The 104th Aero Squadron was an

Air Service, United States Army The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...

unit that fought on the Western Front during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The squadron was assigned as a Corps Observation Squadron, performing short-range, tactical reconnaissance over the V Corps,

United States First Army First Army is the oldest and longest-established field army of the United States Army. It served as a theater army, having seen service in both World War I and World War II, and supplied the US army with soldiers and equipment during the Korea ...

sector of the Western Front in France, providing battlefield intelligence. After the

1918 Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

, the squadron returned to the United States in June 1919 and became part of the permanent

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

in 1921, when it was redesignated as the 13th Squadron (Attack) .Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the First World War, Volume 3, Part 3, Center of Military History, United States Army, 1949 (1988 Reprint) The current

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

unit which continues its lineage and history is the 13th Bomb Squadron, assigned to the

509th Operations Group The 509th Operations Group (509 OG) is the flying component of the United States Air Force 509th Bomb Wing (509 BW), assigned to Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri. It is equipped with all 20 of the USAF's B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, flown by it ...

Whiteman Air Force Base Whiteman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located just south of Knob Noster, Missouri, United States. The base is the current home of the B-2 Spirit bomber. It is named for 2nd Lt George Whiteman, who was killed during the attack ...

, Missouri.

History

The 104th Aero Squadron was organized on 25 August 1917. The unit was formed from all the unassigned recruits at

Kelly Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. In ...

, Texas, who were lined up in formation and 150 men were counted off to form the

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

. No attention was paid to the capabilities of its members at the time, because there were no facilities at Kelly Field for trade testing or flight training. The unit was instructed in close order drill and ordinary post duties.13th Bomb Squadron History
/ref> The urgency of the need for men in France led to the squadron receiving orders to report to the Aviation Concentration Center at Garden City, New York, on 30 October. On 28 November the squadron sailed aboard the

SS Baltic Several steamships have been named ''Baltic'': * — a wooden-hulled sidewheel steamer with the American Collins Line, which held the Blue Riband from 1851 to 1857 * — a passenger ship of the White Star Line which held the eastbound transatlan ...

and arrived at

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, England, on 7 December. The next day, the squadron proceeded to

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

where they were quartered at the Windall Rest Camp. The Air Service attached the 104th to the British

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

for training. At Winchester, the squadron was split into four

flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

s, with each flight going to a separate English flying school for training. The headquarters flight was established at Winchester, before moving to the

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at R ...

at RFC Upavon and then to Netheravon. Other flights went to the Mechanics School at RFC Salisbury, RFC Andover and the motor transport school at RFC Yatesbury. On 10 July 1918, all four flights met at Winchester to prepare for movement to France, but an outbreak of

Spanish influenza The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

delayed their movement across the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

, France, until 19 July. On the same day the squadron boarded a troop train and arrived at the

American Expeditionary Force The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...

(AEF)

St. Maixent Replacement Barracks The Air Service Replacement Concentration Barracks is a former military facility in the vicinity of Saint-Maixent-l'École, Poitou-Charentes, France. It was used by the Air Service, United States Army as the Air Service Replacement Concentration ...

on 22 July. After being processed and properly equipped, the squadron first moved to

Amanty Airdrome Amanty Airdrome was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located northwest of Amanty, in the Meuse department in the Lorraine region in northeastern France (48.527383,5.598371). History The airfield was set up early 1917, with Fr ...

on 1 August where the 104th was classified as a Corps Observation squadron. It then was moved to Epiez Aerodrome on 4 August, where the squadron received its first aircraft, French

Salmson 2A2 The Salmson 2 A.2, (often shortened to Salmson 2) was a French biplane reconnaissance aircraft developed and produced by Salmson to a 1916 requirement. Along with the Breguet 14, it was the main reconnaissance aircraft of the French army in 1918 ...

s and was assigned to the

V Corps Observation Group The V Corps Observation Group was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I as part of the Air Service, First United States Army. It was demobilized in France on 15 February 1919. There is no mo ...

. On 8 August the 104th was transferred to the "Zone of Advance" and proceeded to

Luxeuil-les-Bains Aerodrome Luxeuil - Saint-Sauveur (french: Base aérienne 116 Luxeuil Saint-Sauveur or BA 116) is a medium size French Air and Space Force (Armée de l'air et de l'espace) base located near Luxeuil-les-Bains in the Franche-Comté region of France. It has t ...

where it joined the 88th and

99th Aero Squadron The 99th Aero Squadron was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I. The squadron was assigned as a Corps Observation Squadron, performing short-range, tactical reconnaissance over the V Corps ...

s of the

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

. By 8 September the squadron was ready for action, and it moved to

Souilly Aerodrome Souilly Aerodrome was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located Northeast of Souilly, in the Meuse department in north-eastern France. Overview With the Battle of Verdun raging on in the early part of 1917, a cluster of new a ...

where it participated in the

St. Mihiel offensive The Battle of Saint-Mihiel was a major World War I battle fought from 12–15 September 1918, involving the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) and 110,000 French troops under the command of General John J. Pershing of the United States against ...

, serving primarily as the eyes of the artillery. Pilots flew

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

, directed Allied artillery fire and pinpointed troop movements. The demand for artillery fire adjustments through aerial observation was constant in spite of difficulties encountered with air-to-ground communication. It was largely due to the photographs made by aerial reconnaissance that the Allied infantry knew where it was advancing. As the war progressed the demand for observation and reconnaissance by the 104th increased. During the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the 104th operated from

Foucaucourt Aerodrome :''Please note there was another temporary WWI aerodrome called Foucaucourt at Foucaucourt-en-Santerre in the Somme department, used by the Germans, then by the RAF at the very end of the war'' Foucaucourt Aerodrome was a temporary World War I a ...

(near

Verdun Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department. Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...

). The squadron continued its previous operations and also engaged the enemy in

aerial combat Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare. Aerial warfare includes bombers attacking enemy installations or a concentration of enemy troops or strategic targets; fighter aircraft battling for control o ...

and attacked enemy machine-gun nests. It also dropped thousands of propaganda leaflets over German lines and thousands of newspapers to American soldiers. In the final days of the war the 104th operated from

Parois Airdrome Parois Airdrome, was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located near the commune of Aubréville, in the Lorraine region in northeastern France. Overview The airfield was built during the early fall of 1918 as a forward operati ...

, with a flight deployed at

Barricourt Tailly is a Communes of France, commune in the Ardennes (department), Ardennes Departments of France, department in northern France. The commune was formed on 1 January 1973, as the union of 4 former communes: Andevanne, Barricourt, Rémonville ...

. The war ended on 11 November 1918, and by the end of that month the 104th was at

Belrain Aerodrome Belrain Aerodrome was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located South of Belrain, in the Meuse department in the Lorraine region in northeastern France. Overview Construction of Belrain Aerodrome was originally started by th ...

, where it remained until it could return home. Finally, on 14 January 1919, orders were received to proceed to the 1st Air Depot at

Colombey-les-Belles Airdrome : ''see also: Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force'' When the United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917, the Air Service of the United States Army existed only as a branch of the Signal Corps, and was kno ...

, where its equipment would be turned in. The squadron's Salmson aircraft were delivered to the Air Service American Air Service Acceptance Park No. 1 at Orly Aerodrome to be returned to the French. There practically all of the pilots and observers were detached from the squadron. Personnel at Colombey proceeded to a staging camp at

Libourne Libourne (; oc, label= Gascon, Liborna ) is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is the wine-making capital of northern Gironde and lies near Saint-Émil ...

on 3 February where it remained until moving to the port of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...

on 10 April. On 18 April, the squadron boarded the , and nine days later it disembarked in New York. The wholesale discharge of personnel soon depleted the l04th's strength. In May the squadron was down to one officer and one enlisted man and was classified as an administrative unit without personnel or equipment at

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territory ...

. New York. ''For subsequent history see 13th Bomb Squadron''

Lineage

* Organized as 104th Aero Squadron on 25 August 1917 : Redesignated 104th Aero Squadron (Corps Observation) on 1 August 1918 : Redesignated 104th Aero Squadron on 28 April 1919 : Redesignated 104th Surveillance Squadron on 25 May 1919

Assignments

* Post Headquarters, Kelly Field, 25 August 1917 * Aviation Concentration Center, 30 October 1917 * Air Service Headquarters, AEF, British Isles, 7 December 1917 : Attached to the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

for training, 7 December 1917 – 19 July 1918 * Replacement Concentration Center, AEF, France, 22 July 1918 * 1st Observation Group School, 1 August 1918 *

, 4 August 1918 * 1st Air Depot, AEF, 14 January 1919 * Commanding General, Services of Supply, 29 January 1919 * Post Headquarters, Roosevelt Field, 28 April 1919

Stations

, Texas, 25 August 1917 *

Aviation Concentration Center Camp Albert L. Mills (Camp Mills) was a military installation on Long Island, New York. It was located about ten miles from the eastern boundary of New York City on the Hempstead Plains within what is now the village of Garden City. In September 1 ...

, Garden City, New York, 30 October 1917 * Port of Entry,

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...

:: Overseas transport: ''SS Baltic'', 28 November-7 December 1917 * Liverpool, England, 7 December * Windall Rest Camp, Winchester, England, 8 December 1918 : Headquarters Flight at RFC Upavon, later at Netheravon, England : Other flights assigned to RFC Salisbury, RFC Andover and RFC Yatesbury, England * Winchester, England, 10 July 1918 * Le Havre, France, 19 July 1918 *

, France, 22 July 1918 *

Amanty Aerodrome : ''see also: Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force'' When the United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917, the Air Service of the United States Army existed only as a branch of the Signal Corps, and was kno ...

, France, 1 August 1918 * Epiez Aerodrome, France, 4 August 1918 *

, France, 8 August 1918 *

, France, 8 September 1918 *

, 20 September 1918 *

, France,4 November 1918 : Flight operated from: Barricourt Airdrome, France, 10–30 November 1918 *

, France, 30 November 1918 *

, France, 14 January 1919 *

Saint-Denis-de-Pile Saint-Denis-de-Pile () is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is situated approximately 9 kilometres (6 mi) north of Libourne on the eastern side of the river Isle. Geographie The commune ...

, France, 29 January 1919 * Libourne, France, 3 February 1919 * Port of Bordeaux, France, 10 April 1919 :: Return transport: ''USS Orizaba'', 18–27 April 1919 *

Roosevelt Field Roosevelt Field is a former airport, located east-southeast of Mineola, Long Island, New York. Originally called the Hempstead Plains Aerodrome, or sometimes Hempstead Plains field or the Garden City Aerodrome, it was a training field (Hazel ...

, New York, 28 April 1919

Combat sectors and campaigns

Notable personnel

* Lt. Flynn L. A. Andrew, DSC * Lt. George S. Clark, SSC * Lt. Mortimer M. Lawrence, SSC * Lt. Edward M. Morris, DSC * Lt. Clearton H. Reynolds, DSC DSC:

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

; SSC:

Silver Star Citation The Citation Star was a Department of War personal valor decoration issued as a ribbon device which was first established by the United States Congress on July 9, 1918 (Bulletin No. 43, War Dept. 1918). When awarded, a silver star was placed o ...

Military Times Hall of Valor Search, 104th Aero Squadron
/ref>

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * United States War Department (1920), ''Battle Participation of Organizations of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, Belgium and Italy'', 1917–1919, Washington, Government Printing Office, 1920

External links

{{Wwi-air Aircraft squadrons of the United States Army Air Service Squadrons of the United States Army Air Service in World War I