I found a very interesting story about a mexican pilot who flew with the RCAF and was shotdown in Sassy Normandy on June 16, 1994, yesterday a ceremony was held in Sassy to remember him. There was picture of his tomb but I don’t know how to insert it here.
My question is does anybody would have an idea or let me know where I could find information about the marks of his plane it suppoused to be an Spitfire and the name of the pilot was Luis Perez Gomez.
This is something I didn’t know and it may dovetail into an area info for you.
I found this while going through some old files. Hope it helps.
Mexican Air Force Expeditionary Squadron 201: The USA and Mexico had had an agreement in place for unlimited reciprocal use of airfields and facilities since April 1941 and after Mexico had declared war the USAAF established a number of training bases in Mexico to train personnel. Basic pilot training was done at Guadalajara after which the students moved to USAAF schools for advanced training. had finished training and was commissioned for active service in February 1945. Arriving in the Philippines in March, it commenced operations as a part of the Fifth Air Corps USAAF flying Republic P-47 Thunderbolts. The squadron flew with the 58th Fighter Group the rest of the month on support missions, often two per day helping the 25th Division in its break-through from Balete pass and Marikina Watershed area into the Cagayan Valley. It continued to operate against Japanese forces in the Philippines, and later over Formosa, until the end of the war. The Squadron was commended by General McArthur, and because it was a highly visible example of Mexico’s war effort, it received a hero’s welcome when the personnel returned home in November 1945.[:)]
But seriously if you have any reference I will appreciate it.
Didfal, thank you for the information, as a matter of fact we held a reunion last year with some survivors from 201 Squadron and this was the subject of one regional contest in Mexico City, but the pilot to whom I refer lived in Canada by the time of Canada went into war and enroll in the RCAF.
Maybe some Canadian member of the forum have some information on what Squadrons were flying in the Channel area by the time of the invasion.
Not a problem, that’s what this Forum is all about! Sharing info on some of the obscure participants of WW II. If it weren’t for the gathering of miniscule, but important info on a/c variants, squadron colors, etc. would we know how many a/c types were flown by the Tuskegee Airmen?
Everyone who served deserves recognition.
[2c]
For those who might be interested in, attached is the information that I have found on this subject that resulted very interested to me.
With regards to your inquiry about F/O(P) Perez-Gomez, this is the information we have found on him in “They Shall Not Grow Old”, the RCAF book of remembrance for WWII:
PEREZ-GOMEZ, LUIS F/O(P) J29172//R208835. From Guadalajara, Mexico. Killed in Action. Jun. 16/44 age 20. #443 Hornet Squadron (Our Sting Is Death). F/O. Perez-Gomez was the pilot of Spitfire aircraft # MB 607 in a fighter sweep in the Argentan area of France and was last seen flying into cloud at 3,000 feet north of Caen France. Flying Officer Pilot Perez-Gomez is buried in the Churchyard at Sassy, Calvados, France.