Initial operations of the 24th from Bataan Field consisted of an interception mission against a Japanese bomb attack on Corregidor on 4 January. After the interception, in which no enemy planes were shot down, a flight of 9 P-40s were sent south to Del Monte Field on Mindanao. Two planes were lost en route. By 26 January, attrition had reduced the force of P-40s at Bataan to seven, and the planes were loaded with fragmentation bombs for an attack on the occupied Nichols and Nielson Fields near Manila. One plane crashed on takeoff, the others carried out strafing and bombardment of Japanese planes on the line at the captured airfields. Intelligence reported that the raid was successful, with at least 37 Japanese aircraft destroyed on the ground, along with gasoline and oil drums set on fire. Over 300 casualties were inflicted. The raiders returned to Cabacaban Airfield and were reloaded, rearmed and departed for a second attack, however they had to turn back due to the dense smoke which was rising from both airfields due to the fires.
