Mindoro was subjected to incessant air attacks and was the target for 336 raids in one hectic fortnight alone. On the night of 26 December, a Japanese naval force of two battleships, two cruisers, and seven destroyers bombarded the shore installations and attempted several troop landings.

We were located on the flood plain of the Bugsanga River, opposite the Elmore air strip. Within a radius of three miles, there were four air strips - Elmore, Hill, McGuire and Murtha, each with a single runway.  See Detailed Location Map.

Only after the landings on Luzon did the intensity of the Japanese air attacks on Mindoro subside. Over the airfields area themselves, more than 100 Japanese aircraft were shot down.