95th Aero Squadron

The 95th Aero Squadron was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I. It was the first American pursuit (fighter) squadron to fly in combat on the Western Front, beginning on 8 March 1918.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 squadron was assigned as a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron as part of the 1st Pursuit Group, First United States Army. Its mission was to engage and clear enemy aircraft from the skies and provide escort to reconnaissance and bombardment squadrons over enemy territory. It also attacked enemy observation balloons, and perform close air support and tactical bombing attacks of enemy forces along the front lines.Maurer, Maurer (1978), The US Air Service in World War I, The Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF Washington
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In combat, squadron members shot down 35 enemy aircraft and 12 observation balloons and had 6 Air Aces. Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt, the youngest son of President Theodore Roosevelt was assigned to the 95th. He lost his life in combat on 14 July 1918.

After the 1918 Armistice with Germany, the squadron returned to the United States in March 1919 and was demobilized.Series "E", Volume 12, History of the 95th Aero Squadron. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C. The current United States Air Force unit which holds its lineage and history is the 95th Reconnaissance Squadron, assigned to the 55th Operations Group, RAF Mildenhall, England.

History

Origins

The 95th Aero Squadron was formed at Kelly Field, Texas on 20 August 1917. Upon its formation, the men of the squadron were instructed in close-order drill and in military traditions. On 30 September, the squadron left Kelly Field for the Aviation Concentration Center, Hazelhurst Field No. 2, on Long Island, New York. From there it boarded the SS ''Adriatic'' on 27 October bound for overseas duty in Europe.

After an uneventful ocean crossing, the squadron arrived in Liverpool, England on 10 November. It then took a train to Southampton, on the southern English coast where it boarded the SS ''Huntscraft'' for a crossing over the English Channel to Le Havre, France. It arrived at the British Rest Camp No. 2 on 13 November.

Training in France

On 16 November, the squadron arrived at the 3d Air Instructional Center, Issoudun Aerodrome. Upon arrival, there was nothing but a field of mud. The men of the 95th were tasked in erecting tents, hangars and helping to build the base for future squadrons to come. According to the squadron historian, the winter spent at Issoudun will "never be forgotten. It was work from morning to night under the most adverse conditions." The pilots assigned to Issoudun began their flight training as aviation cadets.

Combat on the Western Front

On 16 February, the 95th Squadron was transferred to Villeneuve-les-Vertus Aerodrome where it arrived at the "Zone of the Advance" ( Western Front) on 18 February. This was another new camp with a tremendous amount of mud. The squadron did not have any planes to fly or maintain so it was immediately put to work on construction tasks. Finally, on 5 March the first airplane arrived, a Nieuport 28 and the 95th was designated as a Pursuit (Fighter) squadron. Over the next few days, additional Nieuport 28s were received from Orly Field, near Paris. However the aircraft were received without any machine guns.

However, without machine-guns, the 95th flew familiarization flights with French Air Service squadrons. However, on 8 March the 95th was reminded there was a war, when its commanding officer, Captain Miller, was shot down on his first flight behind the German lines. However, despite not having machine guns on their planes, proceeded to fly reconnaissance patrols daily, however after Captain Miller was shot down, the pilots of the 95th were restricted to flying over friendly territory.

Toul Sector

On 31 March, the 95th moved to Epiez Aerodrome. Again, the squadron found itself at a new field that was primarily mud, and for the next month, the men of the squadron were put to work doing construction and erecting tents and hangars. On 8 April, seven of the squadron's planes were transferred to the 94th Aero Squadron, which was being transferred to Croix de Metz Aerodrome, near Toul. By the end of the month, the 95th was also being prepared to move to Toul, and on 4 May it also moved. On 5 May, the 95th was organized, along with the 94th Aero Squadron into the 1st Pursuit Group.

At Toul, active combat patrols and alerts immediately commenced, over the sector from Saint-Mihiel to Pont a Mousson. On 11 May, the first combat patrol was flown without French escorts, but no enemy contact was made. 15 May was the first really busy day for the 95th, as it flew 23 sorties to escort pilots of the 1st Aero Squadron on a photographic and observation mission. An additional 22 sorties were flown with the 1st on the 16th. On the 17th, the squadron lost its second pilot when Lt. Blodgett, returning from an escort patrol with the 1st had an engine failure and crashed into the ground a few miles from the field. Also on 17 May, the squadron claimed its first official air victory when Captain Peterson, a former Lafayette Escadrille flyer, attacked two German biplanes in the region of Saint-Mihiel and attacked them both. He saw the first plane go down, but was attacked by the second enemy plane. Through the month nearly all sorties were made giving protection to I Corps Observation Group reconnaissance planes, each day flying about 25 – 35 sorties. The enemy in the sector, however, did normally not engage the squadron's aircraft, keeping a respectful distance. On 21 May, two air combats were reported, when Lieutenants Taylor and Hall fired on an enemy aircraft, killing the observer and forcing the aircraft back to its lines. Earlier in the day, Lt Wooley was attacked by an enemy aircraft in the region of Fimery, however, he escaped without injury. From this point, air combats became a daily occurrence. On 30 May, the squadron lost its 3d pilot when Lieutenant Casgrais was shot down over enemy territory, however, he was later reported to be a prisoner.

In June, the squadron received its first replacement pilots. One of them, 1st Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt joined the squadron on the 17th. He was the youngest son of former president Theodore Roosevelt. Also with Roosevelt, the squadron welcomed Lieutenants Thomson, Montage and Vann.

Marne Sector

On 29 Pursuit Group moved to the Chateau Thierry sector and to Touquin Aerodrome. There, the 95th began receiving SPAD XIIIs, replacing the unpopular Nieuport 28s. On 5 July, air combat began again after a few weeks of respite, with large numbers of sorties flown, and losses of men and aircraft resulted. The 95th was flying against the finest pilots of the enemy, and often was outnumbered in the air. On 9 July, the squadron moved again, this time to Saints Aerodrome, which was nearer the front lines. However, unlike the Toul Sector, this sector was not as active with German aircraft and only a few enemy aircraft were encountered.

Lieutenant Roosevelt shot down his first plane on 10 July, and he reported that after he crossed the line east of Château-Thierry, he saw a patrol of three enemy aircraft flying to the northwest. After flying west of Beuvardes, he shot at the enemy from above. After about 100 shots, one of the planes went into a spin and began to fall through the clouds. The plane was later confirmed to have crashed. However, on 14 July, Lt. Roosevelt was missing after another air combat. Several days later, a German plane flew over the lines and dropped a note saying that he was killed in action and was buried with full military honors at Chambray.

On the 15th, the full Allied offensive in the Château-Thierry Sector began, with operations ongoing from dawn until nightfall. The 27th encountered German formations as large as 30 aircraft. On the 16th the Germans crossed the Marne River at Dormans

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