RMAF Butterworth

"Butterworth Airfield", "RAF Butterworth" & "RAAF Station Butterworth/RAAF Butterworth" redirect here.

RMAF Butterworth (, formerly the RAF Butterworth & RAAF Butterworth) is an Air Force Station of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) situated near the town of Butterworth in the state of Penang, directly opposite the island itself.

History

RAF Butterworth

RAF Butterworth was officially opened in October 1941, as a Royal Air Force station which was a part of the British defence plan for defending the Malayan Peninsula against an imminent threat of invasion by the Imperial Japanese forces during World War II. During the Battle of Malaya, the airfield suffered some damage as a direct result of aerial bombing from Mitsubishi G3M and Mitsubishi G4M bombers of the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service based in Saigon, South Vietnam. Brewster Buffalos from the airbase rose to challenge the escorting Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters but was mauled during several of these engagements by the highly trained and experienced Japanese fighter pilots.

The RAF airfield was subsequently captured by units of the advancing 25th Army (Imperial Japanese Army) on 20 Dec 1941 and the control of the airbase was to remain in the hands of IJA until the end of hostilities in September 1945. Whereupon the RAF resumed control of the station and Japanese prisoners of war were made to repair the airfeild as well as to improve the runways before resuming air...
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