The 163d Aero Squadron was a

United States Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial war ...

unit that fought on the

Western Front Western Front or West Front may refer to: Military frontiers * Western Front (World War I), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (World War II), a military frontier to the west of Germany *Western Front (Russian Empire), a maj ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The squadron was assigned as a Day Bombardment Squadron, assigned to the 2d Day Bombardment Group,

United States Second Army Second Army was most recently located at Fort Belvoir, Virginia as a Direct Reporting Unit to Headquarters U.S. Army, Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G-6. Under the CIO/G-6, Second Army served as the single point of contact for Army missions an ...

. Its mission was to perform long-range bombing attacks on roads and railroads; destruction of materiel and massed troop formations behind enemy lines. With Second Army's planned offensive drive on

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

cancelled due to the

1918 Armistice with Germany The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

, the squadron returned to the United States in June 1919 and was demobilized.Series "E", Volume 20, History of the 149th–199th Aero Squadrons. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the First World War, Volume 3, Part 3, Center of Military History, United States Army, 1949 (1988 Reprint) The squadron has never been re-activated and there is no

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 Si ...

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

unit with its lineage or history.

History

Origins

The 163d Aero Squadron was organized at

Kelly Field Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. In ...

, Texas on 18 December 1917. After a brief period, the squadron was moved to

Wilbur Wright Field Wilbur Wright Field was a military installation and an airfield used as a World War I pilot, mechanic, and armorer training facility and, under different designations, conducted United States Army Air Corps and Air Forces flight testing. L ...

, Fairfield, Ohio on 24 December. At Wright Field, the men of the squadron were classified into their assigned duties. After a

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

holiday with a pass into

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

, the training of the squadron began on the 26th, Long days were endured from 05:00 to 21:00 when each soldier was instructed in his specialty, for which he was expected to perform in combat. Finally on 20 February 1918, the squadron was ordered to proceed from Wilbur Wright Field to the Aviation Concentration Center, Garden City, Long Island, New York for overseas duty. There the squadron waited until 25 February when it boarded the liner

RMS Olympic RMS ''Olympic'' was a British ocean liner and the lead ship of the White Star Line's trio of liners. ''Olympic'' had a career spanning 24 years from 1911 to 1935, in contrast to her short-lived sister ships, ''Titanic'' and ''Britannic''. Thi ...

and departed on its trans-Atlantic crossing. It arrived at the port of

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, England on 6 March, one day after a slight skirmish with a submarine that the anti-submarine patrol engaged in. From Liverpool, the squadron traveled by train to the Romsey Rest Camp, near

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

. There the squadron waited for orders, which it received on 16 March to proceed to

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

(RFC) station Narborough, Norfolk for combat training under the auspices of the RFC.

Training in England

RFC Narborough was destined to be the home of the 163d for the next five and a half months, as it began practical training for service and maintaining aircraft at the Front and all the other support duties necessary for an active combat squadron. On 16 August, the squadron was divided into four Flights, each one being sent to a different RFC station for final instruction prior to being assigned to France. Flight "A" went to RFC Easton-on-Hill; Flight "B" to RFC Wittering; Flight "C" to RFC Crail in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and Flight "D" to RFC Witney. After two weeks, the squadron was re-assembled at the Flower Down Rest Camp, Winchester where a final inspection and overview was made by the RFC. With training completed, on 2 September the squadron was moved across the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" ( Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), ( Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Ka ...

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 ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. There, the squadron boarded a French troop train bound for the Replacement Concentration Center, AEF, St. Maixent Replacement Barracks on 4 September for equipping, and personnel processing. There, the squadron was designated as a Day Bombardment squadron, and would be equipped with American-built de Havilland DH-4, configured as bombers. The RFC had trained the squadron on British DH-4s, and the men were fully trained on the type. After a week at St. Maixent, on 11 September, the squadron moved 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 ...

. There the men were given

gas mask A gas mask is a mask used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Most gas mas ...

s and trained how to use the mask with

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...

Toul Sector

On 30 September, another move was made, this time to the "Zone of Advance" (

), to a new Airdrome at Delouze.

Delouze Aerodrome Delouze Aerodrome was a temporary World War I airfield in France. It was located NE of Delouze-Rosières, in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. Overview A lease was signed by the Air Service for 210 acres of land on 21 ...

was devoid of any facilities, being, essentially, an empty field. Work was immediately started with new buildings being erected, barracks being constructed, roads built and sanitary provisions installed. Assigned to the Second Army Air Service, the squadron was informed this would be their base of operations, so no effort was spared in improving the station. After a month of preparation, the pilots and observers began to arrive on 20 October, along with its first DH-4 aircraft. On 23 October, the squadron suffered its first casualty, when Lt Wilson fell as his airplane was taking off, and was instantly killed. Flight Mechanic Davis was with Lt Wilson as a passenger, but was only slightly injured. The squadron was formally assigned to the 2d Day Bombardment Group, however at Delouze, the squadron was too far from the front to effectively enter combat. Consequently, the group was moved 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 a ...

, some 20 miles closer to the Front on 1 November. By 4 November, the squadron had received its full quota of planes and flying personnel. It had already begun flying familiarization flights in the Toul Sector in order to learn the country and give those who were new to the front an opportunity to engage in combat behind our own lines. During the next several days, several enemy aircraft were encountered by no combats were engaged in. The next several days, bad weather kept the squadron on the ground, and it wasn't until the morning of 11 November that a bombing mission over enemy territory was planned. However, the Armistice with Germany ended combat operations at 11am and the mission was cancelled.

Demobilization

After the signing of the Armistice and the conclusion of the war, flying continued on a limited basis to keep the pilots proficient in their skills. However, the main endeavors of the squadron were infantry drill guard duty, and Army administrative paperwork. On 23 November while on an aerial photographic mission, Lt Martin fell with his aircraft from an altitude of 500 feet, both him and the pilot being instantly killed. The squadron remained at Ourches Airdrome until 15 April 1919 when, with the inactivation of the Second Army Air Service, orders were received for the squadron to report to the 1st Air Depot,

to turn in all of its supplies and equipment and was relieved from duty with the AEF. The squadron's DH-4 aircraft 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 department of central France. Pruniers airfield was part of a huge depot built for the United ...

, and there, practically all of the pilots and observers were detached from the squadron.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. 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 Upon return to the US, the 163d Aero Squadron was demobilized at

Mitchell Field Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport is a civil–military airport south of downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States., effective May 21, 2020. It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Air ...

, New York on 13 June 1919

Lineage

* Organized as 163d Aero Squadron on 18 December 1917 : Re-designated as: 163d Aero Squadron (Day Bombardment), on 4 September 1918 : Demobilized on 13 June 1919

Assignments

* Post Headquarters, Kelly Field, 18 December 1917 * Post Headquarters, Wilbur Wright Field, 24 December 1917 * Aviation Concentration Center, 20 February 1918 * Headquarters, Chief of Air Service, British Isles : Attached to the Royal Flying Corps for training: 16 March – 2 September 1918 * Headquarters, Chief of Air Service, AEF, 2 September 1918 * Replacement Concentration Center, AEF, 4 September 1918 * 1st Air Depot, 11 September 1918 * 2d Day Bombardment Group, 1 November 1918 * 1st Air Depot, 15 April 1919 * Commanding General, Services of Supply, April 1919 * Post Headquarters, Mitchell Field, June 1919

Stations

, Texas, 18 December 1917 *

, Ohio, 24 December 1917 *

Aviation Concentration Center Camp Albert L. Mills (Camp Mills) was a military installation on Long Island, New York. It was located about ten miles from the eastern boundary of New York City on the Hempstead Plains within what is now the village of Garden City. In September ...

, Garden City, New York, 20 February 1918 * Port of Entry,

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 ...

, 24 February 1918 :: Overseas transport: ''

'', 25 February – 6 March 1918 *

, England, 6 March 1918 * Romsey Rest Camp,

, England, 7 March 1918 * RFC Narborough, England, 16 March 1918 : Detachments at several

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

stations, 16–30 August 1918 * Flower Down Rest Camp, Winchester, England, 31 August 1918 * St. Maixent Replacement Barracks, France, 4 September 1918 *

Colombey-les-Belles Aerodrome Colombey-les-Belles Aerodrome, was a temporary World War I airfield in France used by the Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force. It was located near Colombey-les-Belles, in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. ...

, France, 11 September 1918 *

, France, 30 September 1918 *

, France, 1 November 1918 *

, France, 15 April 1919 * France, April 1919 *

, New York, June 1919

Combat sectors and campaigns

References

{{Wwi-air Aircraft squadrons of the United States Army Air Service Bomber aircraft units and formations Squadrons of the United States Army Air Service in World War I Military units and formations established in 1917 Military units and formations disestablished in 1919