The only Latin American Nation to send forces abroad to fight the Japanese in World War 2 was Mexico. On April 1st, 1941 the U.S.A. and Mexico signed an agreement giving each other reciprocal rights to stipulated military installations, in exchange, the United States would provide training for Mexican forces. 29th May, 1942 saw Mexico declare war on the Axis Nations. For this move she began to receive considerable amounts of Lend-Lease Aid from the U.S.A., while the Royal Canadian Air Force also sent some primary training aircraft to Mexico. Mexican flying and ground crews were sent to Texas in 1944 for more advanced training. While in Mexico their planes carried their own national marking, using AT-6 and Finch trainers with Lodestars and Dauntlesses as the mainstay aircraft. In the U.S. the aircraft carried American markings because they were using American equipment. U.S. influence became very strong and as a result the uniforms took on an American look, the pilot wings of the F.A.M. [Fuerzas Aereas Mexicanas] resembled the U.S.A.A.F. pilot wings. In 1944 the Fuerza Aerea was separated from the Army and became a separate branch of the military establishment. On the 21st July 1944 the "Escuadron de Pelea 201" was formed, with Coronel Piloto Aviador Antonio Cardenas Rodriguez as its commander. It was later equipped with 25 Republic P 47-D Thunderbolt fighters. In early 1945, to gain some experience in wartime the squadron was sent to Clark Field in Luzon [Philippines] sailing from San Francisco on the 27th March and landing on 30th April. Once in the Philippines they were attached to the U.S.A.A.F. 58th Fighter Group. At that time the 58th was the only group flying the P 47-D Thunderbolt. The Mexicans were soon intregrated into the group and received American equipment. The 201st Squadron flew 785 ground attack missions against the Japanese with the loss of 7 pilots before the war ended in August 1945. Reference: Latin American Military Aviation Aircraft Camouflage and Markings 1907-1954 Airwar in the Pacific, C.Campbell Hell bent for Leather, Nelson and Parsons Wings of World War 2, R.Hull The Official Guide to the Army Air Forces - Pocket Books Inc. Armed Forces of Latin America, Adrain J. English Banderas Historicas Mexicanas, Jesus Romero Flores, Mexico,1958 Republic P-47 Thunderbolt: The Final Chapter, Latin American Air Force Service, Dan Hagedorn The Plate: Fig.1. A fighter pilot wearing a G-l leather jacket. It was dark brown in colour with a zipper closing, the rest of the uniform was U.S. tropical light khaki. Fig.2. A fighter pilot wearing the U.S.A.F. summer light khaki uniform with the "Mae West" survival vest. This vest was mainly yellow in colour. Fig.3. The P-47 Thunderbolt in the S.W.Pacific was bare or in clean metal finish with blue markings onto these finishes. All aircraft carried U.S. serial numbers on the fin while on the Mexican aircraft used the Red, White and Green bars of Mexico were painted on too, on the wings was painted the "F.A.M's." triangle in the national colours [green in the centre] everything else was as per the U.S. aircraft. Fig.4. [a] Mexican wings adopted the same design as the U.S.A.A.F. wings, "F.A.M." = Fuerzas Aereas Mexican. [b] U.S. uniforms , rank and insignia were used, the propellor and wings was the Aviation insignia worn on the left side of the shirt collars. [c] Rank insignia: Captain two silver bars, Lieutenant one silver bar, 2nd Lieutenant one gold bar, the Mexican pilots used only U.S. rank structure and devices [I would think so as not to confuse the allied troops like the Brazilian ranking system did in Italy, T.D.K.] [d] The figure shows how the rank and insignia was worn on the cap and shirt of the summer uniform. Back to Table of Contents -- El Dorado Vol V No. 1 Back to El Dorado List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1992 by The South and Central American Military Historians Society This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com