I found out just today about “The Forgotten Eagles“, a documentary by 201 Productions, released in 2008, produced and directed by Victor H. Mancilla. The film which premiered at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC documents the history of the “Aztec Eagles“, an elite unit of Mexican volunteers, who flew combat missions to free Luzon from the Japanese with the American 58th Fighter Group on Luzon in 1945.
Mexican Fighter Squadron 201, “Escuadron Aereo de Pelea 201” was composed of more than 300 volunteers – 36 experienced pilots and the rest ground crewmen. As of November 2003, only 10 of these 300 warriors remained. I am unclear on how many survive today. The passing of such people make the telling of their stories that much more pressing and valuable.
Equipped with the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter/bomber, the Aztec Eagles flew 96 combat missions for 785 offensive sorties and 6 defensive sorties mainly in ground support/close air support roles.
I’m still trying to find a screening of this film. If you have any information about where this is playing in either the Portland, Oregon or Washington, DC areas please add your comment here.
Do you or someone you know have first hand memories of this or any other historic event, whether you served in the military or as a civilian, Flightline Fabrications Living History Project want to hear from you. Please contact our Living History Project with your rememberances. History should NEVER be forgotten. Your memories are important and should be retained and shared.
January 30, 1968 – The Tet Offensive begins when Viet Cong forces launch a series of surprise attacks in South Vietnam. While the action was tactically a route for the VC and victory for American and allied forces, images of the carnage that reached the US caused heightened frustration and weakened resolve at home for the war that appeared far from over and helped lead to the ultimate withdrawl of US forces several years later.
January 30, 1969 – The Beatles‘ last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records in London. The impromptu concert is broken up by the police.
January 30, 1972 – British paratroopers kill fourteen civil rights/anti internment marchers in Northern Ireland. The action would lead the day to be known as Bloody Sunday and eventually memorialized by the band U2 in their song Sunday Bloody Sunday.
One Great War… Millions Killed… more Millions Wounded… 62 Years later…
From February to September 1944, heavy battles were fought in the narrow, 50 km-wide, Narva front in the north-eastern part of Estonia. Over 100,000 men were killed and 300,000 wounded. During the battles a Soviet tank was captured by the German Army. It is suspected that the tank was purpusefully driven into the lake when the German Army retreated. More…
With ticket brokers asking as much as $20,000.00 per single ticket to witness history at the 44th inaguaration of the United States President, Apollo Airborne and Thompson “Tommy” Garand were granted tickets to the biggest event of 2009 from their state congressman.
“This inauguration will be the major civic event of our time, and these tickets were free to the people. We were lucky to receive tickets on the blue carpet!” Apollo added.
Look for Apollo Airborne adventures & sightings from:
Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States takes office on Tuesday, January 20, 2009. The United states welcomes a new commander and chief. What will the next four years bring?
What Obama had to say during his inaugural address:
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans MORE…
Apollo Airborne has Joined Facebook. After a rigourous Facebook Boot Camp Apollo was awarded his account and is now part of the Facebook Forces community. Find out who Apollo Airborne is and follow Apollo’s adventures, meet Apollo’s friends, & share his stories first hand!
Look for Apollo Airborne adventures & sightings from:
New York, USA - US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 taking off from New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) at 3:26pm en route to Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT) experienced engine failure shortly after leaving the ground and made an emergency crash landing in the Hudson River. The airplane’s pilot signalled Mayday (the radio code for emergency) reporting multiple bird strikes before the plane started to go down.
Flight 1549 carried 146 passeners and 5 crew members aboard the aircraft which is designed to carry 179 passengers, 2 flightdeck crew and usually 3 flight attendants. Our thoughts and prayers go to the crew and passengers aboard this flight. Rescue efforts continue at this time as the plane floats intact near the USS Intrepid along the shore of Manhattan.
The ill fated flight lasted less than 6 minutes and reached a maximum altitude of 3200 feet before beginning it’s descent into the water. The plane splashed down into the river intact showing a remarkable effort on the part of the Pilot and First Officer.
Over the years, The Oklahoman has given much coverage to the veterans of World War II – telling their stories, celebrating their lives and honoring their sacrifices. Read personal stories from Oklahomans who were on the frontlines, view photos from the WWII era, listen to WWII vets recount their experiences, explore Oklahoman’s rich WWII archives and watch related clips from OETA’s video archives.
When the man his comrades called “Filthy McNasty” left the Army, he left just the way he came in – as a buck private. Read more about James E. “Jake” McNiece on Oklahomawwii.org former commander of the “The Filthy 13,” the model for the movie “The Dirty Dozen.”
Pat Harker of C&P Aviaton recently allowed Max Haynes of MaxAir2Air to take a peek at the restoration of his rare P-82E Twin Mustang. Rumored to be the only flying P-82E Twin Mustang when completed the P-82e Twin Mustang was developed late in WWII as a bomber escort plane, however when the design was completed it was to late to actually be used in combat during WWII. Max was gracious enough to share his rare visit with us in one of his always fantastic weekly photo essays.
“The aircraft we use – the Messerschmitt, the Junkers, Stearman, & the P-40 Warhawk - Were all real!” Says Bryan Singer, Director Valkyrie (2008). One fighter plane was from the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa, the plane from Nampa that is depicted in “Valkyrie” is a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter plane. In the film, it is a British Royal Air Force plane.
“The reason Tom Cruise wanted that airplane was because of its authenticity,” said Sue Paul, the museum’s executive director. “He’s a real stickler for authenticity.” The plane was used during filming in the spring in Apple Valley, Calif., Paul said.
Valkyrie is named after a famous plot that took place in 1944 in which a German army officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Claus Schenk Graf Von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise), is the prime operative in a baroque, and ultimately failed, plan to stage a military coup and assassinate Hitler using the leader’s own contingency plan in the event of his death – a well-documented plan called “Operation Valkyrie.”
