Overall, there were 243 American “Eagles” who flew in the Eagle Squadrons. The first squadron, 71 was formed on 19 September 1940 and was followed by 121 Squadron the following May with the final squadron, 133 formed that August. Together the three Eagle Squadrons during the 18 months they existed were credited with 73.5 German aircraft destroyed with a loss of 77 pilots. In September 1942, the three squadrons were disbanded and many of the pilots formed the nucleus of the Fourth Fighter Group, one of the top scoring US groups.
Thanks Mike I enjoyed those links I may try to put that museum on my list of places to visit next time I’m in the states.
I just noticed this topic…
aniway more pics.
Argentine Flight Lieutenant Algeron Middleton flying an Spitfire PR XIV meet unexpectedly a Me-262 prototypes flying over Peenemunde in 1944.
Nice art Panzer. It’s on my screensaver now!
You can have more in here.
http://www.aviationart.com.ar/eng/mil_1.htm
P by Peter. Lancaster flown by argentine volunteer pilot Bill Eddy during Berlin bomber mission
Nice painting. A rare event as well - an apparent daylight RAF raid!
All those paintings are from the excelent argentine painter Carlos Garcia. As Panzer said, you can find a lot of paintings in his website, www.aviationart.com.ar
That is an awsome picture looks like it would make a great back ground.
Canadian, I don’t know if you have seen all this topic, but I show you again some pics that I’d posted a months ago.
The Argentine officer Ronaldo Sheward, flying a hurricane from the 164 Argentine Squadron, attacks with rockets to the Hansweert Channel, Holand. (September '42)
The Argentine Kent Chennay attacks to german aircrafts over the skies of Normandy, escorted by the French Ace Pierre Closterman. (June '44)
The bomber B-24 Liberator “El Rompeculos” (The Ass Braker) and his Argentine crew, in an Indian Airbase. On the picture there’s a monkey, “Minnie”, the pet of the commander Robin Houston.
My favorite by far is this: 8)
“Smile, Adolph!. The paint show the Spitfire PR XIX over Germany skies flown by the argentine
volunteer in the RAF, Stuart Haslam. Oil, 90cm x 60 cm”
What are you talking about…? :?:
Y ahora ya paso…tenias la imagen de la firma enorme…ya la modificaste.
Ta todo bien 8)
How Argentines helped British win war
BBC News - Saturday, 9 April, 2005
by Martha Buckley
Think of relations between Britain and Argentina and images of the Falklands conflict, jingoistic tabloid headlines and Diego Maradona’s “hand of God” goal at the 1986 World Cup, might come to mind.But the British and the Argentines have not always been enemies.
During World War II, Argentina’s ambassador, Miguel Angel Carcano, refused to leave London during the blitz, saying: "As long as the King and Queen stay in London, I will too.
"Hundreds of his countrymen volunteered to travel thousands of miles to Britain to join the fight against Hitler.
Their contribution is recalled in a book, Wings of Thunder (Alas de Trueno in Spanish), launched this week with a special remembrance service for ex-servicemen at the RAF church of St Clement Danes in London.
Though Argentina was officially neutral, more than 600 of her young men left the safety of South America to fight - many never to return.
Among them was Jack Miles, an Argentine of British descent, who contacted the British consulate in 1940 to join up.
So many joined the RAF that a special Argentine squadron was set up.
“Though Argentina was a very neutral country and very far away, we knew if Britain caved in then we would be next, or we would be on the list”
Jack Miles
He told the BBC News Website: "We were very much aware of the strength and power of Germany and we had to stop this huge war machine.
"I didn’t care what I did, I wanted to contribute to the war effort.
“Though Argentina was a very neutral country and very far away, we knew if Britain caved in then we would be next, or we would be on the list.”
Jack, now 87, sailed for Britain the following year, aged 22, arriving in London in October 1941.
He said: "I arrived at Euston station at about 10pm. There was an air raid going on, it was completely black and there was a tremendous racket.
“I was all alone, I had never been out of Argentina before and it made me wonder if I was doing the right thing.”
Jack soon found his bearings and met up with younger brother, Eric, then 19, who had arrived a week earlier.
Eventually Jack joined the RAF and became a pilot and Eric joined the army, becoming a tank commander in the 25th Dragoons, fighting in the jungles of Burma.
Jack was sent to Canada where he spent 18 months as a flying instructor before he too was sent to Burma in 1944.
As the war with Japan was ending, his main task was evacuating prisoners of war from Saigon, in modern-day Vietnam, and Thailand.
Many of the freed Japanese POWs were also in a terrible state.
He said: “They were in an awful state, poor chaps. They were thin, they had jungle sores, they had been through hell.”
One trip, transporting a group of 31 POWs, almost ended in disaster.
Belly landing
He said: "It was awful weather, raining with the windscreen wipers going like mad and I lost both engines.
"We made a belly landing in a rice field about three or four miles from the runway in Rangoon."So we had to walk, crawling waist or shoulder deep in a river. We were all just covered in leeches.
“What affected me very much was all the POWs came and thanked me for them not having been hurt.”
Anybody who invades another country is wrong, I think Jack MilesJack’s brother Eric also survived the war, despite being “pretty badly shot up”, as did another brother.
But two of his Argentine cousins died in action, one brother killed the day after the other in 1941.Several of his school friends were also killed.
Football
After the war Jack continued his flying career in Argentina.
But he disagreed with the regime of dictator Juan Peron and emigrated to Canada in the 1950s. Jack later became vice-president of one of the country’s biggest airlines.
Jack stresses the links between Argentina and Britain rather than the divisions which existed after the Falklands conflict.
The Falklands conflict poisoned Anglo-Argentine relations He said a large expat British presence in Argentina had left its mark in many ways, including introducing Argentina’s national passion - football.
He blames Argentina’s former military junta, led by General Leopoldo Galtieri, for the 1982 war.
Jack said: "General Galtieri, in order to divert the Argentine people from how badly he was running the country economically, invaded the Falkland Islands.
“Anybody who invades another country is wrong.”
He said a large expat British presence in Argentina had left its mark in many ways, including introducing Argentina’s national passion - football.
He blames Argentina’s former military junta, led by General Leopoldo Galtieri, for the 1982 war.
Jack said: "General Galtieri, in order to divert the Argentine people from how badly he was running the country economically, invaded the Falkland Islands.
“Anybody who invades another country is wrong.”
Emm sin ondas de discutir, en serio, disculpame pero sigo sin entender. Recibí mucha ayuda por parte de los ingleses en qué sentido…
Ah, y la decisión de poner al Cap Carballo como avatar fue una idea que tuve después de ver a la firma que usaba Firefly, que decía “FALKLANDS/MALVINAS MEMBER GROUP”, con una bandera británica y un Harrier.
Ellos tambien se desviaron del Tema, especialmente el flaco que tiene el nombre con un numero de 4 cifras.
Before the official date of creation of this squadron 164 there was some examples of argentine contribution for the british War effort.
This Supermarine Spitfire Mk-IA was purchased by the Anglo-Argentine Society of Buenos Aires. It was named “Pampero” ( Strong wind of the center west argentina)
This aircraft was lost in combat in april 1941 over Canterbury being badly hit by defensive fire of Ju-88s. The pilot escaped by parachute with some minor injuries.
Source:
Will remain strictly neutral regarding South Atlantic events in 1982.
However, I care not who or where from, the action shown in the Hercules/A4 Skyhawk pic takes brass cojones of the highest order and courage.
That, I openly respect.
Yes, the C130 can be, and is employed in an A-A-R role, and yes, the A4 can refuel in such a mode.
However, operationally such was and remains a rarity, and as such deserves respect for successful usage.
All airmen involved there have my Respects.
Regards, Uyraell.
If memory serves (and in this particular case I may well be mistaken) this depicts an RAF raid on the marshaling yards in Berlin, as part of the interdiction of German supplies and troops to Normandy.
Regards, Uyraell.