The 201st Fighter Squadron "Aztec Eagles" () is a fighter squadron of the Mexican Air Force, and was a part of the Mexican Expeditionary Air Force (FAEM) that aided the Allied war effort during World War II. The squadron was known by the nickname Águilas Aztecas or "Aztec Eagles", apparently coined by members of the squadron during training.

The squadron was attached to the 58th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) during the liberation of the main Philippine island of Luzon in the summer of 1945. The pilots flew Republic P-47D-30-RA Thunderbolt single-seat fighter aircraft carrying out tactical air support missions.

left|thumb|Escuadrón 201 flies T-6C Texan II aircraft similar to this one.

A neighborhood of Mexico City and its corresponding Mexico City Metro Line 8 station Metro Escuadrón 201 are both named after the squadron. Escuela Escuadron 201 in Tepoztlan is also named for the unit. It was also the subject of the Mexican film Escuadrón 201, directed by Jaime Salvador and released in 1945. On November 22, 2004, the squadron was awarded the Philippine Legion of Honor, with a rank of Legionnaire, by then president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The unit, now called Escuadrón 201 is still active in Cozumel, Mexico, it flew the Pilatus PC-7 from the 1990s through the early 2000s, but in 2012 upgraded to the T-6C Texan II trainer.

Formation and training

left|thumb|Escuadrón 201 display at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]]

The Escuadrón Aéreo de Pelea 201 (201st Air Fighter Squadron) was composed of more than 300 volunteers; 36 pilots and 264 ground crew. These attacks prompted President Manuel Ávila Camacho to declare war on the Axis powers on May 22, 1942, and to join Brazil as the only two Latin American countries to actually send military forces overseas.

The squadron left Mexico for training in the United States on July 24, 1944, arrived at Laredo, Texas, on July 25, and moved on to Randolph Field in San Antonio, where the personnel received medical examinations and admission tests in weapons and flight proficiency. The FAEM pilots received three months of training at Randolph, Foster Army Air Field in Victoria, Texas; while the ground crew was trained at Pocatello Army Air Base in Idaho.

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|Combat missions

|96

|-

|Offensive sorties

|785

|-

|Defensive sorties

|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&nbsp;lb.: 957<br />500&nbsp;lb.: 500

|-

|Ammunition used (cal. 0.50")

|166,922 rounds

|-

|Aircraft lost in combat

|1

|-

|Aircraft damaged in combat

|5

|-

|Pilots lost in combat

|3

|-

|Pilots lost in accidents

|Crash-landing 1<br />Fuel exhaustion 2

|-

|}

Beginning in June 1945, the squadron initially flew missions with the 310th Fighter Squadron, often twice a day, using borrowed U.S. aircraft. It received 25 new P-47D-30-RA aircraft in July, marked with the insignia of both the USAAF and Mexican Air Force, which the Aztec airmen called Peh-Cuas. and the destruction of enemy held-buildings, vehicles, tanks, anti-aircraft guns, machine guns emplacements and ammunition depots.

The work of the 201st was recognized by General Douglas MacArthur, Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific Area.

The 201st returned to Mexico City on 18 November 1945. In a military parade in the Zócalo the Fighter Squadron delivered the Mexican flag to President Manuel Ávila Camacho. The FAEM was disbanded after returning from the Philippines. The unit was awarded the Mexican Far East Service Medal (Servicio en el Lejano Oriente)

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|- valign=top

| Carlos Garduño Núñez

| Radamés Gaxiola Andrade

| Julio Cal y Mayor Sauz

|- valign=top

| Graco Ramírez Garrido

| Amador Sámano Piña

| David Cerón Bedolla

| Jesús Tapia Estrada

|- valign=top

| Fernando Hernández Vega

| José Luis Pratt Ramos

| Audberto Gutierrez Ramires

|- valign=top

| Carlos Varela Landini

| Joaquín Ramírez Vilchis

| Justino Reyes Retana

|- valign=top

| Ángel Sánchez Rebollo

| Carlos Rodríguez Corona

| Manuel Farías Rodríguez

|- valign=top

| Miguel Moreno Arreola

| Roberto Legorreta Sicilia

| Reynaldo Pérez Gallardo

|- valign=top

| Praxedis López Ramos

| Jacobo Estrada Luna

| José Barbosa Cerda

|- valign=top

| Raúl García Mercado

| Pedro Martinez Pérez

| Roberto Urías Aveleyra

| Guillermo García Ramos

|- valign=top

| Miguel Uriarte Aguilar

| Jaime Zenizo Rojas

| Crisóforo Salido Grijalva**

|- valign=top

| Héctor Espinoza Galván*

| José Espinoza Fuentes*

| Fausto Vega Santander*

|- valign=top

| Mario López Portillo*

| Mamerto Albarrán Nágera*

| Javier Martínez Valle***

| José Gutiérrez Gallegos

| Florentino Mejía Gómez

| Carlos José Cárdenas

|-

|}

Pilots marked with an asterisk (*) were killed during flying operations in the Philippines. Pilot marked by two asterisks (**) died in January 1945 during training exercises at the Army Air Base at Abilene, Texas. Pilot marked by three asterisks (***) was killed in a low altitude gunnery training exercise in March 1945 near Harlingen AAF in Texas.

Current location of aircraft

One of the P-47 Thunderbolt is on display at the Mexican Air Force Museum. (Spanish: Museo Militar de Aviación "Teniente Piloto Aviador José Espinoza Fuentes")

center|thumb|P-47 Thunderbolt from the 201st Squadron, on display at the Mexican Air Force Museum|346x346px

References

  • "The Saga of the Aztec Eagles", Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2004. Numerous generalization inaccuracies, but a detailed account of the 201st's formation.
  • Leyte Gulf: The Mexican Air Force
  • "Escuadron 201 Pilot Recalls Mexico's Role in WWII", John Philip Wyllie, La Prensa San Diego, May 9, 2003. Interview with Pilot Reynaldo Gallardo.
  • "Liberation of the Philippines" by Santiago A. Flores
  • Francisco Puente wrote a screenplay about the squadron.