Fantastic Named 201st FAME Grouping, Dairy and Photographs.
 
Group includes Enrique A. Sotomayor Harriman personal handwritten dairy from January 20, 1945, to February 16, 1945, while he was training for selection to be sent to the US for advance training to be deployed to combat duty against Japan.
     The dairy has been professional transcribed from cursive handwriting in                        Spanish and translated to English.
     Dairy details the daily training of the pilots and many personal insights into                 being a part of such an important part of history.
    One such dairy entry:
    “February 16, 1945 - To date, they haven't released anyone, and we imagine that        tomorrow will begin if we fly at all. Today I flew for 50 minutes, just 55 minutes            short of the 12-hour flight time required for a military pilot; I'm almost certain I            can make my first solo flight and tomorrow I'll do everything I can to see if I can        be released and be one of the first in my squadron. Thus ended another day of          life, looking forward to... ...the next day, which will bring us immense joy.”
4 original photographs, one of him in uniform standing on the wing of a P-47 fighter plane.
His “Piloto Aviador Militar” ID card with photo of him in uniform.
 
He was a Mexican military aviator whose training in early 1945 positioned him for potential service with the famed 201st Fighter Squadron ("Aztec Eagles"), though he ultimately did not join the unit due to the end of World War II. Here’s a detailed overview of his background and training during this period:
 
Early Life and Education
Born on 17 January 1923 in Jáltipan de Morelos, Veracruz, he was the son of cavalry lieutenant colonel Enrique B. Sotomayor and Susan Adelia Harriman.
Studied at the "Benito Juárez" school in Jáltipan and later at the "Círculo Español Mercantil" college in Veracruz before completing secondary education in Mexico City.
 
Military Training
Enrolled in the Guadalajara Military Aviation School on 14 November 1943 and later joined the Colegio Militar (Military College) on 1 July 1944, graduating as a cavalry sub-lieutenant.
In March 1945, he was selected for the Mexican Expeditionary Air Force (FAEM) and sent to the U.S. for advanced flight training as part of Mexico’s contribution to the Allied war effort.
 
Training in the U.S. (1945)
Arrived in San Antonio, Texas, in early 1945 for training at Randolph Field and other bases. His training included:
161 flights at Goodfellow Field (San Angelo, Texas).
178 flights at Perrin Field (Sherman, Texas).
111 flights at Enid Army Airfield (Oklahoma).
Trained on single- and twin-engine aircraft, though he did not transition to the P-47 Thunderbolt (the Aztec Eagles’ primary aircraft) due to the end of the war.
 
Missed Deployment with the Aztec Eagles
The 201st Squadron deployed to the Philippines in mid-1945, but Sotomayor Harriman’s unit (the second FAEM contingent) was still in training when Japan surrendered in September 1945.
He completed a double-engine training course in June 1946 and earned U.S. Air Force wings but never saw combat.
 
Post-War Career and Legacy
Accumulated 5,634 flight hours by 1955. He died on 5 October 1955 during a rescue mission after a cyclone struck Tampico, Veracruz.
Buried in Mexico City’s Panteón Civil de Dolores, his hometown honors him with a street named in his honor (albeit with inverted surnames).
 
Connection with the Aztec Eagles
Though Sotomayor Harriman trained alongside personnel destined for the 201st Squadron, his group’s delayed deployment meant he never joined their historic campaigns in Luzon and Formosa. The Aztec Eagles flew 96 combat missions in the Philippines, but Sotomayor Harriman’s role remained stateside, contributing to Mexico’s broader wartime aviation efforts.