Eagle squadron

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This article deals with units of the Royal Air Force. For the "Aztec Eagle Squadron" of the Mexican Air Force, see Escuadrón 201.

The Eagle Squadrons were fighter squadrons of the Royal Air Force formed during World War II with volunteer pilots from the United States, similar to the model set by the Polish 303 Squadron (see Battle of Britain Foreign Contributions). The creation of the squadrons started as a result of the Battle of Britain, which created a shortage of pilots for the RAF. While many US recruits simply crossed the border and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force to learn to fly and fight, many of the early recruits had originally come to Europe to fight for Finland against the Soviets.

Eagle Squadron 133 Badge

Charles Sweeney, a well-heeled socialite and businessman living in London, began recruiting American citizens to fight as a US volunteer detachment in the French Air force, echoing the Lafayette Escadrille of the Great War. With the fall of France a dozen of these recruits joined the RAF. Sweeney's efforts were also co-ordinated in Canada by WWI air ace Billy Bishop and with artist Clayton Knight who formed the Clayton Knight Committee, who, by the time the USA entered the war in December 1941, had processed and approved 6,700 applications from Americans to join the RCAF or RAF. Sweeney and his rich society contacts bore the cost (over $100,000) of processing and bringing the US trainees to the UK for training.

1 Training
2 Formation and evolution
3 Individual pilots
4 Dedication
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Training

The basic requirements for those interested in joining the Eagles were a high school diploma, between 20 and 31 years of age, eyesight that was 20/40 correctable to 20/20, and 300 hours of certified flying time. These requirements were somewhat less strict than those required for service in the USAAF which is the reason some of the pilots joined the squadron. Most Eagle Squadron pilots did not have a college education or prior military experience.

Once in the British Isles, the new volunteers were sent to an operational training unit (OTU) for two to four weeks to learn to fly Miles Master trainers, Hawker Hurricanes, and Spitfires before being posted to a squadron. After OTU some of the men went straight to one of the Eagle Squadrons while the vast majority served with other RAF or RCAF squadrons.

[edit] Formation and evolution

The first Eagle Squadron (No. 71) was formed in September 1940, and became operational for defensive duties on 5 February 1941.

The last Eagle Squadron was disbanded in September 1942, with most of the members transferring into the United States Army Air Forces. The three Eagle Squadrons were numbered 71, 121, and 133. Of the thousands that volunteered, 244 Americans served with the three Eagle Squadrons; 16 Britons acted as Squadron and Flight commanders. The Dieppe Raid was the only occasion that all three Eagle Squadrons saw action operating together.

From the time the first Eagle Squadron was formed in September 1940 until all three squadrons were disbanded and their personnel and equipment absorbed into the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in September 1942, they claimed to have destroyed 73½ German planes while 77 American and 5 British members were killed. 71 Squadron claimed 41 kills, 121 Squadron 18 kills, and 133 squadron 14½ kills.

When informed of the Pearl Harbor attack most of the Eagle Squadron pilots wanted to immediately join the on the fight against Japan. Representatives from 71 and 121 Squadrons went to the American Embassy in London and offered their services to the United States. The pilots from 71 Squadron decided they wanted to go to Singapore to fight the Japanese and a proposal was put to Fighter Command but it was turned down. It would take some time however for the USAAF to organize and ship to England the elements necessary to support air operations: the initial command staff for the Eighth Air Force did not arrive in britain until late February 1942, and the movement of groups, code-named Bolero, did not begin until May.

In September of 1942 the three squadrons were officially turned over by the RAF to the fledgling Eighth Air Force and became the famous 4th Fighter Group. The squadrons were respectively designated by the USAAF as the 334th, 335th and 336th Fighter Squadrons and transferred as complete units, retaining their Spitfires until P-47 Thunderbolts became available in January 1943.

Negotiations regarding transfer to the USAAF between the Eagle Squadrons, USAAF and the RAF were not as easy as expected and had to resolve a number of issues. Determining what rank each pilot would assume in the USAAF had to be negotiated, with most being given a rank equivalent to their RAF rank. None of the Eagle Squadron pilots had served in the USAAF and did not have US pilot's wings. It was decided to give them US pilots wings upon their transfer. Major General Carl Spaatz, commander of the 8AF, wanted to spread the experience of the Eagles amongst various new US fighter squadrons. However the three Eagle Squadrons wanted to stay together as units. Additionally, the RAF wanted some compensation for losing three front-line squadrons in which they had heavily invested. An agreement also had to be reached in regard to supplying the squadrons with aircraft after their transfer to the USAAF. Being short of suitable airplanes at the time, the agreement reached called for the new squadrons to be equipped with Spitfires, which the 4th FG flew until its conversion to P-47s was completed in April 1943.

[edit] Individual pilots

The first three members of the Eagle Squadron were Eugene Quimby "Red" Tobin, Andrew Mamedoff and Vernon "Shorty" Keough, all with 609 Squadron out of Warmwell at Middle Wallop. These three men were assigned to 71 Squadron in September 1940.

It is reported that Pilot Officer Art Donahue stayed with the Eagle Squadron only a short time before requesting a transfer back to his original RAF unit. He did not appreciate the unruly behavior of many of the American pilots.

Captain Don Gentile was a pilot with 133 squadron, claiming 2 air victories, and by March 1944 became the 4th FG's top ace in WWII with 22 air kills.

Chesley 'Pete' Peterson had 130 sorties with the Eagle Squadrons, he then became the youngest Squadron Commander in the RAF. When the Eagle Squadrons were transferred to the USAAF 4th Fighter Group, Peterson became the group's executive officer, succeeding to command of the group in April 1943, and at 23 years of age the youngest (at the time) colonel in the US Army Air Forces.

Col. Donald Blakeslee was a pilot in 121 and 133 Squadrons during 1942, making 120 sorties and claiming 3 air kills, became deputy commander of the 4th Fighter Group under Chesley Peterson, then commanded the group from January to October 1944. Blakeslee flew briefly with the 354th and 357th Fighter Groups in in January 1944 when the P-51 Mustang was introduced to combat in Europe and immediately became the driving force behind conversion of all but one of the Eighth Air Force fighter groups to the Mustang. His insistence on converting to the Mustang resulted in a rapid turnover of airplanes, with the former Eagle squadrons flying their first Mustang mission on February 24, 1944.

[edit] Dedication

British composer Kenneth J. Alford wrote a march, "Eagle Squadron", in honour of the pilots of the squadron. It is also a "thank you" to the American pilots: small sections of the Star Spangled Banner can be heard in the low brass during the trio.