Anoon air raid saw five Japanese planes in V-formation crystal clear at high altitude against a perfect blue sky. It’s the first time I’ve seen a good pattern of antiaircraft puffs — plentiful and close. Our aircraft knocked out 25 Japanese planes on the ground and two in the air over Vigan. We also routed a Japanese mechanized patrol south of there.

The Japanese in the south have infiltrated the mining district. Our command seems unconcerned and probably prefers to engage them in selected bottlenecks. More disheartening is unexpected news of setbacks in Malaya.

It’s a clear day as I write this over lunch, and all signs point to another air-raid around this time. The sirens started as soon as we finished. Ten minutes later the Japanese dropped a couple of bombs on Nichols and left — the shortest raid so far.