Cesar Fernando Basa was a
Filipino pilot and hero of
World War II.Born in
1915, he was one of the pioneer fighter pilots in the
Philippine Air Force and the first Filipino casualty during World War II. His brave fight took place at
Batangas Field on the morning of
December 12,
1941 when fifty four
Japanese bombers and fighter escorts raided the base. Five Filipino fighter pilots, led by Captain
Jesus Villamor, gallantly engaged the numerically superior enemy in aerial combat at 12,000 feet. Lieutenant Basa arrived on the scene from an air patrol mission with only 15 minutes of fuel left in his tanks. Without a second thought, he throttled his aircraft to full speed; joining his comrades in the fight. While still half the distance away, he was intercepted by seven Japanese fighters and shot down. Although he bailed out, he was mercilessly strafed with machine-gun fire by the
A6M Zero fighters. Captain Villiamor and his fighters won the battle with the only casualty being Lieutenant Basa, leading to Captain Villamor being awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross a second time, earning him an
Oak Leaf Cluster. In recognition of his heroism, Lieutenant Basa was
posthumously awarded the
Silver Star.
Basa Air Base in
Floridablanca,
Pampanga has been named after him.
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