Moreover, it was becoming increasingly difficult to service the B-17s with the inadequate facilities at Del Monte.
There were no spare parts, engines, or propellers for the B-17s in the Philippines; damaged B-17s had to be cannibalized to keep the bombers flying.
The only tools were those in the possession of the crews.
The men who worked on the planes all night often got no rest the next day because of air alerts.
On some days the heavy bombers had to remain aloft during the daylight hours to avoid destruction on the ground.
They dodged back and forth between Mindanao and Luzon, playing a game of hide-and-seek that wore out men as well as planes.B-17s flying from Del Monte Airfield became the first United States aircraft to engage in offensive action against the Japanese.
On December 14, 1941, the American Army Air Forces reacted to the Japanese invasion of the Philippines at Legaspi, Luzon by sending 3 of a group of 6 Del Monte-based B-17s, ordered to attack the landing force.
They attacked a Japanese minesweeper and a transport, thought to be a destroyer, with meager results, and 9 naval aircraft based on the Legaspi strip.
The unescorted bombers were no match for the Japanese fighters and soon beat a hasty retreat.
Only one of the B-17s was able to make its way back to Del Monte; the others had to crash-land short of their base.
The Japanese lost at most 4 fighters.
Under these conditions, it was evident that the remaining heavy bombers could not operate efficiently in the Philippines.
General Brereton therefore requested authority on December 15 to move the B-17s to Darwin in northwest Australia, 1,500 miles away, where they could be based safely and serviced properly.
His intention was to operate from fields near Darwin, using Del Monte as an advance base from which to strike enemy targets in the Philippines.
The planes were immediately prepared for the long flight southward, and on December 15 the first group of B-17s left Del Monte airfield.
By the following evening ten of the bombers had reached Batchelor Field outside Darwin.
They had left Mindanao none too soon, as the complex of airfields was discovered by the Japanese on December 18, 1941 and attacked the following day by Japanese planes based on the carrier "Ryujo".
On December 22, 1941, 9 B-17's from Batchelor Field near Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, attacked shipping in Davao Bay, Mindanao Island and landed at Del Monte.
The next day 4 B-17s took off from Del Monte after midnight and bombed enemy shipping in Lingayen Gulf.
On the 24th, 3 B-17's based at Del Monte bombed the airfield and shipping at Davao on the southeast coast of Mindanao before flying to Australia.
Del Monte was later used to evacuate General MacArthur, his family and senior staff from the Philippines, in March 1942.
When the evacuation party arrived by PT boat from Corregidor on March 16, four B-17 Flying Fortresses from Australia flew up to Del Monte: B-17E 41-2408, B-17E 41-2429, B-17E 41-2434 and B-17E 41-2447 and evacuated them to Batchelor Field.
On April 8, 1942, the air echelons of the 24th Pursuit Group along with the remaining Army Air Corps flying operations in the Philippines were withdrawn from Luzon and transferred to Del Monte with whatever aircraft were left to carry on the fight.
In April 1942, a group of 7 B-25s and 3 B-17s from Australia returned to Del Monte for the Royce Mission, to attack the Japanese on three bombing missions.
On April 12, B-25s hit the harbor and shipping at Cebu, Cebu Island while B-17s carried out single-bomber strikes against Cebu harbor and Nichols Field on Luzon.
On 13 April B-25s hit targets in the Philippines for the second consecutive day.
The B-25s took off just after midnight and bombed shipping at Cebu on Cebu Island and installations at Davao on Mindanao.
Later in the day the B-25s again attacked Davao, bombing the dock area.
The advancing Japanese forced their return to Australia without loss.
In addition to the raids, they brought out a number of important military and diplomatic personnel who had gathered at Del Monte to await evacuation.
The last of the 24th Pursuit Group's aircraft were captured or destroyed by enemy forces on or about May 1, 1942 when the airfield was abandoned by the United States, leaving its facilities to the Japanese invaders.