Amanda M. Russell
Guevera,Lucy “Mexican Airmen Join the War Effort.” 21 April 2006. Latino WWII Association. 21 April 2006. http://utopia.utexas.edu/explore/latino/narratives/02ESCUADRON_201.HTML
- Under the leadership of President Manuel Avila Camacho, Mexico defined its position in the war and broadened its relationship with the United States. Ill sentiments left by President Cardenas’ nationalization of U.S. owned companies in 1938 were set aside, the U.S. now saw Mexico as an essential trading partner and ally.
- This relationship culminated in the formation of the Mexican Fighter Squadron 201 or as it is recognized by many, "El Escuadron 201." The service of these 300 Mexican soldiers forever changed how Mexico was perceived by the world.
- Relations between the United States and Mexico strengthened with the formation of agreements such as the U.S. & Mexico Defense Commission and the Bracero Program. From 1943 to 1945 the Bracero Program brought over 100,000 Mexican laborers to work the fields and railways in order to alleviate Americas’ manual labor shortage. Agreements that would allow these countries to use each other's resources as efficiently as possible during this time of need. Another 1942 agreement allowed the conscription of Mexican citizens living in the United States. World War II marked the first time that these countries had combined both their industrial and armed forces to conquer a common threat.
- With great encouragement from President Camacho, the Mexican government evaluated a plan to provide troops for the war. After realizing that Mexico lacked the resources to do this, President Camacho turned to the United States for help to prepare soldiers for combat
- Although only in the Philippines for six months, the squadron actively participated in 59 combat missions, totaling over 1, 290 hours of flight. They successfully participated in the Allied effort to bomb Luzon and Formosa in an attempt to push the Japanese out of the islands. Assigned to the 58th Fighter group pf the U.S. 5th Air Force, the "Aztec Eagles" were also used as ground support after the aerial threat from Japan weakened.
Stall, Buddy. “German Sub Patrol Gulf of Mexico”. 28 September 2006. 20 April 2006. http://clarionherald.org/20000928/stall.htm
· The German high command wasted no time in sending German U-boats into the Gulf of Mexico to disrupt shipping of military supplies.
· The first two U-boats, U-506 and U-507, entered the Gulf on May 1, 1942.
· The first sinking in the Gulf of Mexico took place on May 4, 1942. German Captain Harro Schacht, commander of U-507, fired one torpedo at 2,500-ton freighter, Moorlands.
“ The Saga of the Aztec Eagles.’’ 25 July 2004. Los Angeles Times. 19 April 2006. http://www.stelzriede.com/ms/html/mshwma39.htm
· When Mexico lost two oil tankers to German bombs in WWII, it sent pilots to train and fight alongside American forces. Today, the survivors fight to keep their story alive.
· Mexico was pulled into WWII and had little choice but to turn to the U.S. for help. Mexico responded by sending a squadron of fighter pilots to train and fly missions with the Americans. It was an unpopular move down south, where the nation's psyche retained a deep-rooted distrust of los Americanos dating back a century to when Mexico lost one-third of its land to the United States.
· The bombing of the Mexican tankers killed 21 Mexican men and sent the country's 45-year-old president, Manuel Avila Camacho, into a blistering rage.
· But logistically, he had few options. Mexico's army of more than 48,000 men was ill-equipped. Mexican officials were scrambling. There was no infrastructure and little funding to send the army into battle.
· For the few who had managed to break through the sturdy class divisions of Mexico, the selection to participate in Escuadron 201 was complete validation.
· Back in Mexico, the idea of participating in the "U.S." war seemed increasingly irrelevant.
· "At the time that Mexico formally entered the war there was a lot of resistance among the populace. They were wary of becoming involved with the U.S.," says Halbert Jones, a graduate student who is writing his dissertation on the political impact of Mexico's participation in WWII.
No Author. “Entrenamiento del Escuadron.” 30 May 2002. Escuadron 201. 19 May 2006.
http://me1629.tripod.com/Entrenamiento.html
*Las inclemencias del invierno de 1944 frenaron a los integrantes del Escuadrón en la continuación de sus actividades de vuelo, sus miembros deseaban estar listos lo antes posible para entrar en combate, por esto, cuando el clima lo permitía, eran los primeros en estar listos para volar. Para resolver el problema del mal tiempo y continuar con las etapas de entrenamiento, el Escuadrón 201 fue reubicado en Majors Field en Texas, el 30 Noviembre de 1944. Finalmente el Senado Mexicano autorizó al Presidente de México a enviar a combate al Escuadrón 201 de la Fuerza Aérea Expedicionaria Mexicana el 29 de Diciembre de 1944.
*El 2 de Febrero de 1945, los pilotos estaban listos para comenzar el entrenamiento de tiro, siendo esta la fase final de entrenamiento del Escuadrón 201. La Unidad se trasladó a Brownsville Army Air Field en Texas para realizar esta parte del entrenamiento; pero desafortunadamente el mal tiempo, una vez más, retrasaba las actividades. El resultado mas alto en impactos de aire a aire fue de 25%, y los mejores resultados de aire a tierra fueron de más de 30%. Después de completar el entrenamiento de tiro el Escuadrón regresó a Majors Field Texas en marzo de 1945.
*El entrenamiento de los pilotos y personal de tierra de reemplazo, comenzó en febrero de 1945. En marzo, dieciseis pilotos estaban volando el curso de repaso, diez de ellos estaban casi listos para comenzar a volar aparatos P-47, seis más estaban a un mes de alcanzar este objetivo, considerando esto, por lo menos nueve pilotos de reemplazo estarían listos para el 28 de Julio de 1945, y cinco más un mes después. El plan de entrenamiento para los reemplazos consideraría cuarenta y ocho pilotos más para el entrenamiento de vuelo de repaso y en el P-47. Este entrenamiento que inicialmente fue conducido en Foster Field en Texas, se cambió a Napier Field en Alabama, cerca de Maxwell Field que era donde residía la Air Corps Tactical School, centro donde se desarrollaban las tácticas aéreas y estratégicas de los Estados Unidos.
*Después de terminar su entrenamiento, el Escuadrón 201 recibió la Bandera Mexicana el 22 de febrero de 1945. Estaban listos para combate. Los pilotos fueron transportados por el 21st. Bombardment Wing a Topeka en Kansas, para su procesamiento final, y el personal de tierra dejó Majors Field en Texas, en tren el 18 de marzo. El Escuadrón 201 partió de San Francisco, California, a bordo del Fairslile el 27 de marzo y llego a Manila Bay en las Filipinas el 30 de abril de 1945.
Wyllie, John Phillipe. “Escuadron 201 Pilot Recalls Mexico’s Role in WWII.” 9 May 2003. Escuadron 201. 19 April 2006.
http://www.laprensa-sandiego.org/archieve/may09-03/pilot.htm
VETERAN OF ESCUADRON 201
*Despite the fact that World War II ended 58 years ago, books on the topic continue to appear on the bestseller’s list as interest in the subject remains high. One aspect of the war rarely mentioned in the thousands of accounts that have since been published, is the story of El Escuadron 201 or the Mexican Expeditionary Force 201st Fighter Squadron. El Escuadron 201 or the Aztec Eagles as they were also know, was a group of 300 Mexican pilots and support personnel that served in the Philippines and participated in combat missions against the Japanese Imperial Army. Only seven of the original 35 pilots remain and one of them, Captain Reynaldo Gallardo was in San Diego for the Wings Over Gillespie Airshow last weekend to tell his little known story.Gallardo, the son of Mexican general, enlisted in the Mexican cavalry in 1939 at the tender age of 14. By the time Mexico officially entered the war on the side of the Allies in 1942, he was already an experienced pilot. “I was crazy about flying from the time I first heard about airplanes,” said Gallardo, who is fast approaching his 80th birthday. “We were eager to get even with the Japanese and I think we did. I’m glad we had the opportunity to do it.”After receiving some preliminary training in Mexico, Gallardo and his unit were shipped off to the United States where they learned to pilot the P-47 Thunderbolt. Attached to the 58th American Fighter Group in the Philippines, they received additional, more intensive training before they were sent into combat.“When we first went to into action, we were serving with three U.S. squadrons (and taking orders from American officers). The Americans looked down on us at least a little bit,” Gallardo recalled. “They didn’t say so, but I noticed it. We made up our minds that we wouldn’t say anything, but instead would show these people what we had. Not long after that I had my first incident.”On a combined U.S - Mexican sortie, Gallardo’s mission was to disrupt the flow of Japanese troops and vehicles along a frequently used road. “We strafed a column of Japanese vehicles and after I made my pass, I got a little crazy and maneuvered my plane into a (celebratory) roll,” he recalled. “One of the U.S. pilots chastised Gallardo over the on board intercom saying, “look at that crazy Mexican!” Gallardo was offended by the comment. Their ensuing in-flight communication led to a challenge to settle the argument behind the hangar once they landed. Gallardo had no idea which of the Americans he would soon be fighting.“When we met, I realized that he was about 3 times as big and 4 times as heavy as I was,” Gallardo recalled. “He looked at me, grinned and asked if I still wanted to fight. I said, “I’ll fight you, you son of a gun.” Fortunately, for Gallardo, the fight turned out to be only a minor tussle. Afterward, the two pilots shook hands and impressed by Gallardo’s spunk in a situation where he was hopelessly over-matched, the two became friends. In fact, the incident broke the ice and reduced the tension between the two groups. From then on, the Americans and Mexican directed their wrath at the Japanese rather than each other. By the time El Escuadron 201 went into action in May of 1945, the once proud Japanese airforce had been reduced to a handful of planes. With little opportunity for aerial combat, the Aztec Eagles set their sights on strategic ground objectives. These included oil depots, bridges, ground forces, ships and ports.Wounded in action in one of these sorties over Japanese-occupied Formosa, Gallardo had to navigate his damaged aircraft to the nearest base after having sustained multiple injuries from enemy fire. He crash landed his Thunderbolt into an ambulance sitting on the airfield, but walked away from the incident with relatively minor injuries. Gallardo, at 79 years of age, is feisty and full of life. He occasionally still flies. Having spent the majority of his life on this side of the border, he enjoys speaking about his experience at schools and to various civic groups in the Austin, Texas area. “At this point, I am not so concerned about gratitude or recognition, but I want everyone to know not what we or I did personally, but what Mexico did in regard to the war.”
Williams, Rudi. ‘Aztec Eagles’ A Dying Breed. 21 October 2003. American Forces Press Services. 20 April 2006. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Oct2003/n10212003_200310214.html
ANAHEIM, Calif., Oct. 21, 2003 – The more than 300 Mexicans who volunteered to help the United States kick the Japanese out of the Pacific islands during World War II are slowing passing on. Only 10 of them are still around. Only three of them -- two combat pilots and one ground crew member -- were well enough to travel here from Mexico to be honored for their contributions by the Defense Department on Oct. 16 and 17. They were former "Aztec Eagles" pilots, retired Mexican air force Col. Carlos Garduno and Capt. Miguel Moreno Arreola, and ground crewman former Capt. Manuel Cervantes Ramos. "Only 10 of us are still alive," Garduno said sadly during an interview at the Hyatt Regency Orange County Hotel here during DoD's Hispanic American Heritage Month observance. The Mexican war hero said the Mexican Fighter Squadron 201, "El Escuadron 201," was composed of more than 300 volunteers – 36 experienced pilots and the rest ground crewmen. The ground crewmen were electricians, mechanics, radiomen, and armament – "all the specialties that are required for a typical fighter squadron," the colonel said. The Aztec Eagles were attached to the U.S. Army Air Forces 5th 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. "We flew close air support missions for American and Filipino infantry troops on the ground, and had to hit where we saw a smoke bomb go off," Garduno said. "Otherwise, we could have hit friendly troops, because the difference in distance was about 300 yards between the enemy and the friendly troops. "We were 31 pilots (who) went to war," said Garduno, who flew 26 combat missions and served more than 37 years in the Mexican air force. "Originally, we were 38 pilots, but two were killed in training and the others were eliminated from training. All the time we were in the war, we never got a replacement pilot. It took a long time for training, and by the time they were going to be shipped out it was too late." 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 Field in Greenville, Texas; Pocatello (Idaho) Army Air Base; Foster Field in Victoria, Texas; and 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 59 combat missions, totaling more than 1,290 hours of flight time. participated in the Allied effort to bomb Luzon and Formosa (now Taiwan) to push the Japanese out of those islands.