1st Reconnaissance Squadron
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The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron is a
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 ...
squadron, assigned to the 9th Operations Group,
Beale Air Force Base Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. It is located outside Linda, about east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City, and about north of Sacramento. The host ...
, California. The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron is the United States military's oldest flying unit, first established on 5 March 1913. The squadron has maintained an unbroken heritage of over a century from its founding. Originally organized in anticipation of a potential breach in security along the border between the United States and
Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, General John J. Pershing directed the 1st Aero Squadron to become the first tactical aviation unit to participate in American military action. The 1st RS has flown 47 different aircraft while being stationed worldwide at 52 locations, including 4 stints at sea. Since 1922 the 1st Squadron has been associated with the
9th Bomb Group The 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command and Sixteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The wing is also the host unit at Beale. Its mission is to ...
and the USAF
9th Reconnaissance Wing The 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command and Sixteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The wing is also the host unit at Beale. Its mission is to ...
, where it continues to be an active flying training unit operating the
Lockheed U-2 The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "''Dragon Lady''", is an American single-jet engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day ...
and the
RQ-4 Global Hawk The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, remotely-piloted surveillance aircraft of the 1990s–2020s. It was initially designed by Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Northrop Grumman), and known as Tier II+ during development. The ...
surveillance aircraft A surveillance aircraft is an aircraft used for surveillance. They are operated by military forces and other government agencies in roles such as intelligence gathering, battlefield surveillance, airspace surveillance, reconnaissance, observa ...
.


Overview

The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron is responsible for training all High-Altitude Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance aircrew for the U-2S Dragon Lady and the RQ-4 Global Hawk. Aircrew members consist of pilots and mission planners for the U-2S, and pilots and sensor operators for the RQ-4. Training for all U-2S pilots includes additional qualification in the T-38A Talon, the companion trainer to the U-2S. The squadron flies over 5,400 U-2S/T-38A training hours and 2,400 RQ-4 combat support hours annually. This flight training program produces 24 U-2S pilots, 48 RQ-4 pilots, and 36 RQ-4 sensor operators annually.


History


Origins

Mexico's revolutionary violence early in 1913, caused President Wilson to order partial mobilization, and the army formed the "Second Division" at Texas City, Texas. On 25 February, the Chief Signal Officer, Brig. Gen. George P. Scriven, ordered the airplanes, personnel, and equipment then at Augusta, Georgia, to Texas City; and on 5 March, the army designated the small command as the 1st Aero Squadron (Provisional). The unit consisted of nine airplanes, nine officers, and fifty-one enlisted men organized into two companies, and it spent much of its time practicing cross-country flying and operating from rough terrain, skills that would be of great value in the field. It was soon clear that the Second Division would not become involved in a fight. By June 1913, the squadron had transferred to the new Signal Corps Aviation School at San Diego, California. In December, the 1st Aero Squadron dropped the "provisional" from its title, making it the U.S. Army's first regular air squadron. The Chief Signal officer approved a table of organization for the unit on 7 January 1914, consisting of two companies of eight officers and 45 enlisted men each, and eight aircraft. At the time of its formation, 1st Company consisted of Burgess Model H tractors S.C. No. 9, 24, 25, and 26; while 2nd Company consisted of Curtiss aircraft S.C. No. 2 (a
Curtiss Model D The 1911 Curtiss Model D (or frequently "Curtiss Pusher") was an early United States pusher aircraft with the engine and propeller behind the pilot's seat. It was among the first aircraft in the world to be built in any quantity, during an era ...
), 6 ( Curtiss Model E), 22 ( Curtiss Model G) and 23 (an aircraft assembled from spare parts for the Curtiss E). The initial composition of the squadron was short three pilots. (According to the U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency, during this period other training aircraft included at least one example of the
Wright Model B The Wright Model B was an early pusher biplane designed by the Wright brothers in the United States in 1910. It was the first of their designs to be built in quantity. Unlike the Model A, it featured a true elevator carried at the tail rat ...
, Burgess F, Burgess I-Scout, Burgess J-Scout, and the
Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...
T.) Detachments of the 1st Aero Squadron returned to
Fort Crockett Fort Crockett is a government reservation on Galveston Island overlooking the Gulf of Mexico originally built as a defense installation to protect the city and harbor of Galveston and to secure the entrance to Galveston Bay, thus protecting the c ...
,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, on 30 April 1914 when the
Tampico Affair The Tampico Affair began as a minor incident involving U.S. Navy sailors and the Mexican Federal Army loyal to Mexican dictator General Victoriano Huerta. On April 9, 1914, nine sailors had come ashore to secure supplies and were detained by Me ...
threatened war again, although they arrived too late to be transshipped to Mexico and their aircraft were never uncrated. The 1st Aero Squadron had made its first flights at Fort Sill on 10 August, but accomplished little flying in the next few weeks, as manufacturing problems in the airplanes and engines quickly appeared. A fatal crash occurred on 12 August 1915 followed by a second crash on 5 September after protests about its safety were overruled by squadron commander Capt. Benjamin D. Foulois.The 1st Aero Squadron and the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916
/ref>


Punitive expedition

During the
Mexican Revolution The Mexican Revolution ( es, Revolución Mexicana) was an extended sequence of armed regional conflicts in Mexico from approximately 1910 to 1920. It has been called "the defining event of modern Mexican history". It resulted in the destruction ...
, hundreds of
Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (,"Villa"
''Collins English Dictionary''.
; ;
's horsemen crossed the United States border and raided Columbus, New Mexico on 9 March 1916. The town was looted and burned, and 17 Americans were killed. President Wilson immediately asked President Carranza of Mexico for permission to send United States troops into his country, and Carranza reluctantly gave permission "for the sole purpose of capturing the bandit Villa." Wilson then ordered General John J. Pershing to "pursue and disperse," the forces commanded by Villa. In his orders to Southern Department commanding general
Frederick Funston Frederick Funston (November 9, 1865 – February 19, 1917), also known as Fighting Fred Funston, was a general in the United States Army, best known for his roles in the Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American War. He received ...
,
United States Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Se ...
Newton D. Baker Newton Diehl Baker Jr. (December 3, 1871 – December 25, 1937) was an American lawyer, Georgist,Noble, Ransom E. "Henry George and the Progressive Movement." The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, vol. 8, no. 3, 1949, pp. 259–269. w ...
instructed him to have the 1st Aero Squadron moved to Columbus to provide liaison and aerial reconnaissance for Pershing's headquarters. Despite the shortcomings, the squadron was ordered to send all available aircraft, pilots and personnel to support Pershing. There would be neither replacements nor a reserve. The squadron disassembled its aircraft and left
Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...
in San Antonio, Texas, by train on 13 March. Two days later it arrived in Columbus with eight Curtiss JN-3 aircraft, 11 pilots and 82 enlisted men and established an airfield to the southeast of the town. From Columbus, the squadron flew its first reconnaissance
sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...
on 16 March. On 19 March 1916, the squadron received orders to fly into Mexico and report without delay to his headquarters at
Casas Grandes Casas Grandes (Spanish for ''Great Houses''; also known as Paquimé) is a prehistoric archaeological site in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. Construction of the site is attributed to the Mogollon culture. Casas Grandes has been design ...
. Shortly after 17:00, the planes took off but one returned almost immediately with engine problems. Darkness proved a formidable challenge and none of the aircraft completed the movement on the first day. Four landed near La Ascension, about halfway to destination, and completed the flight the next morning, although one was a total loss in a landing accident. Another aircraft overflew Casas Grandes in the dark and landed in the desert, where it was destroyed by vandals. Two others landed in the desert short of Casas Grandes, where one continued on the next morning, but the last did not arrive until repairs were completed to it on 26 March. Pershing had only five operational airplanes available for immediate duty. It was found that the squadron's Curtiss JN-3 airplanes were unable to climb over the 10,000 to mountains of the region or overcome the high winds of the passes through them. Dust storms frequently grounded the aircraft and wooden propellers de-laminated in the heat. Using its base in Columbus, the 1st Aero Squadron concentrated on carrying mail and dispatches between Columbus and Pershing's Army columns moving south into Mexico. During the last few days of March, the squadron's planes flew approximately 20 missions with messages for the various columns of Pershing's command. By 20 April, only two airplanes remained in service (neither flyable, and both were destroyed), four having crashed and two others scavenged to provide replacement parts. After the losses, the remaining two JN-3s and the rest of the squadron were ordered back to Columbus for refitting. While the Punitive Expedition searched for Villa and his men, events in the United States provided some help for the 1st Aero Squadron. Secretary of War Baker was following the squadron's activities closely. On the following day, Congress took action to deal with the deficiencies reported from Mexico. On 31 March, it passed the Urgent Deficiency Act, which provided the army with $500,000 for the immediate purchase of twenty-four airplanes, eight for the 1st Aero Squadron. The initial practical result of this legislation was the delivery of four
Curtiss N-8 The Curtiss Model N was a military trainer used primarily by the United States Navy during World War I. Design and development The Model N was a two-seat biplane similar to the Model J, differing in the airfoil and placement of the ailerons, wh ...
s, S.C. Nos. 60–63, which were essentially variants of the JN–3 with a different wing and airfoil and powered by a 90 hp engine. Tests conducted over the next six days verified that these were incapable of meeting the operational conditions in Mexico. On 1 May, it was concluded that the Curtiss N–8 was too slow and under-powered and the landing gear too weak for rough terrain. The squadron packed up the N–8s and shipped them to the Signal Corps Aviation School at San Diego. On the same day, the first of twelve
Curtiss R-2 __NOTOC__ The Curtiss Model R was a utility aircraft produced for the United States Army and Navy during World War I. It was a conventional, two-bay biplane with slightly staggered wings of unequal span. The aircraft was provided with two open co ...
s reached Columbus. The R–2 was a larger, modified version of the original Curtiss Model N powered by a 160 hp engine. However, the 1st Aero Squadron spent the next three months fighting problems with the new airplanes. The catalogue of deficiencies was enormous and inexcusable. Further, most of the airplanes were poorly constructed from shoddy materials. Clearly, Curtiss had lost control of quality at the manufacturing plant. These critical deficiencies had repercussions in Washington, D.C. and reports on the R–2s had stirred up the Signal Office about the Curtiss Company's miserable performance. Beyond wrestling with the R–2s and propellers, the 1st Aero Squadron experimented with a variety of other airplanes and aviation equipment. In addition to the R–2s, the squadron received three Standard H–2s, six Curtiss twin-engine JNs, about seven Curtiss JN–4 "Jennies", and other planes from Martin, Sturtevant, Thomas, and LWF. All told, counting the four Curtiss N–8s, the 1st Aero Squadron received fifty-one airplanes at Columbus by 6 April 1917. The 1st Aero Squadron remained at Columbus, with a detachment in Mexico, until Pershing withdrew the Punitive Expedition from Mexico in early February 1917. The Punitive Expedition is often portrayed as a failure because Pershing's force failed to capture or kill Pancho Villa. This view is something less than the truth. While Pershing's mission was to catch Villa if possible, Pershing's orders from the War Department had directed him only to pursue and disperse the band of raiders that had attacked Columbus, not to eliminate Villa. In addition to the 69 bandits captured and killed during the fighting in Columbus on 9 March, the Punitive Expedition had killed 248 and taken 19 prisoners by 31 July. The mission of the 1st Aero Squadron during the Punitive Expedition was primarily one of communications and observation, and during the first phase of the Punitive Expedition the 1st Aero Squadron was of considerable help in enabling Pershing to keep in touch with his thinly spread, fast-moving troopers. The squadron also performed several reconnaissance missions, and although these failed to locate enemy forces, that information in itself was important for the commander to know. The second phase of the Punitive Expedition was probably most important for the squadron, because the officers and men gained experience and knowledge by experimenting with a variety of airplanes and aviation equipment. The deficient, unsuitable airplanes the 1st Aero Squadron took to Mexico also served as a warning for the future. The U.S. aviation industry at the end of 1916 consisted of fewer than a dozen firms, only a handful of which—Curtiss, Martin, Wright, and Sturtevant, for example—had produced a reasonable number of airplanes. 1st Aero Squadron remained at Columbus until August 1917, when it was ordered to France after the United States' entry into World War I.


World War I

When the United States
declared war A declaration of war is a formal act by which one state announces existing or impending war activity against another. The declaration is a performative speech act (or the signing of a document) by an authorized party of a national government, i ...
on Germany on 6 April 1917, the 1st Aero Squadron was still based at Columbus, New Mexico. The Army ordered the 1st Aero Squadron to
Fort Jay Fort Jay is a coastal bastion fort and the name of a former United States Army post on Governors Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. Fort Jay is the oldest existing defensive structure on the island, and was named for John Jay, a me ...
, New York City, to accompany the 1st Division to France. There was an advanced company of the 1st Aero Squadron which flew under French direction as reconnaissance for French troops prior to the USA officially entering the war. Henry Gabriel of Rocky River, Ohio was one of those first pilots. The squadron departed on 5 August 1917 on a troop train, arriving at
Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Red Star Line The Red Star Line was a shipping line founded in 1871 as a joint venture between the International Navigation Company of Philadelphia, which also ran the American Line, and the Société Anonyme de Navigation Belgo-Américaine of Antwerp, Belg ...
r SS Lapland on 13 August for its trans-Atlantic crossing, reaching
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 1 September without incident. The squadron then boarded a train for
Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...
, and crossed the channel the next day, resting at British Rest Camp No. 2,
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.Series "E", Volume 1, History of the 1st and 8th Aero Squadrons. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.


Combat in France

After a few days rest in Le Havre, the squadron moved to the French depot and airdrome of Étampes-Mondesir, then to the French aviation school at Avord. At the
Avord 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 ...
, training was begun on 13 September on several types of aircraft: Blériot Penguin, a flightless aircraft that gave the sensation of flying while still on the ground; then
Nieuport Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars. History Beginnings Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...
30, 23 and 10s. After two weeks at Avord and completing the training course, the 1st Aero Squadron moved to
Issoudun Aerodrome Issoudun Aerodrome was a complex of military airfields in the vicinity of Issoudun, Centre, France. They were used during World War I as part of the Third Air Instructional Center, American Expeditionary Forces for training United States airmen ...
in central France on 20 September. However, the training facilities there were not yet ready and the squadron was moved on 19 October to Amanty Airdrome in Lorraine, where the squadron was prepared for active service on the front. On 5 February, Stephen W. Thompson, a member of the squadron, became the first American in the US military to shoot down an enemy aircraft. He was on a bombing mission with a French squadron. At Amanty, the squadron was equipped with Avion de Reconnaissance 1 (AR 1) trainers. Classes were held in radio and machine-gun work and ground training was conducted by French officers. By the end of February 1918, the AR 1 trainers were replaced by
SPAD S.XI The SPAD S.XI or SPAD 11 was a French two-seat biplane reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War. The SPAD 11 was the work of Louis Béchereau, chief designer of the Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés (SPAD), who also designed the hig ...
A.2s. While at the training school, a number of squadron observers were sent to the front line trenches and to other French squadrons for training. On 4 April 1918, the 1st Aero Squadron was assigned to the
I Corps Observation Group The I Corps Observation Group was a United States Army Air Service 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 after the 1918 Armistice with Germany ...
, Air Service, First Army, and was designated as a Corps Observation Squadron. Movement was made to
Ourches Aerodrome Ourches Aerodrome, was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was West-Northwest of the commune of Ourches-sur-Meuse, in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. Overview The airfield was built by the French Army an ...
for combat duty. In combat, the mission of the 1st Aero Squadron was general surveillance of the enemy rear areas by means of both visual and photographic reconnaissance. These missions were carried out for the purpose of intelligence-gathering and informing First Army headquarters informed of enemy movements and preparations for attacks or retreats of its infantry forces. The 1st identified enemy activity along roads and railroads, ground stations, various storage dumps and airfields, the numbers of fires, and activities of enemy aircraft, and the amount of anti-aircraft artillery was also monitored and reported. Due to the nature of the missions and the depths of enemy area which was penetrated, the missions were carried out at high altitudes, usually between . Bad weather and engine trouble with the SPAD aircraft plagued the squadron upon its arrival at the front, and on 12 April, the first contact with enemy aircraft was made, when Lt Coyle was attacked by three German planes. He escaped, his plane having several bullet holes. The work done by the squadron in its early days of combat operations was judged to be of a high order. A great deal of valuable intelligence was obtained. This was recognized when French General Passage, Chief of Staff of the 32d French Corps, awarded the "
Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...
" to several aircrews for exceptional bravery in combat. At the beginning of June, the 1st Aero Squadron was re-equipped with the latest in French observation aircraft, the
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 ...
. Also in June, the 1st Aero Squadron adopted the American flag as its squadron emblem, it being the first Air Service squadron on the front lines. The insignia was painted on the fuselage of all of its aircraft.


=Chateau Thierry offensive

= On 29 June, the squadron moved to
Saints Aerodrome Saints Aerodrome, was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located North of Saints, in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Overview The airfield was one of the many built to cope with the German offensive toward ...
to take part in the Chateau Thierry offensive, the first major American operation of the war. Flying over the front began on 1 July and from the beginning, a great number of combats with enemy aircraft were encountered. The Germans appeared to have concentrated a large number of aircraft over the sector, to counter a large number of British aircraft which had operated there prior to the 1st Squadron's arrival. The combat sustained in the offensive therefore, was quite heavy. The squadron was tasked with missions of the greatest importance, and heroic actions were frequent. Operations began with the squadron having less than its full number of aircraft, pilots and observers. Until replacements were received, ground mechanics and other support personnel worked day and night, and observation patrols were flown from dawn until dusk, sometimes into the night, with two or three sorties per day with each aircraft.


=St. Mihiel Offensive

= In preparation for 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 ...
, the 1st Aero Squadron moved to Croix de Metz Aerodrome, near
Toul Toul () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Geography Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, and the river Moselle and Canal de la Marne au Rhin. Climate Toul h ...
, on 22 August. The St. Mihiel salient in the line covered an area of and its elimination was the next major task for the
American Expeditionary Forces 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 ...
. About 02:00 on 12 September, their artillery opened up to begin the offensive. The squadron received orders to fly no lower than in overflying enemy territory, but the 1st flew much lower than that, flying anywhere between in altitude in order to avoid enemy machine-gun fire. Shortly after daylight, squadron aircraft No. 6 took off. The sun was clear before it arrived over the lines, but then disappeared behind the clouds. American infantry had just crossed the German lines and it was noted that panels had been placed on the ground indicating that their artillery barrage was falling about 100 meters short. That information was sent to division headquarters. This routine was repeated for the next several hours as the advance continued. It was observed that the Germans were making a hasty retreat and deserting their guns, with their officers on horseback. Squadron aircraft attacked the retreating enemy with machine guns on low-level attacks. Wagons and trucks in the enemy rear were also attacked until fuel was nearly exhausted, landing back at Toul with nearly empty tanks. During the offensive, the ground infantry were continually supported by observation aircraft, assisting them in every manner possible. During the offensive, the work done by the 1st Aero Squadron was of the most importance, giving divisional commanders the vital information as to where the front line elements actually were, where artillery barrages need to be laid down in advance of the infantry and for causing disruption to enemy forces behind his lines. Later, as positions became stabilized, photographs were obtained behind enemy lines to learn the dispositions of enemy forces.


=Meuse-Argonne offensive

= After flying in the St. Mihiel sector for several weeks, on 21 September the squadron was moved to the
Remicourt Aerodrome Remicourt Aerodrome was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located West of Remicourt,Two French "escadrilles" were stationed at a "Noirlieu" airfield - 4 km west of Remicourt, in July - September 1918, which might be the same ...
in the Argonne Forest, getting ready for the next big American push. Squadron personnel began to believe they were a "shock" squadron, having taken the lead in the previous battles of Chateau Thierry and Saint-Mihiel, coming out of both bruised and battle-scarred. Intelligence raft of the 1st Aero Squadron provided the critical intelligence of what lay ahead of them, trying to find out what the half-routed enemy was trying to do. Constant flying and continual combats with enemy aircraft were routine and deadly, but the intelligence and photography carried out by the squadron was of the highest importance. Operations continued until 9 November when the order came from Corps headquarters to cease flying, and it was believed it simply meant to move to another sector. However, on 11 November, news was received that an armistice has been signed. 1st Aero Squadron pilots recorded 13 aerial victories during the war, commemorated by 13
Maltese cross The Maltese cross is a cross symbol, consisting of four " V" or arrowhead shaped concave quadrilaterals converging at a central vertex at right angles, two tips pointing outward symmetrically. It is a heraldic cross variant which developed f ...
es encircling their squadron emblem. The 1st Aero squadron lost 16 pilots killed in action and three missing-in-action.


=Third Army of Occupation

= After the armistice, the I Corps Observation Group was disbanded and the squadron was assigned to serve as part of the occupation force of the
Rhineland The Rhineland (german: Rheinland; french: Rhénanie; nl, Rijnland; ksh, Rhingland; Latinised name: ''Rhenania'') is a loosely defined area of Western Germany along the Rhine, chiefly its middle section. Term Historically, the Rhinelands ...
under the Third Army Air Service, III Corps Observation Group at the former
Andernach Airdrome Andernach () is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, of about 30,000 inhabitants. It is situated towards the end of the ''Neuwied basin'' on the left bank of the Rhine between the former tiny fishing village ...
, near Coblenz. One of its duties was to fly over
Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
and other parts of the Rhineland occupied by Third Army. In addition, the squadron was able to perform test flights on surrendered German aircraft. Flights of the
Fokker D.VII The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the second half of 1918. In service with the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the D.VII qui ...
,
Pfalz D.XII The Pfalz D.XII was a German fighter aircraft built by Pfalz Flugzeugwerke. Designed by Rudolph Gehringer as a successor to the Pfalz D.III, the D.XII entered service in significant numbers near the end of the First World War. It was the last P ...
,
Halberstadt Halberstadt ( Eastphalian: ''Halverstidde'') is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mountain range, it is known for its old town center that was greatly destroyed by Allied bombi ...
s and
Rumpler Rumpler-Luftfahrzeugbau GmbH, Rumpler-Werke, usually known simply as Rumpler was a German aircraft and automobile manufacturer founded in Berlin by Austrian engineer Edmund Rumpler in 1909 as Rumpler Luftfahrzeugbau.Gunston 1993, p.259 The fir ...
aircraft were made and evaluations were made. On 13 June 1919, the squadron first went 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 ...
, to turn in all of its supplies and equipment and was relieved from duty with the AEF. The squadron's planes were delivered to the Air Service Production Center No. 2. at
Romorantin Aerodrome Romorantin - Pruniers Air Detachment (DA 273) is a French Air Force military facility, located southwest of Romorantin-Lanthenay, in the Loir-et-Cher Departments of France, department of central France. Pruniers airfield was part of a huge depot ...
. It then moved to a staging camp in France for the return crossing of the Atlantic back to the United States.


World War I honors


=Combat sectors and campaigns

=


=Notable personnel

= * BG Arthur Edmund Easterbrook, DSC (2x), Air Ace, 5 aerial victories * Capt. Byrne V. Baucom, DSC (2x), 3 aerial victories * Lt. A. J. Coyle, SSC * Lt. Fred W. Clark, SSC * Lt. James W. Corley, SSC * Lt. Kenneth P. Culbert, SSC * Lt. Fred E. D'Amour, SSC * Lt. Ralph E. De Castro, DSC * Lt. Col.
Townsend F. Dodd Townsend Foster Dodd (6 March 1886 – 5 October 1919) was the first commissioned US Army aviator. As a University of Illinois graduate with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering, he joined the Coast Artillery Corps and shortly thereaft ...
, DSM * Lt. Arthur W. Duckstein, DSC, 1 aerial victory * Lt.
William Portwood Erwin Lieutenant William Portwood Erwin (18 October 1895 - 19 August 1927) was an American World War I flying ace credited with eight aerial victories. On 19 August 1927, he disappeared during the Dole Air Race from Oakland, California to Hawaii. Early ...
, DSC (2x), Air Ace, 8 aerial victories * Lt. Edward Groteclose, Jr., SSC * Lt. Charles A. Henry, SSC * Lt. John H. Michener, DSC * Lt. James M. Richardson, DSC, 4 aerial victories * Lt. Stephen W. Thompson, First US military victory, Croix de Guerre with Palm * Lt. E. G. Wold, SSC
James Council Wooten
SSC 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 ...
; DSM:
Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...
; 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 ...


Inter-War era

Upon its return to the United States, the 1st Aero Squadron was based first at
Park Field Naval Support Activity Mid-South (NSA Mid-South, NAVSUPPACT Mid-South, NSAMS), in Millington, Tennessee, is a base of the United States Navy. A part of the Navy Region Southeast and the Navy Installations Command, NSA Mid-South serves as the Navy ...
, Tennessee, on 4 August 1919, and then 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 Territor ...
, New York, on 10 October 1919, where it remained until 1940. Assigned as a component of the Air Service's 1st Army Observation Group (briefly the 7th Observation Group in 1921) from 1 October 1919, to 30 August 1921, the 1st Aero Squadron was redesignated the 1st Squadron (Observation) on 14 March 1921. It was attached to the ''1st Provisional Air Brigade'' from 1 May to 3 October 1921. This temporary unit, organized by Gen. William L. Mitchell, sank the German
battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...
''
Ostfriesland East Frisia or East Friesland (german: Ostfriesland; ; stq, Aastfräislound) is a historic region in the northwest of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is primarily located on the western half of the East Frisian peninsula, to the east of West Frisia ...
'' on 21 July in bombardment tests. The squadron functioned briefly as part of the 2nd Wing before being assigned to the
Second Corps Area A Corps area was a geographically-based organizational structure (military district) of the United States Army used to accomplish administrative, training and tactical tasks from 1920 to 1942. Each corps area included divisions of the Regular Army ...
on 30 September 1921. The 1st Aero Squadron used the de Havilland DH-4 observation airplane as its primary equipment from 1919 to 1928. The 1st Squadron was assigned as a component squadron of the new 9th Observation Group on 1 August 1922. It was assigned directly to the II Corps on 23 March 1923, as the 1st Observation Squadron, but remained attached to the 9th Observation Group. This command arrangement continued until 15 February 1929, when the 1st Observation Squadron was permanently assigned to the 9th Group. Its aircraft from 1928 to 1935 was primarily the Curtiss O-1B Falcon observation plane, but it also field tested and employed other Falcon variants (O-13, O-39, and Y1O-40 Raven) and several Douglas observation types, the Y1O-31, Y1O-35 and O-35. The 1st Observation Squadron's O-35s all participated in delivering the
U.S. Mail The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
in 1934 without loss. The Air Service became the
U.S. Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
on 2 July 1926, and kept that title until reorganized as the
United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
on 20 June 1941. In early 1935 the Air Corps was re-organized, with all combat groups being centrally controlled for the first time, under a new command organization called General Headquarters, Air Force. The role of observation as the primary function of the air arm had been de-emphasized in the creation of eight new Air Corps groups between 1927 and 1932. With the creation of General Headquarters Air Force (GHQAF) it was further de-emphasized when the 9th and its component squadrons were converted into a bombardment group and made a part of the 2nd Wing, responsible for the air defense of the East Coast of the United States. The 1st Observation Squadron became the 1st Bombardment Squadron on 1 March 1935, and was equipped with
Keystone B-6 The Keystone B-6 was a biplane bomber developed by the Keystone Aircraft company for the United States Army Air Corps. Design and development In 1931, the United States Army Air Corps received five working models (Y1B-6s) of the B-6 bomber. The ...
bombers. It converted to
Martin B-10 The Martin B-10 was the first all-metal monoplane bomber to be regularly used by the United States Army Air Corps, entering service in June 1934.Jackson 2003, p. 246. It was also the first mass-produced bomber whose performance was superior to ...
bombers in 1936 and operated these until 1938, when it again re-equipped, with
Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
B-18 bombers. The designations of the squadron changed in the late 1930s as the role of bombardment became pre-eminent in the Air Corps, becoming the 1st Bomb Squadron (Medium) on 6 December 1939, and the 1st Bomb Squadron (Heavy) on 20 November 1940. During the period 1935–1940 the 1st Bomb Squadron trained aircrews, took part in maneuvers, and participated in air shows.


World War II


Sixth Air Force

The 1st deployed with its parent group on 5 November 1940 on the USAT Chateau Thierry and arrived on 12 November 1940 at
Rio Hato Army Air Base Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...
, Panama on 13 November 1940 from
Langley Field Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perform ...
, Virginia. The squadron was one of the units designated to move to Piarco Airport on Trinidad in late April 1941 after the U.S. gained base rights there from the British in the
Destroyers for Bases Agreement The destroyers-for-bases deal was an agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom on September 2, 1940, according to which 50 , , and US Navy destroyers were transferred to the Royal Navy from the US Navy in exchange for land rights ...
. In fact, the 1st Bomb Squadron's entire sojourn in the Caribbean after its brief interval at Rio Hato was based on Trinidad, moving from Piarco to the new
Waller Field Waller Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force World War II air base located in northeastern Trinidad. It is located about 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Valencia south of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway and roughly 32 km from t ...
by 12 May 1941 and, later, to
Edinburgh Field Carlsen Air Force Base is a former United States Army Air Forces World War II airbase on Trinidad, consisting of two landing strips, "Edinburgh" and "Xeres". The airbase also included an emergency landing strip, "Tobago". History The America ...
on 23 August 1942. As of the United States' entry into the war, it was the only USAAF antisubmarine unit on Trinidad.Hagedorn, Dan (1995) Alae Supra a Canalem: Wings Over The Canal, The 6th Air Force and the Antilles Air Command. Paducah, KY: Turner Publ. Co. By August 1941, the squadron was the proud operator of a solitary Boeing B-17B Flying Fortress (probably sin 38-264) at Waller (together with six Douglas
B-18A Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American heavy bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company ...
s), certainly one of the very few B-17's to fly anti-submarine patrols in the Caribbean. Although the surviving records arc rather confusing and very truncated, it appears that the squadron may have briefly been assigned or attached to the
72d Observation Group 7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube. As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
, although no orders or formal correspondence to this effect survive. By January 1942, the B-17B was gone, and only five of the B-18As were still airworthy at Waller, where the squadron was nominally under the operational control of the Trinidad Base Command. By mid-February 1942, with four airworthy B-18A's still on hand, the squadron received a number of Consolidated
LB-30 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
s originally intended for the British. With these, the unit flew patrols over the Caribbean approaches to the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...
to test the newly sited radars placed there, as well as routine anti-submarine patrols. The unit was technically still based at Waller Field, however, the Squadron was also called upon to detach an element to conduct patrols of the
Vichy French Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...
Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
area during April and May 1942. ed antisubmarine patrols and conducted reconnaissance of the
Vichy French Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its terr ...
fleet at
Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...
. pdf file Although scant records survive, the 1st Bomb Squadron attacked a German
U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...
on at least one occasion. On 17 August 1942, a squadron B-18A sighted a submarine some 20 miles from a convoy and dropped four
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...
s after it crash dived. About 10 minutes later, a patch of oil appeared on the surface where the now-submerged submarine had been. The B-18A remained in the area a further 45 minutes, until it was relieved by another aircraft. There was no further sign of the submarine. Two days later, another squadron B-18A sighted a completely surfaced submarine at a distance of five miles from an altitude of 1,800 feet. Three depth charges were released, the third of which caused the sub to list away from the attack, side-slipping into the water. A fourth depth charge was believed to have hit the stern, then about 20 feet below the surface. The results of these attacks, however, were never confirmed.


Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics

The 9th Bomb Group and its squadrons were withdrawn from Trinidad, and returned without personnel or equipment to the United States in late August 1942, where all were reconstituted as part of the Air University Army Air Force School of Applied Tactics (AAFSAT) at
Orlando Army Air Base Orlando Executive Airport is a public airport three miles (6 km) east of downtown Orlando, in Orange County, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and serves general aviation. Overview Orlando ...
, Florida. AAFSAT operated a combat simulation facility in Florida. Units and airfields were established throughout an 8,000-square-mile (21,000 km2) area of central and north central Florida designated a mock "war theater," stretching roughly from Tampa to Titusville and from Starke to Apalachicola in which war games were conducted using numerous military airfields. The 1st was equipped with a mixture of medium and heavy bombers. The squadron operated primarily from
Brooksville Army Airfield Brooksville is the name of several places in the United States: * Brooksville, Blount County, Alabama * Brooksville, Morgan County, Alabama Brooksville is an unincorporated community in Morgan County, Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , a ...
which runways could better accommodate the heavy bombers. Its squadrons trained bomber crews in organization and operations, performed bombing pattern tests, experimented with
tactical formations Tactic(s) or Tactical may refer to: * Tactic (method), a conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks ** Military tactics, the disposition and maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield ** Chess tactics ** Political tacti ...
to attack moving ships, and performed equipment tests. The squadron also flew in maneuvers and took part in many experiments at
Eglin Field Eglin may refer to: * Eglin (surname) * Eglin Air Force Base, a United States Air Force base located southwest of Valparaiso, Florida * Federal Prison Camp, Eglin, a Federal Bureau of Prisons minimum security prison on the grounds of Eglin Air Forc ...
, Florida. During this period, the 1st BS had twelve
B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
es, two
B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...
s and two L-3Cs observation aircraft assigned.


Twentieth Air Force

The training mission of the 9th Bomb Group at AAFSAT was replaced by the 903d Army Air Forces Base Unit on 1 March 1944 with "Section D", the bombardment training in an administrative reorganization. As a result, the 1st Bomb Squadron was moved without aircraft or personnel to
Dalhart Army Airfield Dalhart Army Air Base is a former World War II military airfield complex near the city of Dalhart, Texas. It operated three training sites for the United States Army Air Forces from 1943 until 1945. The majority of the namesake city of Dalhart, ...
, Texas. On 28 March, it was re-designated the 1st Bombardment Squadron (Very Heavy) and began to organization process for training as a
B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...
squadron. During April the key personnel of the new squadron assembled at Dalhart, forming the command cadre, and were transferred with the group to McCook Army Airfield,
Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...
. After a brief period establishing the unit at McCook, the cadre of group and squadron operations staffs went by train to AAFSAT in May for the 4-week training course in organizing and operating very heavy bombardment units in the field. While the cadre was at AAFSAT, the influx of new personnel continued at McCook. pdf file After the return of the squadron staff in June 1944, the squadron organized new crews and conducted an intensive program of ground and flying training using B-17 aircraft to practice takeoffs, landings, instrument and night flying, cross-country navigation, high altitude formation flying, and bombing and gunnery practice. The development of the B-29 as an operational weapon had been plagued since an early flight test on 28 December 1942, resulted in an engine fire, culminating in a massive emergency modification program in the winter of 1943–44 ordered by
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Henry H. Arnold Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), ...
, Chief of the
Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
, and nicknamed the "
Battle of Kansas The Battle of Kansas (also known as the "Battle of Wichita"Airpower July 1981) was the nickname given to a project to build, modify, and deliver large quantities of the world's most advanced bomber to the front-lines, originally in Europe and a ...
". In particular, the program sought to resolve a spate of problems with serious engine fires and faulty gunnery central fire control systems. All B-29s modified in this program were diverted to the 58th Bomb Wing to meet President
Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
's commitment to China to have B-29s deployed to the
China-Burma-India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was offi ...
in the spring of 1944, leaving none available to equip the 12 new groups being formed in the 73rd, 313th, and 314th Wings. The 9th Group received its first training B-29 on 13 July 1944. After four further months of training the group commander declared the unit ready for movement overseas, and its ground echelon left McCook for
Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...
, Port of Embarkation on 18 November 1944, traveling by troopship to the
Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...
on a voyage that required thirty days. The ground echelon of the group debarked at
Tinian Tinian ( or ; old Japanese name: 天仁安島, ''Tenian-shima'') is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of th ...
on 28 December and was assigned a camp on the west side of the island between the two airfields. The air echelon of the 1st Bomb Squadron began its overseas movement on 15 January 1945, from its staging base at
Mather Army Airfield Mather Air Force Base (Mather AFB) was a United States Air Force Base, which was closed in 1993 pursuant to a post- Cold War BRAC decision. It was located east of Sacramento, on the south side of U.S. Route 50 in Sacramento County, Califor ...
, California, after accepting the first of its 14 new B-29s at
Herington Army Airfield Herington Army Airfield was a World War II staging base of the United States Army Air Forces Second Air Force. It is currently the city-owned Herington Regional Airport. History Herington Army Air Field was located eight miles from Herington, ...
,
Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
. The squadron's bombers proceeded individually by way of
Hickam Field Hickam may refer to: ;Surname *Homer Hickam (born 1943), American author, Vietnam veteran, and a former NASA engineer ** October Sky: The Homer Hickam Story, 1999 American biographical film *Horace Meek Hickam (1885–1934), pioneer airpower advoca ...
, Hawaii, and
Kwajalein Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...
to North Field, Tinian, with the first three arriving on 18 January 1945. The final two of the original 14 airplanes arrived on Tinian on 3 February by which time the squadron had already flown three practice missions to the
Maug Islands Maug (from the Chamorro name for the islands, Ma'ok, meaning "steadfast" or "everlasting") consists of a group of three small uninhabited islands. This island group is part of the Northern Islands Municipality of the Commonwealth of the Northern ...
in the
Northern Marianas The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; ch, Sankattan Siha Na Islas Mariånas; cal, Commonwealth Téél Falúw kka Efáng llól Marianas), is an unincorporated territory and commonwe ...
. The 1st Bomb Squadron conducted its first combat mission on 9 February 1945, against a Japanese naval airfield located on the island of Moen at Truk atoll (now known as the Chuuk Islands). Flown by day at an altitude of , it was in actuality a further training mission, encountering no opposition. Its second mission was to
Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...
on 12 February, one week prior to D-Day for
Operation Detachment The Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA ...
. The capture of Iwo Jima had as its objective an emergency landing field for
Twentieth Air Force The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. 20 AF's primary mission is Interco ...
bombers attacking Japan and a base for escorting
P-51 The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in April 1940 by a team headed by James ...
and
P-47 The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bomber ...
fighters. pdf file The first mission to the Japanese home islands was the 1st Bomb Squadron's fifth, flown 25 February 1945. Again a day mission flown at high altitude, the target was the port facilities of Tokyo. On the squadron's seventh mission, 9–10 March 1945, Tokyo was attacked with incendiaries by night and at low altitudes of 6,400 to . This mission also resulted in the first loss of a 1st Squadron B-29 when the crew of ''L'il
Iodine Iodine is a chemical element with the symbol I and atomic number 53. The heaviest of the stable halogens, it exists as a semi-lustrous, non-metallic solid at standard conditions that melts to form a deep violet liquid at , and boils to a vi ...
'' was forced to crash-land at sea when it ran out of fuel returning to Tinian, although the crew was rescued. The Tokyo fire raid was the first of five flown between 9 and 18 March, resulting in devastation of four urban areas (Tokyo,
Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...
,
Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
and
Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whic ...
) and extensive civilian loss of life. The squadron had a B-29 bomber 4-69748shot down and crew lost on 24 March 1945, attacking the
Mitsubishi Aircraft The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...
factory at Nagoya, ironically the same crew that had ditched on 10 March.Find a grave memorial
/ref> On 27 March, the 1st Squadron began a week of night missions sowing aerial anti-shipping mines of Japanese harbor approaches and
Inland Sea An inland sea (also known as an epeiric sea or an epicontinental sea) is a continental body of water which is very large and is either completely surrounded by dry land or connected to an ocean by a river, strait, or "arm of the sea". An inland se ...
ship passages, a mission they would again conduct during the entire second half of May. Attacks in April were a combination of night and medium altitude day missions against the Japanese aircraft industry, and beginning 18 April, three weeks of daytime attacks against Japanese airfields on
Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...
launching ''
Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...
'' attacks against U.S. naval forces at
Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...
. On 1 June, the 1st Bomb Squadron began a grim campaign of night fire raids against the remaining urban areas of Japan not previously attacked that continued to its final mission, 14 August 1945. In all, the 1st Bomb Squadron flew 71 combat missions, 3 post-hostilities flyover missions, and one mission to drop medical and food supplies to liberated
prisoners-of-war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war ...
. Of the 71 combat missions, 27 were fire raids, 14 mining, 13 against airfields, 9 against aircraft production, and 9 against other industry or targets other than the home islands. 39 of the missions were flown at night, and 32 by day. Only 6 of the 71 combat missions were flown above altitude. The 1st Bomb Squadron had 28 B-29s assigned to it on Tinian. Two were reassigned to other units, one was declared "war-weary" and used for local flights only, two were written off for salvage, one crashed on takeoff 20 May, destroying two parked bombers of another group and itself, and six were lost on missions—an aircraft attrition rate of 34.6% over six months. The squadron had 33 combat crews of 11 airmen each on its rosters during its combat operations. Four crews were missing in action or killed (12%), and three crews completed a full operational tour of 35 missions before the Japanese surrender. pdf file After the end of the war, the squadron received two Presidential Unit Citations as part of the 9th Bomb Group, for a mission against Kawasaki On 15–16 April 1945, and for mine-laying operations 13–28 May 1945. The 1st Bomb Squadron remained on Tinian until 7 March 1946, although most of its crews and aircraft were returned to the United States in the interim to be de-mobilized. On 14 March 1946, the group and squadron set up limited operations at Clark Field,
Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
, where they remained until 9 June 1947. By that date, although still an active unit, the squadron was unmanned, and was transferred "on paper" to
Harmon Field Harmon Air Force Base is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield, and postwar United States Air Force Base on Guam in the Mariana Islands. Originally named "Depot Field", it was renamed in honor of Lieutenant General Millard ...
, Guam, where it remained in a paper status until 10 October 1948.


Strategic Air Command

The United States Air Force became a separate military service on 18 September 1947, during the period of time when the 1st Squadron was without personnel or equipment. On 10 October 1948, the 1st Squadron was removed from the 9th Bomb Group (which was inactivated), re-designated the 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic (SRS), and assigned to the
311th Air Division The 311th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, where it was inactivated on 1 November 1949. The division was first activated ...
of
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
(SAC) at
Topeka Air Force Base Topeka Regional Airport , formerly known as Forbes Field, is a joint civil-military public airport owned by the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority in Shawnee County, Kansas, seven miles south of downtown Topeka, the capital city of Kansas. The ...
, Kansas. In Kansas, squadron members immediately began training with
RB-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a WWII era long range, strategic heavy bomber that was produced in many experimental and production models. XB-29 : ''Section source: Baugher'' The XB-29, Boeing Model 345, was the first accepted prototype or e ...
es. In May 1949, the squadron moved to Fairfield-Suisun AFB (now
Travis AFB Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), located three miles (5 km) east of the central business district of the city of Fairfield, in Solano County, California ...
), California, and was assigned to the
9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing The 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command and Sixteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The wing is also the host unit at Beale. Its mission is t ...
. Initially equipped with a mix of B-29, RB-29 and RB-17 aircraft, the 1st SRS was earmarked to become an
RB-36 Peacemaker The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber that was built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built. It had the longest wi ...
unit and did receive three B-36B bombers in preparation for this assignment. However, in April 1950, the Air Force re-designated the 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing the 9th Bombardment Wing and, consequently, the 1st SRS became the 1st Bombardment Squadron and started to receive conventional B-29s and also atomic-capable B-29MRs. During the
Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
, the 1st Bombardment Squadron participated in several rotations to
Harmon AFB Harmon Air Force Base is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield, and postwar United States Air Force Base on Guam in the Mariana Islands. Originally named "Depot Field", it was renamed in honor of Lieutenant General Millar ...
, Guam, as a contingency atomic-capable force. The 1st BS along with its parent wing, the 9th BW, would transfer to
Mountain Home AFB Mountain Home Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation in the western United States. Located in southwestern Idaho in Elmore County, the base is southwest of Mountain Home, which is southeast of Boise via Interstate ...
, Idaho, in May 1953. There the squadron would continue to fly B-29s until 1954 when they started to receive Boeing
B-47 Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...
bombers. During the Air Force's first decade, budgetary shortfalls led to the search for more cost-efficient Wing operations. In 1952, many of the World War II Combat Groups began to be phased out and inactivated as more wings assumed direct control of the combat squadrons. On 16 June 1952, the 9th Group was inactivated and the squadron was assigned directly to Wing control. For the next twelve years, the 1st BS remained at the forefront of America's nuclear deterrent force. In November 1955, the squadron helped established a non-stop point-to-point long-distance record during a flight from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, to
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, a distance of 8,300 miles, with the aid of aerial refueling. And from 1955 through 1958, the squadron would deploy to
RAF Fairford Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Gloucestershire, England which is currently a standby airfield and therefore not in everyday use. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an ...
, England;
Kadena Air Base (IATA: DNA, ICAO: RODN) is a highly strategic United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is often referred to as the "Keystone of the Pacific" because of its highl ...
, Okinawa;
Eielson Air Force Base Eielson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately 26 miles (42 km) southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska and just southeast of Moose Creek, Alaska. It was established in 1943 as Mile 26 Satellite Field and redes ...
, Alaska; and Andersen AFB, Guam. From 1962 to 1965, the 1st BS operated several EB-47E Stratojets, a classified program which were electronics countermeasure conversions of the standard B-47E. These was equipped with what was known as the Phase IV (or Blue Cradle) ECM package, consisting of 16 AN/ALT-6B electronic jammers mounted on a cradle inside the bomb bay. Some of the EB-47ss carried a pressurized capsule inside the bomb bay that carried two electronics warfare officers that operated a suite of up to 13 different jammers that could focus on specific threats. In late 1965, SAC and
Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...
(TAC) completed a transfer agreement assigning Mountain Home to TAC effective 1 January 1966, with TAC transferring
Bergstrom AFB Bergstrom Air Force Base (1942–1993) was located seven miles southeast of Austin, Texas. In its later years it was a major base for the U.S. Air Force's RF-4C reconnaissance fighter fleet. History Bergstrom was originally activated on ...
, Texas to SAC. Since 1960, the B-47 was being phased out of service, as Soviet Air Defenses improved and the development of
ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...
s had taken more and more of the nuclear mission. With the transfer of Mountain Home AFB, the B-47s of the 1st Bomb Squadron were retired. The last B-47E departed on 10 February and the personnel followed soon after.


Strategic Reconnaissance

The
SR-71 Blackbird The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation. It was operated by the United States Air Force ...
joined the Air Force inventory in 1966. From Beale and several overseas operating locations, the 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron conducted worldwide strategic reconnaissance missions, supporting national intelligence gathering requirements. The Blackbird‖ carried a crew of two—a pilot and a reconnaissance systems operator (RSO). The SR-71's versatility included simple battlefield surveillance, multiple-sensor high-performance interdiction reconnaissance, and strategic surveillance over large areas of the world. Flying over 2,000 mph at approximately 80,000 feet, the SR-71 carried sensors with a 45-degree viewing angle on each side that could survey 100,000 square miles in an hour. Following the end of American involvement in Southeast Asia, the 1st turned to more peaceful accomplishment. The most spectacular of these was the SR-71 speed runs from New York to London and from London to Los Angeles. On 14 September 1974, Major James Sullivan, pilot and Major Noel Widdifield, RSO, flew their SR-71 from New York to London in 1 hour, 55 minutes, 42 seconds for an average speed of 1,817 mph. This bettered the old record set by a
RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
F-4 Phantom The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...
jet of 4 hours, 46 minutes set in 1969. The SR-71 crew of Captain Harold Adams, pilot, and Major William Machorek, RSO, established a record for the London to Los Angeles route when they flew the 5,645-mile leg in 3 hours, 48 minutes on 13 September. Because of budgetary reasons the Air Force retired the SR-71 in July 1990. But in March 1990, on its final journey from California to Washington D.C., where it became part of the collection at the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
, an SR-71 flown by the 1st SRS made the coast-to-coast trip in a record time of 68 minutes, 17 seconds—at a record speed of 2,242.48 mph. Flying the SR-71, the squadron was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for the period 31 March – 31 December 1968, and an
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the Awards and decorations of the United States Department of the Air Force, unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the A ...
With
Combat "V" Device Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict meant to physically harm or kill the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is sometimes resorted to as a method of self-defense, or ...
for the period 1 July 1972 – 30 June 1973. The 1st SRS also received ten Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards for the periods 1 July – 30 June of the years 1967–1968, 1970–1971, 1971–1972, 1975–1977, 1981–1982, 1983–1984, 1985–1986, 1986–1987, 1989–1990, and 1991–1993.


Air Combat Command

After the initial interviews, orientation flights, and selection for the program, the new pilot undergoes approximately six months of extensive training, including twenty sorties in the U-2. Upon graduation, the new crewmember is not only mission-ready in the U-2, but also checked out in the T-38 companion trainer. The graduate then transfers to the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron and prepares for a tour at one of the overseas detachments. The 1st also trains the mission planners. Mission planners have to know the wing's mission, the aircraft and sensors capabilities, plus detailed information on target and
threat assessment Threat assessment is the practice of determining the credibility and seriousness of a potential threat, as well as the probability that the threat will become a reality. Threat assessment is separate to the more established practice of violence-ri ...
at specific locations. After planners complete their training, they deploy to the overseas detachments and design flight tracks that allow the pilots to gather the best data with the least personal risk. The 1st Reconnaissance Squadron graduates about twelve pilots and two mission planners each year.


Lineage

* Organized as the 1st Provisional Aero Squadron on 5 March 1913 : Redesignated 1st Aero Squadron on 8 December 1913 : Redesignated 1st Aero Squadron (Corps Observation) on 4 April 1918 : Redesignated 1st Army Observation Squadron, 4 August 1919 : Redesignated 1st Squadron (Observation) on 14 March 1921 : Redesignated 1st Observation Squadron on 25 January 1923 : Redesignated 1st Bombardment Squadron on 1 March 1935 : Redesignated 1st Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 6 December 1939 : Redesignated 1st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 20 November 1940 : Redesignated 1st Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on 28 March 1944 : Redesignated 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic, on 10 October 1948 : Redesignated 1st Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 1 April 1950 : Redesignated 1st Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 2 October 1950 : Redesignated 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron on 25 June 1966 : Redesignated 1st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (Training) on 1 July 1990 : Redesignated 1st Reconnaissance Squadron (Training) on 1 September 1991 : Redesignated 1st Reconnaissance Squadron on 1 July 1994


Assignments

* Unknown, 5 March 1913 – September 1917 * Headquarters, Chief of Air Service, AEF, 1 September 1917 *
I Corps Observation Group The I Corps Observation Group was a United States Army Air Service 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 after the 1918 Armistice with Germany ...
, 4 April 1918 * III Corps Observation Group, 18 November 1918 * 1st Air Depot, 12 May 1919 * Commanding General, Services of Supply, – 14 May July 1919 * First Army Observation (later, 7th Observation) Group, 1 October 1919 : Attached to: 1st Provisional Air Brigade for operations, 6 May – 3 October 1921 * 2d Wing (Provisional), 30 August 1921 * II Corps Area, 30 September 1921 * 9th Observation (later, 9th Bombardment) Group, 1 August 1922 * 9th Division, USA, 24 March 1923 : Attached to: 9th Observation Group, 24 March 1923 * 9th Observation Group, 15 February 1929 *
311th Air Division The 311th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, where it was inactivated on 1 November 1949. The division was first activated ...
, 10 October 1948 : Attached to: 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 10–26 October 1948 : Attached to: 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Group, 27 October 1948 – 31 May 1949 * 9th Strategic Reconnaissance (later, 9th Bombardment) Group, 1 June 1949 : Attached to:
9th Bombardment Wing The 9th Reconnaissance Wing (9 RW) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command and Sixteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The wing is also the host unit at Beale. Its mission is to ...
, 10 February 1951 – 15 June 1952 * 9th Bombardment (later, 9th Strategic Aerospace; 9th Strategic Reconnaissance) Wing, 16 June 1952 * 9th Operations Group, 1 September 1991 – Present


Stations


Pre World War I

*
Texas City Texas City is a city in Galveston County, Texas, Galveston County in the U.S. state of Texas. Located on the southwest shoreline of Galveston Bay, Texas City is a busy deepwater port on Texas's Gulf Coast, as well as a petroleum-refining and pe ...
, Texas, 5 March 1913 *
North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
, San Diego, California, c. 28 November 1913 : Detachment operated from:
Fort Crockett Fort Crockett is a government reservation on Galveston Island overlooking the Gulf of Mexico originally built as a defense installation to protect the city and harbor of Galveston and to secure the entrance to Galveston Bay, thus protecting the c ...
, Texas, 30 Apr – 13 July 1914 : Detachment operated from:
Brownsville, Texas Brownsville () is a city in Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers , and has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 census. It ...
, 17 Apr – c. 24 May 1915 * Ft Sill, Oklahoma, 29 July 1915 : Detachment operated from: Brownsville, Texas, 18 Aug – c. Dec 1915 *
Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston is a U.S. Army post in San Antonio, Texas. "Fort Sam Houston, TX • About Fort Sam Houston" (overview), US Army, 2007, webpageSH-Army. Known colloquially as "Fort Sam," it is named for the U.S. Senator from Texas, U.S. Represen ...
, Texas, 26 November 1915 *
Columbus Airfield Columbus Municipal Airport is an abandoned airport in New Mexico. Its origins date to 1916 when it was used by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps as a military airfield during the Pancho Villa Expedition. It was apparently closed and abando ...
, New Mexico, 15 March 1916 * Casas Grandes, Mexico (operated from Colonia Dublan), 19 March 1916 * San Geronimo, Mexico, 5 April 1916 * San Antonio, Mexico, 9 April 1916 * Satevo, Mexico, 11 April 1916 * Namiquipa, Mexico, 17 April 1916 * Columbus Airfield, New Mexico, 22 April 1916 – 5 August 1917 : Detachments operated from: Colonia Dublan and El Valle, Mexico, until c. Jan 1917


World War I

*
Avord 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, 13 September 1917 *
Issoudun Aerodrome Issoudun Aerodrome was a complex of military airfields in the vicinity of Issoudun, Centre, France. They were used during World War I as part of the Third Air Instructional Center, American Expeditionary Forces for training United States airmen ...
, France, 20 September 1917 *
Amanty Aerodrome : ''see also: Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force'' When the United States entry into World War I, United States entered World War I on 6 April 1917, the Air Service of the United States Army existed only as a bra ...
, France, 19 October 1917 *
Ourches Aerodrome Ourches Aerodrome, was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was West-Northwest of the commune of Ourches-sur-Meuse, in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. Overview The airfield was built by the French Army an ...
, France, 4 April 1918 *
Saints Aerodrome Saints Aerodrome, was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located North of Saints, in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Overview The airfield was one of the many built to cope with the German offensive toward ...
, France, 29 June 1918 *
Francheville Aerodrome Francheville Aerodrome was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located north of Coulommiers, in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Overview The airfield was built in June 1918 in some haste as the German armies w ...
, France, 6 July 1918 *
Ferme de Moras Aerodrome Ferme de Moras Aerodrome, was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was East of the commune of La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Overview The airfield was a temporary facility created by th ...
, France, c. 22 July 1918 *
May-en-Multien Aerodrome May-en-Multien Aerodrome, was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located 1/2 miles south of the commune of May-en-Multien, in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Overview The airfield was a temporary facility use ...
, France, 5 August 1918 *
Coincy Aerodrome Coincy Aerodrome was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located W of Coincy, in the Aisne department in north-eastern France. Overview The airfield was established by the French "Aéronautique Militaire" in early 1918 and used ...
, France, 10 August 1918 *
Chailly-en-Brie Aerodrome Chailly-en-Brie Aerodrome was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located East of Chailly-en-Brie, in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France (region), Île-de-France Regions of France, region ne ...
, France, 13 August 1918 * Croix de Metz Aerodrome (Toul), France, 22 August 1918 *
Remicourt Aerodrome Remicourt Aerodrome was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located West of Remicourt,Two French "escadrilles" were stationed at a "Noirlieu" airfield - 4 km west of Remicourt, in July - September 1918, which might be the same ...
, France, 21 September 1918 * Julvecourt Aerodrome, France, 5 November 1918 *
Weißenthurm Airdrome Weißenthurm is a town in the district of Mayen-Koblenz, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite Neuwied, approximately 12 km northwest of Koblenz. The town is spelled with an ß which may be r ...
, Germany, 21 December 1918 *
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 ...
, France, 12 May 1919 * France (undetermined) May–July 1919


United States Army Air Service/Corps/Forces

*
Park Field Naval Support Activity Mid-South (NSA Mid-South, NAVSUPPACT Mid-South, NSAMS), in Millington, Tennessee, is a base of the United States Navy. A part of the Navy Region Southeast and the Navy Installations Command, NSA Mid-South serves as the Navy ...
, Tennessee, 4 August 1919 *
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 Territor ...
, New York, 10 October 1919 – 6 November 1940 : Operated From:
Langley Field Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perform ...
, Virginia, 6 May – 26 October 1921 *
Río Hato Army Air Base Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...
, Panama, 13 November 1940 * Piarco Airport, Trinidad, 24 April 1941 *
Waller Field Waller Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force World War II air base located in northeastern Trinidad. It is located about 5 miles (8 km) southwest of Valencia south of the Churchill-Roosevelt Highway and roughly 32 km from t ...
, Trinidad, 29 October 1941 *
Edinburgh Field Carlsen Air Force Base is a former United States Army Air Forces World War II airbase on Trinidad, consisting of two landing strips, "Edinburgh" and "Xeres". The airbase also included an emergency landing strip, "Tobago". History The America ...
, Trinidad, 23 August 1942 *
Orlando Army Air Base Orlando Executive Airport is a public airport three miles (6 km) east of downtown Orlando, in Orange County, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and serves general aviation. Overview Orlando ...
, Florida 31 October 1942 *
Brooksville Army Airfield Brooksville is the name of several places in the United States: * Brooksville, Blount County, Alabama * Brooksville, Morgan County, Alabama Brooksville is an unincorporated community in Morgan County, Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , a ...
, Florida, 15 December 1942 *
Orlando Army Air Base Orlando Executive Airport is a public airport three miles (6 km) east of downtown Orlando, in Orange County, Florida. It is owned and operated by the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority (GOAA) and serves general aviation. Overview Orlando ...
, Florida 25 February 1944 *
Dalhart Army Airfield Dalhart Army Air Base is a former World War II military airfield complex near the city of Dalhart, Texas. It operated three training sites for the United States Army Air Forces from 1943 until 1945. The majority of the namesake city of Dalhart, ...
, Texas, c. 3 March 1944 * McCook Army Airfield, Nebraska, 19 May – 18 November 1944 * North Field, Tinian, 28 December 1944 – 7 March 1946 * Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, 14 March 1946 *
Harmon Field Harmon Air Force Base is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield, and postwar United States Air Force Base on Guam in the Mariana Islands. Originally named "Depot Field", it was renamed in honor of Lieutenant General Millard ...
, Guam, 9 June 1947 – 10 October 1948


United States Air Force

*
Topeka Air Force Base Topeka Regional Airport , formerly known as Forbes Field, is a joint civil-military public airport owned by the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority in Shawnee County, Kansas, seven miles south of downtown Topeka, the capital city of Kansas. The ...
, Kansas, 10 October 1948 * Fairfield-Suisun (later, Travis) Air Force Base, California, 1 June 1949 * Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, 1 May 1953 : Deployed at:
RAF Fairford Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force (RAF) station in Gloucestershire, England which is currently a standby airfield and therefore not in everyday use. Its most prominent use in recent years has been as an ...
, England, 22 May – 8 July 1955 *
Beale Air Force Base Beale Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. It is located outside Linda, about east of the towns of Marysville and Yuba City, and about north of Sacramento. The host ...
, California, 25 June 1966 – Present


Aircraft

;; Pre-1917 * Wright B (S.C. #3) May 1913 – 1915 * Burgess-Wright (S.C. #5) May 1913 – 1915 * Burgess-H (S.C. #9) May 1913 – 1915 * Burgess I-Scout 1913–1915 * Burgess J-Scout 1913–1915 * Wright C May 1913 – 1914 * Wright D-Scout 1913–1915 * Curtiss D 1913–1915 * Curtiss E 1913–1915 * Curtiss H 1913–1915 * Martin TT 1913–1915 * Curtiss JN-2 (JN-3) 1915–1916 * Curtiss N-8 1916 * Curtiss R-2 1916–1917 * Standard H-2 1916–1917 * Standard H-3 1916–1917 * Curtiss Twin JN 1916–1917 * Martin R-Land 1916–1917 * Sturtevant Adv Tr 1916–1917 * Lowe, Willard, and Fowler V-1 1916–1917 * Thomas D-5 1916–1917 * Curtiss JN-4 1916–1917 ;; World War I/Inter-War period * Avion de Reconnaissance 1 (AR 1), 1917–1918 *
SPAD S.XI The SPAD S.XI or SPAD 11 was a French two-seat biplane reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War. The SPAD 11 was the work of Louis Béchereau, chief designer of the Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés (SPAD), who also designed the hig ...
A.2 1918 *
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 ...
1918–1919 *
DeHavilland DH-4 DeHavilland Information Services Ltd is a British media company that provides political monitoring services for public affairs professionals. The company was founded in 1998 by Conservative MP Adam Afriyie. History DeHavilland Global Knowl ...
1919–1928 *
Douglas O-2 The Douglas O-2 was a 1920s American observation aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Development The important family of Douglas observation aircraft sprang from two XO-2 prototypes, the first of which was powered by the 420 hp ...
1919–1928 * Curtiss O-1 1928–1936 * Curtiss O-13 1930–1936 *
Douglass Y1O-31 The Douglas O-31 was the Douglas Aircraft Company's first monoplane observation straight-wing aircraft used by the United States Army Air Corps. Development Anxious to retain its position as chief supplier of observation aircraft to the USAAC, D ...
1930–1936 * Douglas Y1O-35 1930–1936 * Curtiss O-39 1930–1936 *
Keystone B-6 The Keystone B-6 was a biplane bomber developed by the Keystone Aircraft company for the United States Army Air Corps. Design and development In 1931, the United States Army Air Corps received five working models (Y1B-6s) of the B-6 bomber. The ...
. 1930–1936 *
Martin B-10 The Martin B-10 was the first all-metal monoplane bomber to be regularly used by the United States Army Air Corps, entering service in June 1934.Jackson 2003, p. 246. It was also the first mass-produced bomber whose performance was superior to ...
, 1936–1938 *
B-18 Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American heavy bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company f ...
, 1938–1942 ;; World War II *
B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
, 1942–1944 *
B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
, 1942–1944 *
B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...
, 1943–1944 *
B-26 Invader The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during several major Col ...
, 1943–1944 * Boeing C-73, 1943–1944 *
B-29 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a WWII era long range, strategic heavy bomber that was produced in many experimental and production models. XB-29 : ''Section source: Baugher'' The XB-29, Boeing Model 345, was the first accepted prototype or ...
, 1944–1947 ;; United States Air Force *
RB-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
, 1949–1950 *
B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...
, 1949–1951 *
RB-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a WWII era long range, strategic heavy bomber that was produced in many experimental and production models. XB-29 : ''Section source: Baugher'' The XB-29, Boeing Model 345, was the first accepted prototype or e ...
, 1949–1950 *
B-36 Peacemaker The Convair B-36 "Peacemaker" is a strategic bomber that was built by Convair and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1949 to 1959. The B-36 is the largest mass-produced piston-engined aircraft ever built. It had the longest win ...
, 1949–1950 *
B-47 Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...
, 1954–1966 *
T-38 Talon The Northrop T-38 Talon is a two-seat, twinjet supersonic jet trainer. It was the world's first, and the most produced, supersonic trainer. The T-38 remains in service in several air forces. The United States Air Force (USAF) operates the most ...
1966–Present *
SR-71 Blackbird The Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed and manufactured by the American aerospace company Lockheed Corporation. It was operated by the United States Air Force ...
, 1966–1990 *
KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of transpo ...
, 1991–1993 *
Lockeed U-2R The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "''Dragon Lady''", is an American single-jet engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day ...
1990–1998 *
Lockheed U-2S The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "''Dragon Lady''", is an American single-jet engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day ...
1994–Present * Lockheed TU-2S 1994–Present *
RQ-4 Global Hawk The Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk is a high-altitude, remotely-piloted surveillance aircraft of the 1990s–2020s. It was initially designed by Ryan Aeronautical (now part of Northrop Grumman), and known as Tier II+ during development. The ...
, 2002–Present


Campaign streamers

*Mexico 1916–1917 World War I: *Lorraine *Île-de-France *Champagne *Champagne-Marne *Aisne-Marne *St Mihiel *Meuse-Argonne World War II: *Antisubmarine, American Theater *Air Offensive, Japan *Eastern Mandates *Western Pacific


See also

*
Columbus Municipal Airport (New Mexico) Columbus Municipal Airport is an abandoned airport in New Mexico. Its origins date to 1916 when it was used by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps as a military airfield during the Pancho Villa Expedition. It was apparently closed and aband ...
*
Henry Post Henry Burnet Post (June 15, 1885 – February 9, 1914) was a first lieutenant in the US Army and a pioneer aviator who was killed in a crash. He set the altitude record of . He was the son of Colonel Henry Albertson Van Zo Post and Caroline Bur ...
*
John Francisco Richards II John Francisco Richards II (born 3 July 31, 1896, Kansas City, Missouri; died September 26, 1918, near Varennes, France) was a first lieutenant in the 1st Aero Squadron, who was shot down during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive in World War I. Rich ...
*
List of American aero squadrons This is a partial list of original Air Service, United States Army "Aero Squadrons" before and during World War I. Units formed after 1 January 1919, are not listed. Aero Squadrons were the designation of the first United States Army aviatio ...
*
Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force The Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force on November 11, 1918, represents its maximum strength in World War I. Units of the Air Service are listed as assigned to the order of battle for that date, which was that of t ...
* Stephen W. Thompson


References

*


External links


SquadronsResurrecting the Original Airfield and Keeping History Alive in Columbus NM

9th Bomb Group/1st Bomb Squadron History
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305002723/http://9thbombgroup.org/9thHistoryBook.pdf , date=5 March 2017


1st Reconnaissance Squadron fact sheet (Air Force Historical Research Agency reference)

Photos of the 1st Aero Squadron, 1913–1915
hosted by th
Portal to Texas History

14 July 2008 – 90th anniversary Commemoration of 1st aero squadron and 12th aero squadron in France during World War I

The 1st Aero Squadron and the Mexican Punitive Expedition of 1916

100 years of flying
Military units and formations in California Reconnaissance squadrons of the United States Air Force, 001 Military units and formations established in 1948 1948 establishments in the United States