95th Aero Squadron
95th Aero Squadron | |
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Spad XIII, 1918[1] |
Service record | |
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Operations |
1st Pursuit Group
Western Front, France: 4 May-11 November 1918[2]
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Victories |
Air Aces: 6[5]
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The 95th Aero Squadron was an
The squadron was assigned as a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron as part of the
In combat, squadron members shot down 35 enemy aircraft and 12 observation balloons and had 6 Air Aces. Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt, the youngest son of President Theodore Roosevelt was assigned to the 95th. He lost his life in combat on 14 July 1918.
After the
History
Origins
The 95th Aero Squadron was formed at
After an uneventful ocean crossing, the squadron arrived in Liverpool, England on 10 November. It then took a train to Southampton, on the southern English coast where it boarded the SS Huntscraft for a crossing over the English Channel to Le Havre, France. It arrived at the British Rest Camp No. 2 on 13 November.[3]
Training in France
On 16 November, the squadron arrived at the 3d Air Instructional Center, Issoudun Aerodrome. Upon arrival, there was nothing but a field of mud. The men of the 95th were tasked in erecting tents, hangars and helping to build the base for future squadrons to come. According to the squadron historian, the winter spent at Issoudun will "never be forgotten. It was work from morning to night under the most adverse conditions." The pilots assigned to Issoudun began their flight training as aviation cadets.[3]
Combat on the Western Front
On 16 February, the 95th Squadron was transferred to
However, without machine-guns, the 95th flew familiarization flights with
Toul Sector
On 31 March, the 95th moved to
At Toul, active combat patrols and alerts immediately commenced, over the sector from
In June, the squadron received its first replacement pilots. One of them, 1st Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt joined the squadron on the 17th. He was the youngest son of former president Theodore Roosevelt. Also with Roosevelt, the squadron welcomed Lieutenants Thomson, Montage and Vann.[3]
Marne Sector
On 29 June the 1st Pursuit Group moved to the Chateau Thierry sector and to
Lieutenant Roosevelt shot down his first plane on 10 July, and he reported that after he crossed the line east of Château-Thierry, he saw a patrol of three enemy aircraft flying to the northwest. After flying west of Beuvardes, he shot at the enemy from above. After about 100 shots, one of the planes went into a spin and began to fall through the clouds. The plane was later confirmed to have crashed. However, on 14 July, Lt. Roosevelt was missing after another air combat. Several days later, a German plane flew over the lines and dropped a note saying that he was killed in action and was buried with full military honors at Chambray.[3]
On the 15th, the full Allied offensive in the Château-Thierry Sector began, with operations ongoing from dawn until nightfall. The 27th encountered German formations as large as 30 aircraft. On the 16th the Germans crossed the
St. Mihiel Offensive
By 1 September, the front had moved considerably and preparations were being made to move up closer to the line. A move to Rembercourt Aerodrome was made on 2 September and operations began the next day. In order to keep the squadron operations secret from the Germans, it was necessary to keep aircraft in the air in the vicinity of Rembercourt to guard against their photographic planes.[3]
The American Saint-Mihiel Offensive began on 12 September after an intense artillery barrage, and the 95th was ordered to conduct close air support for the infantry and machine-gun enemy infantry on the ground; protect observation aircraft and take the offensive to enemy pursuit planes spotted in the sector. In addition, all enemy observation balloons were to be attacked.[3]
However, on account of weather conditions, flights were limited to about 200 meters in altitude, with patrols primarily supporting the infantry advance and to attack enemy convoys and troop concentrations in its rear areas. However, after a few days, the weather improved and the squadron was able to operate from as high as 5,500 meters.[3]
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
On the 17th the squadron's sector was changed and it began patrolling between the Argonne and Verdun, and its mission was changed from air interdiction to ground support of advancing Army forces, normally flying below 800 meters. The first task was to shoot down German observation balloons.[3]
On the night of 25 September, the heaviest American artillery barrage of the war was laid down on the enemy front with the beginning of the
Operations were mainly at altitudes of less than 600 meters primarily to attack any enemy aircraft flying to attack American ground forces. During the closing days of the war, reports indicated that enemy activity had dwindled to a great extent. Only a few biplanes and an occasional enemy formation of aircraft were seen. The last flight that involved combat with enemy aircraft took place on 8 November when Lieutenant Rhenstrom took off on a voluntary patrol to strafe enemy infantry on a road from Remeinville to
On 9 November at the advanced field near Verdun, an enemy Fokker landed.[9] The pilot said he was lost and that the war would soon be over, and didn't care where he landed. The pilot was immediately made a prisoner. His plane was flown to Rembercourt the next day as a war trophy.[3]
The final wartime flight of the 95th Aero Squadron was at 14:00 on 10 November as a single plane took off. No enemy contact was made and it landed uneventfully. Unfavorable weather caused the squadron to be grounded on the morning of 11 November and all combat operations ceased at 11:00.[3]
Demobilization
Proficiency flights were conducted after the Armistice with Germany, however, no flights were permitted to be flown over German-controlled territory. The squadron remained at Rembercourt for about a month. On 11 December 1918 orders were received from First Army for the squadron to report to the 1st Air Depot,
Personnel at Colombey were subsequently assigned to the commanding general, services of supply, and ordered to report to one of several staging camps in France. There, personnel awaited scheduling to report to one of the Base Ports in France for transport to the United States and subsequent demobilization.[11] On 6 February 1919, the 95th was moved to Base Station #5 near the port of Brest prior to its return to the United States. Upon arrival the men were caught up on any back pay owed to them, de-loused, a formal military records review was performed and a passenger list was created prior to the men boarding a ship.[10]
On 19 February 1919, the 95th Aero Squadron boarded a troop ship and sailed for New York Harbor, arriving on the 28th. It proceeded to Camp Mills, Long Island, on 1 March where the personnel of the squadron were demobilized and returned to civilian life.[10]
Lineage
- Organized as: 95th Aero Squadron, on 20 August 1917
Assignments
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Stations
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Combat sectors and campaigns
Streamer | Sector/Campaign | Dates | Notes |
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Toul Sector | 10 May-27 June 1918; 3–11 September 1918 | [12] | |
Aisne-Marne Sector | 1–14 July 1918; 18 July – 6 August 1918 | [12] | |
Champagne-Marne Defensive Campaign
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15–18 July 1918 | [12] | |
Aisne-Marne Offensive Campaign
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18 July – 6 August 1918 | [12] | |
Vesle Sector | 7–17 August 1918 | [12] | |
St. Mihiel Offensive Campaign | 12–16 September 1918 | [12] | |
Verdun Sector | 17–25 September 1918 | [12] | |
Meuse-Argonne Offensive Campaign
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26 September – 11 November 1918 | [12] |
Notable personnel
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DFC:
See also
- Organization of the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force
- List of American Aero Squadrons
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- ^ a b c d e f "AFHRA 95 Reconnaissance Squadron (ACC) Factsheet". Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
- ^ Series "H", Section "O", Volume 29, Weekly Statistical Reports of Air Service Activities, October 1918 – May 1919. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al Series "E", Volume 12, History of the 95th Aero Squadron. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
- ^ a b c Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, Series M, Volume 38, Compilation of Confirmed Victories and Losses of the AEF Air Service as of 26 May 1919
- ^ 95th Aero [email protected]
- ISBN 978-0-948817-54-0.
- ^ Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the First World War, Volume 3, Part 3, Center of Military History, United States Army, 1949 (1988 Reprint)
- ^ "Maurer, Maurer (1978), The US Air Service in World War I, The Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF Washington" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ An advanced airfield was used from 7 November, near Verdun, probably the "Faubourg Pavé" aerodrome, east of the city. Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
- ^ a b c Series "E", Volume 27, Supplemental History of the 10th–636th Squadrons. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
- ^ Series "D", Weekly Statistical Reports of Air Service Activities, October 1918 – May 1919. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
- ^ a b c d e f g h United States War Department (1920), Battle Participation of Organizations of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, Belgium and Italy, 1917–1919, Washington, Government Printing Office, 1920
- ^ Posthumously awarded 19 June 2017!
- ^ The aerodrome accessed March 1,2019
- ^ "Military Times Hall of Valor Search, 95th Aero Squadron". Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
Further reading
- Buckley, Harold (1972). Squadron 95. Arno Press. OCLC 448133.
- Woolley, Charles (1999). First to the Front: The Aerial Adventures of 1st Lt. Waldo Heinrichs and the 95th Aero Squadron, 1917-1918. Schiffer Pub. OCLC 42797396.
External links
- US95th Aero Squadron The "Kicking Mules" – First to the Front, US95th.org
- Puryear Family Photograph Albums, 1890–1945, includes photograph album from George W. Puryear, Tennessee State Library and Archives
- Ray M. and Leonard H. Grimshaw Collection at The Museum of Flight Digital Collections - related to Ray's time with the 95th Aero Squadron, where he served as a mechanic.