Citation

Correll JT. Air Force Mag. 2014; 97(9): 120-124.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, United States Air Force Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Pancho Villa and his 'Division of the North' swept down on Columbus, N.M., three miles from the US-Mexico border, shooting at anything that moved. Half of the nearly 500 riders struck at the town itself and the other half attacked the US Army' Camp Furlong, which was adjacent. Contrary to his image as the Robin Hood of the border, Villa was inclined toward sudden and extreme violence and executions, which sometimes included the families of his victims. The revolution was already in progress when Woodrow Wilson took office as President of the US in 1913, but Wilson hoped to steer it in the direction of his idealistic and progressive principles. On March 19, Foulois and his eight plane air force arrived in Mexico to join Pershing. Their mission was observation and communications, not combat--their JN-3s had no fittings to mount weapons. Besides, the airmen struggled along on 90-horsepower engines that could not support the additional weight of Lewis machine guns.

Language: en