WWII was near its end.
Germany had just surrendered in Europe. Berlin was encircled and in ruin.
Nonetheless, the once-proud Empire of the Rising Sun, now battered and overwhelmed
by the U.S. in Asia and the Pacific Ocean, still posed a threat to the Allied forces.
America was still unsure of using its secret
nuclear superweapon created in the Manhattan Project.
The Battle for Okinawa, one of the bloodiest battles in USMC's history,
loomed on the horizon while the U.S. was about to liberate the Philippines of Japanese occupation.
It was a scorching summer day of May 1945 in the Pacific
when a U.S. Air Force fighter formation was on a strike mission against a Japanese military convoy.
When the objectives were identified, a squadron of P-47 Thunderbolts swooped down on the convoy.
One of these fighters broke formation and went straight
towards the Japanese in a veteran maneuver.
Furiously, the lone P-47 rained down hell upon the military convoy, pouring his .50
caliber rounds into the trucks in a dangerous low-level pass that exposed it to enemy fire.
With pinpoint accuracy, the aircraft hit all of the vehicles in a single run.
Leaving a trail of fire and destruction behind, the pilot of the P-47 performed
a celebratory victory roll, exposing himself once again to enemy fire.
Over the intercom, a U.S. pilot shouted (QUOTE):
"Look at that crazy Mexican," when he noticed the performance.
It was none other than Lt. Reynaldo Pérez Gallardo,
one of the 300 impulsive and brave volunteer Mexican pilots of the Legendary "Escuadrón 201",
the Aztec Eagles who went to war against the Empire of Japan during WWII.
The Tide Shifts in Mexico
Before the start of WW2,
Mexico struggled to regain economic stability during The Great Depression.
After the Mexican Revolution, which took place between 1910 and 1921, and the Cristiada in
1926 through 1929, another bloody religious war that sought to eradicate Catholicism in Mexico,
the country was deeply politically divided and economically broken.
There was no technology and little industry. Poor infrastructure failed to give shelter
and work to the tens of thousands of Mexicans living on the streets.
Although many Mexicans migrated to the U.S. searching for more decent lives,
things were no better in the States. During these harsh times,
National-Socialism and Communist ideas made their way into the Mexican social classes.
Trotsky, one of the leaders of the Russian Revolution,
was prosecuted by the men he once called comrades. He fled to Mexico, where he
gained popularity and was sheltered by Mexican artists, politicians, and literary circles.
The Third Reich also attracted the attention of some in Mexico
who were attracted to Hitler's supposed policy of supporting all the social classes,
no matter the population's origins. Mexican politicians also admired the
Fuhrer for turning Germany into a superpower once again and for his macho militarism.
During the Spanish Civil War, Mexico was one of the few Hispanic nations that sent volunteers to
both sides of the conflict. However, the State's posture was that of favoring the Republicans.
Despite these divides and contradictions, the tide changed when WW2 broke out. The
U.S. began coercing the Mexican Government to join the Allies
after Hitler allegedly made his own overtures to Mexico.
Mexico, which by no way was a superpower, wished to remain neutral,
but Germany's U-boat warfare shifted that neutrality balance in May 1942.
Kriegsmarine submarines sank 2 Mexican oil tankers in the Gulf of Mexico.
The S.S. Potrero del Llano and SS Faja de Oro were sent to the ocean's bottom without warning.
20 crew members were lost in both accidents, and more than 8,000 tons of oil were spilled.
The Reich did not respond to Mexican demands about the accident. Reports suggested that the
Kriegsmarine believed they were American ships, as they were sunk off the coast of Florida.
Nonetheless, on May 28, 1942, President Ávila Camacho announced publicly
that Mexico was joining the fight against the Axis powers. It was time for payback.
The Eagles Go to War
Before the war declaration, Mexico intercepted a Japanese Army message
allegedly planned to launch an offensive against the U.S. through Northern Mexico.
The Sea of Cortés, in Baja California, was the place where the Japanese Navy would attack.
After a meeting with President Roosevelt, President Camacho agreed to relocate all the
Japanese-Mexicans to specific areas where they would remain detained until the war finished.
Simultaneously, a Mexican Air Expeditionary Force began receiving volunteers from all across the
country, which resulted in the selection of only 300 hundred men from all branches,
including the best 40 pilots Mexico had to offer.
The small force received the name of Escuadrón 201, or Squadron 201.
The President gave command of the unit to Colonel Antonio Cardenas Rodriguez,
who had flown combat missions over North Africa with the U.S. 97th Bomb Group.
He was also connected with senior American officers, including USAF General Jimmy Doolittle.
In July 1944, President Camacho met Squadron 201 at Balbuena Military Camp and told them that they
were headed to the U.S., where they would be trained to fight the Japanese or the Germans.
The Squadron's first destination was Randolph Army Air Base at San Antonio,
where the men received training from the Women's Air Force Service Pilots.
After an intense boot camp,
the Mexican volunteers were separated by specialty and sent to different bases.
Some men were sent to Idaho and others to Victoria, Texas. Pilots began training with
Curtiss P-40 Warhawks and learned basic air combat tactics. At the same time,
ground units received training in operations, maintenance, and field medicine techniques.
In October 1944, the unit was reunited again to conduct group maneuvers. When training was almost
complete, the Mexican pilots were introduced to their warhorse, the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt.
This aircraft was designed as a fighter, but its solid structure
and reinforced armor allowed it to carry two 500-pound bombs for close air support.
The sturdy P-47 could take a beating from the Japanese fire and still get the job done.
Equipped with eight .50 caliber guns, ideal for short-to-medium-range encounters.
The Mexican aviators were enthralled with the plane.
It suited the aggressive style that the airmen would soon use when fighting in the Pacific.
Squadron 201 was given permission to modify the insignias of their P-47s.
Besides the USAF logo, they added the colors of the Mexican flag to the fins.
Some pilots even painted the figure of the Squadron's mascot on their aircraft.
Pancho Pistolas was a Mexican chicken created by the Walt Disney Company
during the first days of WW2 to get support for the war effort from Hispanic nations.
At Randolph Field in San Antonio and Majors Field in Greenville, Texas, the Mexican Squadron
finished training with a basic knowledge of aerial warfare. They were finally ready for combat.
In February 1945, Squadron 201 officially finished training. It was sent to the
Philippines one month later as part of the U.S. Fifth Air Force, 58th Fighter Group.
Combat Missions
Escuadrón 201 arrived in the Philippines on April 30, 1945.
They went straight into the action in Vigan, where they showed what they were truly made of.
American aviators did not believe the Mexicans could handle themselves under combat.
Silent and obedient, the Mexicans suffered discrimination,
but they later gained respect for their actions' bravery.
They flew 2 missions per day. In Vigan,
the Japanese were heavily fortified and dug in in the middle of the mountain range.
The Mexican pilots had to carry out risky dive-bombing runs that could quickly
get them killed to successfully take out the Japanese defenders.
But they got the job done. Like Mexican lightweight boxers of the time,
the members of Squadron 201 liked to get close and personal with the Japanese.
U.S. pilots were so amazed by their fortitude that they began
calling the Mexican Squadron the "white noses" for the paint on their cowlings,
or Pancho Pistolas, for the Disney cartoon they painted on their fuselage.
As days passed by, the Squadron began losing men one by one. By July 1945,
they had already lost 14 men with no replacements, making the unit ineffective for combat.
Then, in August, the U.S. dropped the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
forcing the Japanese to surrender.
The unit participated in bombing, scouting, and support missions during their time in
the Philippines. Some were eager to take the fight to Okinawa. Still,
the company was no longer fit for combat conditions for their losses.
The 201st Squadron knocked 30,000 Japanese troops out of combat.
The Aztec Eagles registered 2,000 hours of combat sorties,
dropping more than 1,457 bombs on the Japanese.
The Kill/Death ratio of the Mexican aviators was impressive for a squadron
of just 30 planes with green as grass pilots with no previous experience.
General Douglas MacArthur, who was a young officer when US Marines and
sailors occupied the city of Veracruz in 1914 during the Mexican Revolution,
recognized the Squadron's contribution to the war effort.
In 2004, Squadron 201 was awarded the Philippine Legion of Honor, complete with Legionnaire's rank.
The Eagles Return Home
When the war ended, Mexico received one of the first rotating seats on
the U.N. Security Council for its contributions to the war effort.
The members of Squadron 201 received a hero's welcome when they arrived in Mexico.
Although the Squadron was disbanded, it became an essential column of the Mexican Air Force
identity. It became the first and only time the country went to war in a global conflict.
Relations between the U.S. and Mexico grew for
the better. The Mexican army received financial aid from the United States.
In the US, Mexican American veterans from WW2 began receiving better treatment in the country
to support the war effort. They were finally considered real Americans and not just Hispanics.
The unit was commemorated at a humble monument in Mexico City. Every ninth of February,
the Squadron's surviving members gather to remember their service and the fallen comrades.
Sadly, few Mexicans today know about the Aztec Eagles and their support for the war effort.
Although their participation did not make a drastic change to the tide of the War, Mexico
and Brazil were the only non-English speaking American countries that fought against the Axis.