Complex sentence: Willis was successful in convincing the government to transfer 12 Curtiss P-40 Warhawks to the Free French Fighter Group GC II/5 based in North Africa; these aircraft were painted with the Lafayette Escadrille insignia emblazoned on their fuselages.
Split into simpler sentences: Willis was successful in convincing the government to transfer 12 Curtiss P-40 Warhawks to the Free French Fighter Group GC II/5 based in North Africa. These aircraft were painted with the Lafayette Escadrille insignia emblazoned on their fuselages.