José Abelardo Quiñones, the heroic pilot who burned in flames for defending Peru

The national territory has been the birthplace of a large number of heroes and heroines who gave their lives on behalf of Peru. Among these legendary characters is José Abelardo Quiñones, who performed one of the bravest and most sacrificed acts to defend our nation. Although he was able to choose another path to train professionally, from a very young age he aroused an interest in ships and air travel. This is how he decided his fate, being recognized as one of the best of his era.

THE BIRTH OF A PATRIOT

The Peruvian was born on April 22, 1914, in the port of Pimentel, located in Lambayeque. He became the third child in the marriage formed by Don José María Quiñones and Doña María Juana Rosa Gonzales. During their first years of life, their parents formed them under the bosom of a conservative family, but without restricting their freedom. He found refuge in the northern fields, where he could see the sky without any interruptions.

He successfully completed his primary education at the Colegio Nacional de San José de Chiclayo and continued his studies at the Colegio de la Recoleta in Lima.

DECIDING YOUR FUTURE

Upon completion of his basic education, he did not stop his plans and decided, he was encouraged to apply to the Central Aviation School, entering with the title of Cadet. His great interest and curiosity led him to stand out among his peers, who witnessed his extraordinary skills in piloting and receiving the teachings. This is how his superiors gave him the great opportunity to make his first solo flight with only 4 and a half hours of instruction. With this record in his record, he graduated with the “Comandante Raguz” promotion, receiving his office as Ensign of Aeronautics. To say goodbye to his instructors, he did his best to surprise them by making an inverted flight one meter above the ground

José Abelardo Quiñones also challenged himself to be the best in his specialty. With that unique confidence he had in his work, he marked a path of success. Since his appointment as Officer in the Ancon Aviation Squadron No. 4, he added merit to his promotion to the class of Lieutenant in 1940. His own pace of work led him to have a nomadic spirit, which came to an end when he was sent to Chiclayo as a Fighter Pilot. It is in northern Peru that he was part of the first group of paratroopers in the history of South America. Together with their companions they executed an aerial routine with great precision, generating the admiration of the spectators who came to see them.

THE NAME OF A HISTORICAL LEGACY

By 1941, Ecuador began an armed conflict against Peru over bordering areas that were not delimited or established. The northern border was attacked, causing a national alert, which led the government to order the immediate mobilization of the Armed Forces to control the violent act and defend the excessive abuse of sovereignty. Among those recruited was Quiñones, who was key to strategies because of his abilities. By official mandate, he carried out multiple reconnaissance missions, relying on technology that had arrived in Peru, took aerial photographs of the Ecuadorian front after carrying out risky moves to avoid Ecuadorian attacks.

According to Operations Order No. 2 of July 2, the objective was to recover the border, with aviation groups as the main attack team. To reinforce this action, the Command assigned Squadron 41 to fulfill the mission of attacking the Quebrada Seca post with machine guns and bombs. Taking as reference the written testimonies of July 23, the team - consisting of Lieutenant Commander Alberti, who commanded it, Lieutenants Fernando Paraud, José Quiñones and Ensign Manuel Rivera - took off from Tumbes aboard North American 50 fighter planes.

A LIFE FOR PERU

With the action plan already determined, they proceeded to position themselves on the target to carry out the bombing of the Ecuadorian post. During this operation, the XXI-41-3 aircraft, piloted by Quiñones, was attacked during the descent. The ship was seriously affected by enemy anti-aircraft. The impact ended up setting the pilot on fire. Although he had the option of escaping with his parachute, he chose to remain in his position, keeping his machine in balance and headed towards the painting that started the conflict. Your goal, to crash and destroy it completely.

This is how he carried out his mission, losing his life to protect the national territory. In recognition of his sacrifice, he was promoted on the same battlefield to the rank of captain. The history of our country places it in the heroic trilogy of Peru, made up of him, Miguel Grau and Francisco Bolognesi.

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