Decades of Rebellion: Mexican Military Aviation in Action 1920s-1940s

In the decades before Mexico joined the allies during the Second World War, Mexican military aviation saw a rapid growth and intense involvement in multiple rebellions, internal strife, and in operations against armed banditry.

Aviation was introduced to military service in Mexico during the Revolutionary Period of 1910-1920, culminating in the bloody showdown between the subsequent president Don Venustiano Carranza and General Victoriano Huerta in 1913. Based on this experience, a strong military service was understood to be an important element for maintaining internal security, and was therefore deployed at almost every opportunity. Mexican military aviation helped defeat several armed uprisings – often by little more than the strong psychological impact upon the insurgents and the civilian population. Rather unsurprisingly, in at least one instance, an armed rebellion sought to obtain aircraft and recruit mercenary pilots to counter the federal air service.

Three decades of small yet intensive combat operations not only proved to be a baptism of fire for many early Mexican aviators, but also played a crucial role in forming nearly all of the commanders that went on to lead the Mexican Air Force during the Second World War.

Richly illustrated with more than 150 exclusive photographs and colour profiles, Decades of Rebellion is the first authoritative account of air operations over Mexico in the period 1910-1939, and as such is an indispensable source of reference for enthusiasts and professionals alike.