Escuadrón 201 The Escuadrón 201 was a Mexican fighter squadron , part of the Fuerza Aérea Expedicionaria Mexicana ( FAEM — " Mexican Expeditionary Air Force " ) that aided the Allied war effort during World War II . The squadron was commonly known , apparently coined by members of the squadron during training , by the nickname " Aguilas Aztecas " , or " Aztec Eagles " . The squadron was attached to the 58th Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) during the liberation of the main Philippine island of Luzon in the summer of 1945 . The pilots flew Republic P - 47D - 30 - RA Thunderbolt single - seat fighter aircraft carrying out tactical air support missions . A Mexico City Metro station on Line 8 ( Dark Green ) is named after the squadron , whilst it was also the subject of the Mexican film " Escuadrón 201 " , directed by Jaime Salvador and released in 1945 . In November 22 , 2004 , the squadron was awarded the Philippine Legion of Honor , with a rank of Legionnaire , by then president Gloria Macapagal - Arroyo . Formation and training . Escuadrón Aéreo de Pelea 201 ( 201st Air Fighter Squadron ) was composed of more than 300 volunteers ; 30 were experienced pilots and the rest were groundcrew . The ground crewmen were electricians , mechanics , and radiomen . Its formation was prompted by the attack by German submarines against Mexican oil tankers " Potrero del Llano " and " Faja de Oro " , that were transporting crude oil to the United States . These attacks prompted President Manuel Ávila Camacho to declare war on the Axis powers and to join Brazil as the only Latin American countries to actually send military forces overseas . The squadron left Mexico for training in the United States on July 24 , 1944 , arrived at Laredo , Texas , on July 25 , and moved on to Randolph Field in San Antonio , where the personnel received medical examinations and admission tests in weapons and flight proficiency . They received three months of training at Randolph , Foster Army Air Field in Victoria , Texas , and Pocatello Army Air Base . The pilots received extensive training in armament , communications and tactics . The squadron arrived at Majors Field in Greenville , Texas on November 30 , 1944 . Here , the pilots received advanced training in combat air tactics , formation flying and gun nery . The men were honored with graduation ceremonies on February 20 , 1945 and the squadron was presented with its battle flag . This marked the first time Mexican troops were trained for overseas combat . In charge of the group was Colonel Antonio Cárdenas Rodríguez , and Captain First Class Radamés Gaxiola Andrade was named squadron commander . Before leaving for the Philippines , the men received further instructions and physical examinations in Camp Stoneman in Pittsburg , California , in March 1945 . The men left for the Philippines on the troop ship S . S . " Fairisle " on March 27 , 1945 . The squadron arrived in Manila on April 30 , 1945 , and was assigned as part of the Fifth Air Force , attached to the U . S . 58th Fighter Group , based at Porac , Pampanga , in the Clark Field complex on the island of Luzon . Combat operations . Beginning in June 1945 , the squadron initially flew missions with the 310th Fighter Squadron , often twice a day , using borrowed U . S . aircraft . It received 25 new P - 47D - 30 - RA aircraft in July , marked with the insignia of both the USAAF and Mexican Air Force . The squadron flew more than 90 combat missions , totaling more than 1 , 900 hours of flight time . It participated in the Allied effort to bomb Luzon and Formosa to push the Japanese out of those islands . During its fighting in the Philippines , five squadron pilots died ( one was shot down , one crashed , and three ran out of fuel and died at sea ) ; and three others died in accidents during training . Among the missions flown by the squadron were 53 ground support missions flown in support of the U . S . 25th Infantry Division together with the Philippine soldiers under the Philippine Commonwealth Army and Philippine Constabulary units and recognized guerrilla units in the break - out into the Cagayan Valley on Luzon between 4 June and 4 July 1945 ; 37 training missions flown 14 – 21 July 1945 ( including missions to ferry new aircraft from Biak Island , New Guinea ) ; four fighter sweeps over Formosa on 6 – 9 July 1945 ; and a dive bombing mission against the port of Karenko , Formosa , on 8 August . When the 201st deployed , no provision for replacement pilots had been made and the pilot losses incurred in the Philippines hampered its effectiveness . Mexican replacement pilots were rushed through familiarization training in the United States , and two more pilots died in flight accidents in Florida . When the 58th Fighter Group left the Philippines for Okinawa on July 10 , the Mexicans stayed behind . They flew their last combat mission as a full squadron on August 26 , escorting a convoy north of the Philippines . Not only did the pilots get into combat , but also certain members of the ground personnel who encountered Japanese troops , having some fire - fights and capturing a number of enemy troops as well . The 201st Mexican Squadron was given credit for putting out of action about 30 , 000 Japanese troops and the destruction of enemy held - buildings , vehicles , tanks , anti - aircraft guns , machine guns emplacements and ammunition depots . The work of the 201st was recognized by General Douglas MacArthur , Commander of the Allied Forces in the South Pacific . The 201st returned to Mexico City on 18 November 1945 . In a military parade in the Constitution Square the Fighter Squadron delivered the Mexican flag to President Manuel Avila Camacho . The FAEM was disbanded after returning from the Philippines . The Escuadrón 201 is still an active duty squadron , flying the Pilatus PC - 7 from Cozumel , Quintana Roo , and saw extensive counter - insurgency service during the 1994 uprising in Chiapas . Squadron pilots . Pilots marked with an asterisk ( * ) were killed during flying operations in the Philippines . Pilot marked by two asterisks ( * * ) died in January , 1945 during training exercises at the Army Air Base at Abilene , Texas . Pilot marked by three asterisks ( * * * ) was killed in a low altitude gunnery training exercise in March 1945 near Harlingen AAF in Texas .