No. 71 Squadron — Eagle

Formed at RAF Church Fenton on 19 September 1940, No. 71 Squadron became the first of three RAF Eagle Squadrons — units manned almost entirely by American volunteers who crossed the Atlantic to fight before their own country entered the war. Initial equipment was the Brewster Buffalo, quickly judged unsuitable for European skies; Hurricanes followed in November 1940, and Spitfires arrived in the autumn of 1941. Under No. 11 Group, Fighter Command, the squadron flew defensive patrols then turned to offensive sweeps over northern France, claiming its first victories near Lille in July 1941. Pilot Officer William Dunn was credited that August as the first American fighter ace of the Second World War. On 29 September 1942 the squadron transferred to the US Army Air Forces as the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter Group, taking its hard-won experience into the American war effort.