Strictly American operations began. in the middle of March 1918, when an Amencan pursuit squadron using French Nieuport planes took up patrol duties on the front from MI" leneuve-les-Vertus.
By May several squadrons representing all types of service— pursuit, observation, bomb mg — were in active service using foreign-buik planes.
In November there were 45 Anierican squad rons on duty at the front with 740 planes. Of the total number of planes (46%) sent for American use to the zone of advance only 667 or one-quarter were of American make. Of the Z031 planes from foreign sources nine-tenths were French.
The planes sent to the zone of the advance were about two-thirds of the service planes re ceived by the American Expeditionary Forces. The other one-third were used in badc areas. The American Air Service bore a prominent part in the three major American operations of the war.
Chateou-Thierry (July 1918).-- The Ger mans at the start had a decided superiority in the air, but the American squadrons, com prising four pursuit, three observation and two balloon cotnpanies, rendered valuable service. Contact was established with German airmen three to 10 niiles within the enemy lines and photographs were taken showing the entire front as well as the deep rear terrain. The German concentration for the attacic of 15 July was yeported in detail including the location of the German reserves. The Allied concentration for the counter-attack was so well covered that the enemy was surprised.
Saint Mihiel (September 1918).—In this operation the American first army was aided and protected by the largest concentration of air force ever made, of whom about one-third were American and the other two-thirds were Frenc.12, British and Italian squadrons operating under American controL The American air force consisted of 12 pur suit squadrons, 12 observation and three bomb ing squadrons with 15 balloon companies. American service planes recorded 4,000 flying hours during the week of the Saint Mihiel offaasive.
Enemy badc areas were kept under bom bardment day and night. Their reserves and anununition dumps were located for American long range artillery. Propaganda WaS dropped. Photographic records were made showing every movement in the enemy lines and of his re serves, and the finished photographs showing these movements were frequently delivered to headquarters within half att hour of the occur rence. Fast pursuit planes artned with machine gun.s flew low over the German lines firing
directly into their infantry. The fog lying low in the Meuse valley compelled the day bombers and the artillery observers to fly very low.
Meuse-Argonne (September to November 1918).—In this great final battle of the war the Germans had effected a very thorough dis tribution of strong air forces along the southern sector of the front and it was not possible to effect against them so heavy a concentration as that made at Saint Mihiel. Less assistance was rendered by French and British airmen but the American force was considerably larger.
During the six weelcs' struggle heavy losses were suffered but replacements were brought forward so promptly that in the final stage of the conffict the available American strength was greater than at the start.
Summary.— When the United States entered the war the Allies furnished the designs of their planes and between that time and the end of the vrar supplied us with 3,800 service planes. Aviation training schools in the United States graduated 8,602 from elementary courses and 4,028 from advanced courses. More than 5,000 pilots and observers were sent overseas.
The total personnel of the air service, officers, students and enlisted men increased from 1,200 at the outbreak of the war to nearly 200,000 at the dose. Up to 30 Nov. 1918 more than 8,000 training planes were made in the United States. Three thousand two hundred twenty-seven De Haviland Four observation and Day bombing planes were completed and 1,&85 sdhrized overseas. Thirteen thousand five htm seventy-four Liberty engines were com pleted and 4,435 shipped to the American Ex peditionary Forces and 1,025 delivered to the In November 1918 Germany's air force con sisted of nearly 2,700 machines divided as follows: bombing machines, 200; for infantry liason, 250; reconnaissance and artillery ob servation, 1,100; fighting, 1,100.
American Air Casualties.— Revised figures issued by the United States War Department show that the American flying forces at the front sustained 583 casualties during the war. The figures show the number of casualties among the aviators in each branch of the air service and also among American flyers serving with the Allied armies. The figures include the killed and injured in flying accidents at the aerodromes in the zone of advance. The casu alties were distributed as follows: