César Fernando María Tianko Basa (21 June 1915 – 12 December 1941) was a Filipino military pilot who fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was one of the pioneer fighter pilots of the

Philippine Army Air Corps The Philippine Army Air Corps () was created in 1935 as the air component of the Philippine Army. It was the predecessor of the Philippine Air Force, created in 1947. History The Air Corps was created by the Philippine National Assembly' ...

, the forerunner of the

Philippine Air Force The Philippine Air Force (PAF) () is the aerial warfare service branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Initially formed as part of the Philippine Army as the Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC) in 1935, the PAAC eventually saw combat ...

, and was the first Filipino fighter pilot casualty during World War II.

Early years

César Basa was born on 21 June 1915 to Fernando Basa and Rosario Tianko of

Isabela, Negros Occidental Isabela, officially the Municipality of Isabela, is a municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,516 people. Isabela is known for BISCOM (Binalbagan Isabela Sugar Comp ...

. He finished his primary education in his home town, until the family moved to

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

, where his parents enrolled him at the Ateneo de Manila University. He took up a Bachelor of Science major in

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

, and graduated in the class of 1939. In school he was known as a star player of their

basketball team Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, and was a swimmer. Upon graduating from the ADMU, he joined the Philippine Army Flying School in Zablan Airfield in Camp Murphy, and received his commission as 2nd Lieutenant upon graduation in 1940.

Death

On the morning of 12 December, 1941, 27

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

bombers and 17 fighter escorts raided

Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( ), is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,908,494 people, making ...

Field. 6 Filipino fighter pilots of the 6th Pursuit Squadron in Boeing P-26A "Peashooter" fighter planes, led by Captain Jesús Villamor, engaged the numerically superior enemy in aerial combat at . Several dogfights ensued as Villamor and his men fought to prevent the pack of bombers and their fighter escorts from reaching and bombing Lipa Airfield. Lieutenant Basa, still airborne after a two hour air-reconnaissance mission, rushed to the scene and attempted to join the aerial engagement with only 15 minutes' worth of fuel left in his P-26, but was intercepted by seven Japanese fighters and his aircraft disabled. He was able to return to Nichols Airfield and run for cover, but received a fatal head injury when a Japanese fighter strafed his aircraft. Lt. Victor Osias attempted to rescue him, but Basa expired in his arms, the first Filipino fighter-pilot casualty of the war. Captain Villamor and his pilots won the battle, with the only casualty being Basa, who was

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award, an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication, publishing of creative work after the author's death * Posthumous (album), ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1 ...

awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

Honors

Cesar Basa Air Base in Floridablanca, Pampanga, Philippines is named in his honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basa, Cesar 1915 births 1941 deaths Filipino military personnel killed in World War II Philippine Air Force personnel Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States) Filipino World War II pilots Filipino military aviators Ateneo de Manila University alumni Philippine Army Air Corps Filipino military personnel of World War II