201st Fighter Squadron, Mexican Expeditionary Air Force (The Aztec Eagles)
Victoria, Victoria County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Following the 1941 Japanese attack on U.S. forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, during World War II, the nation of Mexico severed diplomatic relations with the Axis powers (Japan, Germany, Italy). In May 1942, German U-boats sank several of the country's oil tankers in the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in a declaration of war against the Axis nations. Following the use of defensive patrols for enemy submarines, Mexico negotiated with the U.S. for the training in Texas of the 201st Fighter Squadron of the Mexican Expeditionary Air Force. The unit became known as The Aztec Eagles. Arriving in Laredo in July 1944, the 300 volunteers traveled to Randolph Field, San Antonio, before relocating to Foster Field, Victoria, in August. Training took place here and at nearby auxiliary fields. After graduation in October 1944, the squadron deployed to Pocatello Air Base in Idaho but returned to Texas (Majors Field, Greenville) due to bad weather. The unit later reported to Brownsville for final aerial gunnery practice. Mexico's President Manuel Ávila Camacho pushed for the squadron's deployment to the Pacific, partly for his admiration of U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, but also because he felt it could help liberate what he termed a people with "a continuity of idiom, history and traditions." The squadron arrived in the Phillipines in April 1945, joining the U.S. 58th Fighter Group of the Fifth Fighter Command, Fifth Air Force. During its service, the unit conducted many successful attacks on Japanese forces, flying 96 combat missions. The only Mexican military unit to see overseas combat during the war, The Aztec Eagles remain a source of pride for two neighboring nations. Texas in World War II - 2007
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
After German U-boats sank its oil tankers, Mexico declared war on the Axis in 1942 and negotiated to train a fighter squadron in Texas. The 201st Fighter Squadron of the Mexican Expeditionary Air Force—the "Aztec Eagles"—brought 300 volunteers to Foster Field near Victoria in 1944 before deploying to the Philippines in 1945. Flying with the U.S. Fifth Air Force, the unit carried out 96 combat missions against Japanese forces.
Why it matters
As the only Mexican military unit to see overseas combat in World War II, the Aztec Eagles stand as an enduring symbol of allied partnership between two neighboring nations.
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Related people
- · Manuel Ávila Camacho
- · Douglas MacArthur
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Foster Army Air Field
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As the United States raced to build an air force before entering World War II, Victoria secured an advanced aerial gunnery training field, opened in 1941 and named for a young instructor killed in a 1925 crash. Cadets trained here throughout the war, firing over ranges on the Matagorda coast, and the base even hosted the Aztec Eagles — Mexico's 201st Fighter Squadron — as Allied fliers trained side by side. Closed at war's end, it was reactivated for jet training during the Korean War, became a permanent Air Force base, and finally passed into civilian hands as Victoria's regional airport.
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