In the context of the so-called “Soccer War” that took place between Honduras and El Salvador in July 1969, the performance of then-Major Fernando Soto Henríquez stands out. He managed to shoot down three Salvadoran fighter planes during the missions that constituted the “maximum effort” of the Honduran armed forces to stop an seemingly unstoppable invasion. This occurred on July 17 of that year.
In the following interview, -in Spanish- conducted in 2002 by the excellent Honduran historian Amado Aguiluz, Colonel Soto Henríquez recalls the two missions in which he shot down a P-51 Mustang and two FG-1D aircraft from the Salvadoran Air Force. With a clear mind and simple language, Soto takes us through the minutes that preceded the battles, providing many unpublished details, and then describes with utmost precision the confrontation with the Salvadoran fighter pilots.
We would like to express our gratitude to the Honduran Air Museum for sharing the video with us years ago, which we have edited for space and time constraints.
To our readers, we hope you enjoy the interview and that it can help promote the dissemination of aviation history on the continent.
