Distinguished Unit Citation
Battle Honors
The Air Section, 457th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion is cited
for outstanding heroism, and conspicuous performance of duty in action against the enemy on Luzon, Philippines Island, from 31 January to 5 February 1945.
During this period, this unit distinguished itself by the imposing part it played in the advance of an airborne division to Manila. This section, when it landed at Nasugbu, Luzon, on 31 January 1945, winced its mobile loaded liason airplanes through 100 yards of surf , and, under hostile machine-gun fire assembled one airplane by nightfall and one by the following morning.
On 1 February both airplanes took off and flew constant surveillance missions throughout the daylight hours over enemy territory. to detect all hostile reactions to the landing.
On 2 February, the advance elements of the division had seriously strained the meager supply facilities of the division, and the pilots dropped mortars, ammunition, food, and water.
On the next day, the airplanes successfully completed a seemingly incredible mission of flying reconnaissance to "Laguna de Bay, Manila, Nichols Field, and Cavite at an elevation of 50 feet in the face of hostile fire, located several enemy gun emplacements, and dropped orders to isolated guerrilla units.
On the following day the section marked the enemy-held drop zone with white phosphorus grenade for the jump of a parachute combat team.
On the two following days, both airplanes adjusted artillery fire on Nichols Field and the Genko Line in Manila, while under constant 20 mm and caliber .50 Japanese antiaircraft fire.
The speed with which the airplanes were placed into operation, the coolly and courageously executed reconnaissance flights in the face of hostile fire, deep into enemy territory, and the execution of artillery fire missions despite heavy antiaircraft fire did much to break the backbone of enemy resistance to the division's advance.
The fearless and unquestioning devotion to duty of the members of the Air Section, 457th Parachute Field Artillery Battalion is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit on the armed forces of the United States.
(General Orders No. 69, Headquarters Eighth Army,, 25 June 1945, as approved by the commander in Chief , Pacific.) [ General Order No. 71, War Department, Washington, 22 August 1945]
By Order of The Secretary of War
