Editing Nichols Field (section)

===Origins===
[[File:Landing Fields - Philippines - Nichols Field - NARA - 68160594.jpg|thumb|left|Nichols Field runway construction]]

Camp Nichols was established by the [[Air Service, United States Army]] in 1919.   Located near [[Fort William McKinley]], south of Manila, it initially was the home of the [[4th Composite Group|1st Group (Observation)]], being activated on 14 August 1919, Nichols Field became the headquarters of the [[Philippine Department Air Force]], under the Army Philippine Department.<ref name="Clay">Clay, Steven E. (2011). US Army Order of Battle 1919–1941. 3 The Services: Air Service, Engineers, and Special Troops 1919–1941. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press. {{ISBN|978-0-9841901-4-0}}. LCCN 2010022326. OCLC 637712205.</ref><ref name="Maurer">Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. {{ISBN|0-89201-092-4}}.</ref>

The 1st Group (later 4th Composite Group) consisted of the 2d, 3d and 28th Aero Squadrons in 1919.  The [[2d Aero Squadron]] (2d Observation Squadron), having served in the Philippines beginning in 1915, was transferred back from [[Rockwell Field]], California in 1920 after training duties in the United States during the war.   The [[3d Aero Squadron]] (3d Pursuit Squadron), also a stateside training unit during the war, was transferred from [[Mitchel Field]], New York in 1920.  The [[28th Aero Squadron]] (28th Bombardment Squadron), which had served in combat on the [[Western Front (World War I)|Western Front]] during the war, was transferred to the group in 1922.<ref name="Clay"/><ref name="AFHRA">{{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II|orig-year=1969|url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf |archive-url= https://archive.today/20230820144531/https://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 20 August 2023 |edition= reprint|year=1982|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-405-12194-6|oclc=72556|lccn=70605402}}</ref> The 3d Pursuit Squadron was moved to [[Clark Field]] upon its arrival in 1920 and Nichols became home of Air Park No, 11 (later 66th Service Squadron, which supported the group logistically with equipment, supplies and vehicles both at Nichols and Clark Fields).<!-- Possible citation from
Meixsel, Richard B. (2002). "Chapter 4: The Third Pursuit Squadron". Clark Field and the U.S. Army Air Corps in the Philippines, 1919-1942. Quezon City, Philippines: New Day Publishers. ISBN 978-971-10-1078-2. p. 28 --> It also became the home of the Manila Air Depot, which provided maintenance support for all Army and Navy aircraft in the Philippines.

The primary operational mission of Nichols Field was tactical training for coastal defense of Luzon.  Due to its proximity to Manila, it also was the primary command and control base for the Philippine Department Air Force. Exercises and maneuvers with Army ground forces and Naval forces were a regular and important part of its mission. Another mission of Nichols Field during the 1920s was aerial mapping of the Philippines; the topography of many of the islands were largely unknown. The aerial mapping mission was the primary mission of the 2d Observation Squadron, which moved between Clark and Nichols during the 1920s and 1930s.<ref name="Clay"/>