Army & Navy: New Wings for Eagles

Eighty-odd men shucked the blue-grey uniforms of Britain’s R.A.F. last week and put on khaki. The Eagle Squadrons had ended their history with the R.A.F. They would fly henceforth wearing the wings of the U.S. Army Air Forces.

Thus ended a swashbuckling story which began two years ago when big, hearty Colonel Charles Sweeny, soldier of for tune, organized the group. There were 34 of them — U.S. boys who wanted to fight for reasons ranging from pure idealism to “just for the hell of it.” The youngest was 20, the oldest 35.

They became Squadron 71 in Britain’s air force. Colonel Sweeny, who had fought in practically every war of the last four decades, though he sometimes could not remember on which side, was their honorary commander. Active command finally fell to 22-year-old Chesley Gordon Peterson, who was born in Salmon City on Idaho’s wild “River of No Return.” Later two other Eagle Squadrons of U.S. volunteers were formed: the 121st, the 133rd.

In 20 months they officially destroyed 732* planes, though the unofficial count was higher. They had earned twelve Distinguished Flying Crosses, one Distinguished Service Order. As spectacular as their success was their insouciance.

One pilot soared home after strafing a supply train in Northern France with a chunk of a telegraph pole wedged in his wing. A sergeant pilot on patrol over the Dutch coast flew his Spitfire more than 100 miles home after it was hit by three cannon shells and 30 machine-gun bullets, with a seagull lodged in its carburetor intake. An Eagle reported: “Evading a flak, got into an uncontrolled spin, came out of it in a dive over a cluster of guns, opened fire from 200 yards, blew up an ammunition dump, pulled out of the dive, gunned army lorries and attacked a listening post on the way home. Had breakfast.”

In the first year of operations eight of them were killed, three were missing, one was taken prisoner. At the end of their second year of operations, when they lined up for the last time as pilots of the R.A.F. only four of Colonel Sweeny’s originals were left. One hundred Eagles had been lost over enemy territory.

Said Air Chief Marshal Sir Sholto Douglas, handing them over to Major General Carl M. Spaatz: “Goodby and thank you Eagle Squadrons 71, 121, 133 of the Fighter Command, and good hunting to you.” At week’s end they were off on their first raid over France wearing U.S. Army wings. Four Focke-Wulf 190s crashed under their guns.

* Half credit was for a Dornier bomber on which Eagle pilots and British had collaborated.