Activities in The actual fighting value of all this mighty effort to produce, in unprecedented time, a flying corps that should be worthy the proud war annals of the American military forces in former campaigns, is shown by a short relation of facts given forth from the government's documents. Early in 1918 the first squadrons composed of American per sonnel appeared at the front. In the absence of any equipment of American production the French provided the airplanes from what stores they could spare. As fast as equipment was increased fresh aviators took to the field. The first airplanes received from the United States arrived in May. In all the American Expedi tionary Force received by the date of the armistice 1,379 planes. The first squadron equipped with American planes reached the front in the latter part of July. The first American squadron completely equipped by American production, including airplanes, crossed the German lines on 7 Aug. 1918. On 11 June 1918 American aviators executed their first bombing raid dropping numerous bombs at Donunary-Baroncourt; all airplanes return ing in safety. By 30 Sept. there were 32 squadrons at the front; of these 15 were pur suit, 13 observation and four bombing. The final training of the aviators in France neces sitated establishing eight different schools un der American control, sufficient for 3,800 officers and 11,700 men. These were located as follows for the different kinds of aviation service re quired on the "firing line": Tours for observers, 916 officers, 2,121 soldiers; Meucon for "artillery firing point," 20 officers, 110 soldiers; Issoudun for general flying, 2,175 officers, 6,100 soldiers; Clermont-Ferrand for bombardment, 120 offi cers, 1,500 soldiers; Saint Jean-de-Monte for aerial gunners, 92 officers, 1,500 soldiers; Souge ry fi for artillering point, 259 officers, 750 diers; Coetpuidan for artillery firing point, 25 officers, 120 soldiers; Chatillon-sur-Seine for observers, 204 officers, 373 soldiers. The flying personnel under instruction at date of the armistice (11 Nov.) included 1,323 pilots as sigred as follows: Preliminary, 126; advanced, 29; pursuit, 850i observation, 140; day bombing, 77; night bombing, 101. Observers in training included 563 artillery; 65 day bombing; 61 night bombing, being a total of 689 officers, thus pro ducing an aggregate of 2,012 in training. Awaiting instruction was a personnel of 155 pilots and 59 observers. Up to 11 Nov. 1918 graduations included 6,069 pilots divided as follows: Preliminary, 1,573; advanced, 2,359; pursuit, 1,160; observation, 723; day bombing, 27; night bombing, 101. Observers totaled 2.045, divided as follows: Pursuit, 88; artillery, 1,425; day bombing, 390; night bombing, 142. 'I his intensive training to gain an efficiency that should make the flier in air ready for and able to contend against all peculiar dangers and necessities he would encounter in midair was in itself so dange,rous and full of risk as to have cost the lives of no less than 159 students of the art through accidents. The number of planes, by type, received by the American Ex peditionary Force from all sources between 12 Sept. 1917 and 16 Nov. 1918 was as follows: Pursuit, for service, 3,357; for schools, 90; observation, for service, 3,421; for schools, 664; day bombing, for service, 421; for schools, 90; night reconnaissance, 31. General Pershing on 20 Nov. 1918, stated that a total of 4,045 pursuit, observation and bombing airplanes were in use at the front. Of this number, 2,675 were ob tained from France, the others from, the United States. The entire air service (including ballooning) in the zone of advance consisted of 2,161 officers, 22,351 soldiers, a total of 24,512 on the actual fighting line; this does not include service of supply. In their details were eight American flying officers with the French armies, 49 officers and 525 soldiers with the British Expeditionary forces; all exclusive of mechanics. All these aerial forces were ap portioned to the following divisions in opera tion: American aero pursuit squadrons, 2d; army observation, 5; corps observation, 12; day bombardment, 6; night bombardment, 1; night observation, L Fighting and Casualties.— The exploits of American hying combatants in the World War were first brought before the public view by the quickly celebrated Lafayette Escadrille, composed of a body of young American avia tors who, in memory of Lafayette's services to the United States during our War for Inde pendence, volunteered active service in France. It is stated that they had already "brought down" 30 enemy aircraft before America de clared war, when they were the first to raise the Stars and Stripes on the western fighting line. They were incorporated with the Ameri can Expeditionary Force under the title La fayette Squadron. This brave group of fight ing bird-men was cited by Marshal Petain thus: "Brilliant unit which has shown itself, during the course of operations in Flanders, worthy of its glorious past. In spite of losses which took away a third of its effectives, in a difficult sector, it has assured a perfect security to our corps observation airplanes, a complete service cf reconnaissance at both high and low altitude, and the destruction, not only near the front lines but deep in the enemy's territory, of a great number of German airplanes and captive balloons." The early make-up of this little band of intrepid fliers contained William Thaw, Norman Prince, Kiffen Rockwell, Elliott Cow din, Bert Hall and Victor Chapman. The grave
of the latter was discovered in April 1919 where he fell "flying inside the German lines during Crown Prince's Verdun offensive in the Spring of 1916? Another phase of Allies co-operating with our flying corps is given in a government report: "During the last weeks of the Allied offensive, . . . squadrons of de Haviland 9's from both British and American air forces, were bombing military objectives in the German towns back of the Hun lines every day and night. Despite the opposition put up 'by the German air squadrons and anti-aircraft bat teries, this was particularly true in the neigh borhood of Saarbrucken, Kaiserslautern, Treves and Mannheim. Here the British and American planes often had to fight their way 100 miles to their objective through squadron after squadron of fighting Hun machines, and then, after drop ping their bombs, have to fight their way back the whole 100 miles to their own lines?) The casualty list at the front, although somewhat higher than that of the artillery and infantry rate, is considered a small one compared with the total strength. Up to 24 Oct. 1918 fatal accidents and battle losses amounted to 244 on the European fields. Statistics show, how ever, that two aviators lost their lives, on an average, in accidents for each aviator killed in battle. Quentin Roosevelt, 65th Aero Squadron, fell fighting 14 July 1918. A table of casualties "on the frolics gives the following figures: One hundred and seventy-one killed in combat; 135 taken prisoners; 129 wounded; 73 missing; 42 killed in accidents; other causes 4; a total of 554. The rapidity with which the casualty list grew with the advance in the fighting is contained in the following figures: March 1918, two; April, none; May, 27; June, 29; July, 65; August, 82; September, 181; October, 125; November 1st to 11th, 43. Some idea of the gigantic scale and complexity of tactics into which the activities of the aviation arm were developing can be seen from such a description as that at Messines Ridge. In this wonderful encounter we have the following battle formation: A squadron of fighting planes near, the earth armed with guns for attacking troops in the trenches, transports, etc.; above, at a height of from 3,000 to 5,000 feet was a division of bombing machines to attack the enemy lines, and, at an elevation of 15,000 to 20,000 feet, were chasing machines fur attacking enemy bombers which might attempt to drop bombs from above on the Allied bombers. Many pages of the War De partment's Air Service Weekly News Letter are filled with a great number of very daring successful exploits of the individual flyers "cited for distinguished such as First Lieut. Frank Baer's (103 Aero Pursuit Squadron), who "brought down enemy planes on April 5, 12 and 23, 1918. On 21 May 1918, his record reached an eighth enemy plane)) George R. Phillips, pilot, 50 Aero Squadron, at La Morthomme, 23 Oct. 1918, "attacked an enemy balloon and forced it to descend and was in turn attacked by three enemy planes.
The incendiary bullets from the enemy's machines set the signal rockets in the observer's cockpit afire. Disregarding the possibility of going down in flames, Lieutenant Phillips maneuvered his plane so that his observer was able to fire on and destroy one enemy plane and drive the others away. lie then handed his fire extinguisher to Lieut. L. Brown (observer), who extinguished the flames. They completed their mission and secured other valuable information? Second Lieut. L. Glen A. Preston, field artillery observer, 99th Aero Observation Squadron, cited for heroism in action near Andevanne. Separated, on a photo graphing expedition, from his protecting planes and continuing alone, he was attacked by seven Fokkers; he drove them off and secured numer ous photographs. Next day he accomplished his mission though disputed by encounters with four separate enemy formations, one of 58 machines, another of 6, another of 7, then a formation of biplanes. He shot down one of the enemy. Capt. Edward V. Rickenbacker, 94th Aero Squadron, is credited with destroy ing 26 enemy machines. Those aviators who bring down five or more are unofficially termed ((Aces)); Rickenbacker is justly given the title of eAce of Aces.° He gained his Distinguished Service Cross in October 1918. One extra bar was for voluntary patrol heroism near Billy when he attacked seven enemy planes (five, type Fokker, protecting two, type Halberstadt). He dived on them and shot down one of the Fokkers, then attacked a Halberstadt and sent it down. But the most astonishing meteoric career in the history of the Flying Corps was that of Second Lieut.! Frank Luke, 27th Aero Squadron. In 17 days he shot down 18 enemy machines, then met a tragic death. Alone he attacked three cDrachen° observation balloons, was cut off by 10 enemy planes, engaged them all, got two of them, then escaped by pretend ing he was disabled. His counterfeit "fall° started above the balloons, of which he shot all three in flames, then was heard of no more. Some peasants say he landed alive and was shot to death by the Germans. This extraordinary Phoenix, Ariz., boy, had reached but 20 years when his brave life was snuffed out against all the laws of war. Consult Sweetser, Amer ican Air Service> (New York 1919).