 | - THE EAGLE SQUADRON formed an extremely unusual group. In fact, only once before had such an "organization" been put together and that was made up of Americans who volunteered to go to France and Italy and fly in the Lafayette Escadrille. The Eagle Squadrons were made up of American pilots who wanted so badly to fly and fight in WWII that they couldn't wait for the rather uncertain entry of their country into the conflict. They went to England and joined the RAF. They ranged in age from a boy of 14 who had to bluff his way in, to the oldest, who was called the elder statesman of the group at 38. Most of these young men had very little flying time and practically none of them had flying time in anything with large engines or resembling the Hurricanes and Spitfires which they flew for the RAF. The pay wasn't worth talking about, but the men wanted to help wage war against Hitler. In the months that followed Dunkirk, the Royal Air Force alone stood against the might of the Luftwaffe. While America anxiously watched events, some 240 pilots made their way to England to join the RAF. in their Herculean struggle against the overwhelming odds. Volunteers to the man and motivated by the urge to fight for the cause of freedom, this happy band of warriors set standards of courage, skill and fortitude that today are legendary. They were the American Eagles.
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| - The original Eagle Squadrons were established by The RAF, which was drastically short of fighter pilots after Hitler's Operation Sea Lion (the invasion of Britain). The Squadron would provide a way to tap in to the thousands of qualified but footloose young Pilots flying in the USA, all of whom, were seeking 'action'. A special 'Committee' was set up to covertly recruit these American volunteers before the United States entered the war in Europe. Furthermore, the American Volunteer Group was established, and was comprised of pilots from the US Army Air Force, the Navy and the US Marine Corps, who could then resign their regular commissions to join the A.V.G. Once the matter of 'swearing an Oath of Allegiance' to the then King (RAF protocol) was sorted out, the issue of giving up US citizenship was no longer a concern, and more American volunteers came to the aide of the UK, and two other squadrons were formed, Nos.121 and 133. The Eagles were soon equipped with Spitfires and participated in the cross-Channel fighting, with 71 Squadron flying their first mission on April 5, 1941. The three squadrons did not serve together, but were members of other RAF wings. 71 Squadron performed so well that in September 1941 they were made members of the Biggin Hill Wing, the premiere outfit in Fighter Command. No11 Actual Fighter Group 1942, and 71 Squadron became part of what is now the Fourth Fighter Group USAAF. Of the three squadrons, No 71 did most of the fighting. The combined kills of the Eagle Squadrons was 73 1/2 German planes, forty-one of which can be attributed to No 71. Originally flying the dreaded Brewster Buffalo, they would begin combat in the Hawker Hurricane MK I and MKIIa and later the Spitfire MK II and Spitfire MK Vb on both sides of the English Channel against the Focke-Wulf 190's and Messerschmitt 109's of the mighty Luftwaffe. The first American ace of World War II was William R. Dunn, who shot down his fifth enemy on August 27, 1941, and was severely wounded himself. It would be 30 years before he was finally recognized as the first American ace of the war. Gus Daymond, a former set decorator for MGM studios in Los Angeles, was officially the first Eagle to become an ace, followed shortly thereafter by Pete Peterson.
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- The entry of the US into the war, spelled the beginning of the end of the Eagle squadrons. Operations continued into 1942, but the overwhelming presence of the US Army Air Force (USAAF) in Britain, was making the Eagles something of an anachronism. Finally on September 29 1942, No 71, No121 and No 133 Sqns RAF were transferred to the USAAF, becoming the 334th, 335th and 336th Pursuit Squadrons, 4th Pursuit Group of the 8th Air Force.
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