José Abelardo Quiñones Gonzáles (April 22, 1914 – July 23, 1941) was a

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

vian military aviator who posthumously became a national hero for his actions at the

Battle of Zarumilla The Battle of Zarumilla or Zarumilla offensive was a military confrontation between Peru and Ecuador that took place from July 23 to 31 during the 1941 Ecuadorian–Peruvian War. Background Hostilities between Peru and Ecuador began on July 5, 1 ...

during the

Ecuadorian–Peruvian War The Ecuadorian–Peruvian War, known locally as the War of '41 (), was a South American border war fought between 5–31 July 1941. It was the first of three military conflicts between Ecuador and Peru during the 20th century. During the war, ...

of 1941.

Early life

Quiñones was born in the port city of Pimentel on April 22, 1914. His parents were José María Quiñones Arízola and María Juana Rosa Gonzales Orrego. He was the third legitimate child of three brothers. His primary studies were at a local school run by nuns, and then at the ''Colegio Nacional San José de Chiclayo''. The rector of the school, Karl Weiss, promoted

gliding Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sports, air sport in which pilots fly glider aircraft, unpowered aircraft known as Glider (sailplane), gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmospher ...

, an activity that Quiñones, along with other classmates, had become fond of, excited by the exploits of outstanding figures of Peruvian civil aviation, such as

Jorge Chávez Georges Antoine Chavez (January 13, 1887 – September 27, 1910), also known as Jorge Chávez or Géo Chavez, was a Peruvian aviator. At a young age, he achieved fame for his aeronautical feats. He died in 1910 after a heavy wind broke the w ...

and

Juan Bielovucic Juan Bielovucic (30 July 1889 – 14 January 1949) was a Peruvian aviator who set several speed and altitude aviation records in 1910–13. He was also the first person to complete a successful powered aircraft crossing of the Alps in 1913, f ...

. In 1928, by decision of his parents, he moved to

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

and began his secondary education at the ''

Colegio Sagrados Corazones Recoleta The Colegio de los Sagrados Corazones Recoleta is a private Catholic school in La Molina District, Lima, Peru. Founded in 1893 by a French mission of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary as a all-boys school in central Lima, it ...

'', until the second year in 1929. He finished his remaining years at the

College of Our Lady of Guadalupe The College of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Secular education, secular public education school in Lima, Peru. Originally founded on Jirón Apurímac, Chacarilla Street in the Guadalupe neighbourhood on November 14, 1840, it moved in 1909 to its curr ...

, attending from 1930 to 1932. Despite his parents' fierce opposition, he decided to join the Peruvian Aeronautical Corps.

Military career

In 1935, he entered the ''Jorge Chávez Central Aviation School'' as a cadet and joined the ''Comandante CAP José Lucas Raguz Verán'' class. In officers' school he stood out for his ability to adapt to different piloting and aviation techniques. Four years after entering, he was received as an ensign on January 21, 1939, as the first of his promotion in the specialty of fighter pilot. In merit of this, he received the "Golden Wing" of the Air Force. During the aerial display that he gave on his graduation day, he amazed those present with an inverted flight almost one meter above the ground, which can still be seen on film today. As an aviation officer, he was assigned to the No. 4 Squadron in Ancón. After four months, he was transferred to

Las Palmas Air Base Las Palmas Air Base is a military airport in Santiago de Surco District, city of Lima, Peru. It is administered by the Peruvian Air Force (abbreviated FAP), one of three branches of the Peruvian Armed Forces. The United States Air Force began oper ...

and from there to the 21st Fighter Squadron of the First Air Group, located in the city of Chiclayo. He had a dog named Hawk, who he took with him when he flew. Quiñones was part of the 41st Squadron of North American NA-50 aircraft and was part of the first High Aerobatics Squadron. When the paratrooper unit was created and after intense training, he made jumps from the skies of Chiclayo.

Combat history

Lieutenant Quiñones was a fighter pilot of the 41st ''Escuadrilla'' (Squadron),

Peruvian Air Force The Peruvian Air Force (, FAP) is the branch of the Peruvian Military of Peru, Armed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use of aerial warfare, air power. Additional missions include assistance in safeguarding i ...

, and was part of a section carrying out a low-level strafing/bombing attack against Ecuadorian forces at Quebrada Seca on July 23, 1941. During the raid, Quiñones' aircraft, a North American NA-50 "TORITO" (

North American P-64 The North American P-64 was the designation assigned by the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) to the North American Aviation NA-68 fighter, an upgraded variant of the NA-50 developed during the late 1930s. Seven NA-50s were purchased by the A ...

) nicknamed ''Pantera'', was mortally hit by ground fire from a battery of Ecuadorian

anti-aircraft artillery Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...

. According to Peruvian accounts, instead of parachuting to safety, Quiñones chose to crash his damaged aircraft into the Ecuadorian position, rendering the battery out of action. This version of events has been subsequently called into question by Ecuadorian military authorities, who have stated that there were no anti-aircraft guns in the area.

Posthumous

Following his death, Quiñones was promoted to the rank of Air Force Captain and he was declared a national hero by law on May 10, 1966. Law N° 16126, May 10, 1966 Named in his honour is the

FAP Captain José Abelardo Quiñones González International Airport Capitán FAP José A. Quiñones González International Airport is an airport serving Chiclayo, Peru and the surrounding metropolitan area. It is run by ADP, a private airport operator that operates various airports in northern Peru. It is the ...

near his town of birth in

Chiclayo Chiclayo (; mochica language, Mochica: ''Cɥiclaiæp'') is the principal city and capital of the Lambayeque region and Chiclayo Province in northern Peru. It is located from the Pacific coast, from the city of Trujillo, Peru, Trujillo, and from ...

. When the new currency of Peru was introduced in 1991, Gonzales appeared on the 10 sol Banknote. He was also the subject of the banknote of 500 soles de oro issued in 1976.

References

External links

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Alas de Gloria
{{DEFAULTSORT:Quinones, Jose Abelardo 1914 births 1941 deaths National heroes of Peru Peruvian military aviators Ecuadorian–Peruvian War pilots Peruvian Air Force personnel Aviators killed by being shot down Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Ecuador Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1941 People from the Department of Lambayeque College of Our Lady of Guadalupe alumni