Escuadrón 201

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General Info
Combat Missions	96
Offensive Missions	785
Defensive Missions	6
Flying Hours in combat	1,966:15
Flying Hours in Combat zone	591:00
Pre-Combat Flying Hours	281:00
Flying Hours per Pilot	82
Total Flying Hours	2,842:00
Bombs Dropped	1,000 lb: 957 500 lb: 500
Ammo Used (cal. 0.50")	166,922
Planes Lost in combat	1
Planes Damaged in combat	5
Pilots Lost in Combat	0
Pilots Lost in Operations	Lost 1 Accidents 4

El Escuadrón 201 (also known as "The Aztec Eagles") was a Mexican fighter squadron that aided the Allied war effort during World War II. Squadron 201 was composed of more than 300 volunteers – 36 experienced pilots and the rest ground crewmen. The ground crewmen were electricians, mechanics, and radiomen.

Their formation was prompted by the attack by German submarines against Mexican oil tankers that were providing fuel and materials to the Allies. These attacks eventually caused the Mexican government to declare war on Germany.

Escuadron 201 P-47D Thunderbolt with USAF and FAM (Fuerza Aerea Mexicana) insignias

The Aztec Eagles were attached to the U.S. Air Force's 58th Fighter Group during the liberation of the main Philippine island of Luzon in the summer of 1945. The pilots flew P-47D "Thunderbolt" single-seat fighter aircraft carrying out tactical air support missions.

The squadron left Mexico for the United States on July 24, 1944, arrived at Laredo, Texas, on July 25, and moved on to Randolph Field in San Antonio, where they received medical examinations and weapons and flight proficiency tests. They received five months of training at Majors Airport in Greenville, Texas and Pocatello (Idaho) Army Air Base; Foster Army Air Field in Victoria, Texas as well as Randolph. The pilots received extensive training in armament, communications or engineering as well as combat tactics, formation flying and gunnery.

This marked the first time Mexican troops were trained for overseas combat. The "Aztec Eagles" flew more than 90 combat missions, totaling more than 1,900 hours of flight time. They participated in the Allied effort to bomb Luzon and Formosa (now Taiwan) to push the Japanese out of those islands. During their fighting in the Philippines, 5 pilots died (one was shot down, one crashed, and three ran out of fuel and died at sea).

The squadron was the subject of the Mexican film "Escuadrón 201", directed by Jaime Salvador and released in 1945.

Interview with Pilot Reynaldo Gallardo