Escuadrón Aéreo de Pelea 201
Escuadrón Aéreo de Pelea 201 (also El Escuadrón 201 or Aguilas Aztecas ) is an squadron of the Mexican Air Force .
The unit belonged to the Fuerza Aérea Expedicionaria Mexicana (Expeditionary Air Force Mexico) formed in 1944 , which fought on the US side in the Pacific War. The Aguilas Aztecas (Aztec eagles) were mainly used in the reconquest of Luzon .
Positioning and training
After German submarines sank the two Mexican tankers Potrero del Llano and Faja de Oro in May 1942 , Mexican President Manuel Ávila Camacho declared war on the German Empire , the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Japan on May 22, 1942.
The Escuadrón Aéreo de Pelea 201 was formed from more than 300 volunteers. These included 30 experienced pilots. The majority was assigned to the ground crew. The newly established unit was transferred to the USA on July 24, 1944 for training. Initial medical examinations and proficiency tests were conducted at Randolph Field in San Antonio . This was followed by three months of basic training at the air bases in Randolph Field , Foster Army Air Field in Victoria (Texas) and Pocatello Army Air Base in Pocatello . On November 30, 1944, the Mexicans were transferred to the Majors Field base in Greenville, Texas , where training was further deepened and completed on February 20, 1945.
Combat operation in the Pacific
The unit was with the troop transport S.S. Fairisle moved to the combat area in the Philippines and reached Manila , which had been retaken a month earlier , on April 30, 1945. The Mexican squadron was placed under the 5th US Air Force and stationed in Porac . Since the Mexicans did not initially have their own aircraft, the first missions were flown in June 1945 with "borrowed" aircraft from the 310th Fighter Squadron of the United States Army Air Forces . The planes were flown alternately by both US and Mexican pilots, which is why the machines were not specially marked.
In July 1945, received Aguilas Aztecas 25 modern fighter-bomber of the type P-47D Thunderbolt . The planes were given a special paint scheme that was a mixture of US and Mexican national emblems.
The Escuadrón 201 was used in 96 combat missions. This included air support for the 25th US Infantry Division in the fighting for the Cagayan Valley in northeast Luzon and several missions against targets on Formosa .
The current Escuadrón 201
The Fuerza Aérea Expedicionaria Mexicana were dissolved after the end of the war.
The Escuadrón 201 remained an active unit of the Mexican armed forces . It is now equipped with a Pilatus PC-7 and stationed on the Caribbean island of Cozumel .
When riots broke out in Chiapas state in 1994 , the Escuadrón 201 was used against the Zapatista opposition.
reception
- In 1945, the Mexican film Escuadrón 201 , produced under the direction of Jaime Salvador, was released.
- A station on Line 8 of the Metro of Mexico City in the eastern district of Iztapalapa named Escuadrón 201 .