103rd Aero Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 103rd Aero Squadron was an Aero pursuit squadron which included officers from the disbanded Lafayette Escadrille
, and the Lafayette Flying Corps
.
where they were trained until being shipped to Garden City, New York
at what later became Mitchel Field
. On 23 November 1917 the unit was shipped to Liverpool
on board the RMS Baltic arriving 7 December 1917. From there it was quarantined at Winall Downs camp (outside Winchester
) until 23 December 1917. The Squadron arrived at Issoudun
on 28 December 1917, where it spent the month of January building hangars. On 1 February it resumed training for combat at the front.
Finally on 18 February the officers of the old Lafayette Escadrille
were assigned, and the commanding officer, 1Lt Park, was replaced by Maj
. Thaw, and combat operations commenced under Combat Group 21, Fourth Army (France). From La Noblette the squadron was shipped north to Flanders, where it spent the remainder of the war at various airfields following the line of advance. On 29 July 1918 Maj. Thaw was promoted to LTC
and took over 3d Pursuit Group, and Capt. Rockwell was made commanding officer. After the war the squadron was shipped home from the port of Brest on 19 February 1919.
staff officers
Lafayette Escadrille
The Lafayette Escadrille , was an escadrille of the French Air Service, the Aéronautique militaire, during World War I composed largely of American volunteer pilots flying fighters.-History:Dr. Edmund L...
, and the Lafayette Flying Corps
Lafayette Flying Corps
The Lafayette Flying Corps is a name used to describe the American volunteer pilots who flew for the French during World War I. It includes the pilots who flew with the bona fide Lafayette Escadrille squadron. The estimations of number of pilots range from 180 to over 300. The generally accepted...
.
History
The 103rd Aero Squadron was formed on 31 August 1917 at Kelly Field, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
where they were trained until being shipped to Garden City, New York
Garden City, New York
Garden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
at what later became Mitchel Field
Mitchel Air Force Base
Decommissioned in 1961, Mitchel Field became a multi-use complex currently home to the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Nassau Coliseum, Mitchel Athletic Complex, Nassau Community College and Hofstra University.-Origins:...
. On 23 November 1917 the unit was shipped to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
on board the RMS Baltic arriving 7 December 1917. From there it was quarantined at Winall Downs camp (outside Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
) until 23 December 1917. The Squadron arrived at Issoudun
Issoudun
Issoudun is a commune in the Indre department in central France. It is also referred to as Issoundun, which is the ancient name.-History:...
on 28 December 1917, where it spent the month of January building hangars. On 1 February it resumed training for combat at the front.
Finally on 18 February the officers of the old Lafayette Escadrille
Lafayette Escadrille
The Lafayette Escadrille , was an escadrille of the French Air Service, the Aéronautique militaire, during World War I composed largely of American volunteer pilots flying fighters.-History:Dr. Edmund L...
were assigned, and the commanding officer, 1Lt Park, was replaced by Maj
Máj
Máj is a romantic poem by Karel Hynek Mácha in four cantos. It was fiercely criticized when first published, but since then has gained the status of one of the most prominent works of Czech literature; the poem now is memorized by schoolchildren and continuously in print.-Setting:According to the...
. Thaw, and combat operations commenced under Combat Group 21, Fourth Army (France). From La Noblette the squadron was shipped north to Flanders, where it spent the remainder of the war at various airfields following the line of advance. On 29 July 1918 Maj. Thaw was promoted to LTC
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
and took over 3d Pursuit Group, and Capt. Rockwell was made commanding officer. After the war the squadron was shipped home from the port of Brest on 19 February 1919.
List of officers
- William C. Appleton
- Paul Frank BaerPaul Frank BaerFirst Lieutenant Paul Frank Baer was an American World War flying ace credited with nine confirmed and seven unconfirmed aerial victories. He scored the first aerial victory ever for American military aviation.-Early life and characteristics:...
, (LFC) MIA/POW - Hobart A.H. BakerHobey BakerHobart Amory Hare "Hobey" Baker was an American amateur athlete of the early twentieth century. Regarded as the first American star in ice hockey, he was also an accomplished football player. Born into a prominent family from Philadelphia, he enrolled at Princeton University in 1910...
- Herbert B. Bartholf
- Charles J. Biddle (aviator)Charles J. Biddle (aviator)Major Charles John Biddle was an American aviator, attorney, and author. He was a flying ace during World War I. Postwar, he launched a career in law and wrote his memoirs.-Family and early life:...
, (LFC) - Ray Claflin Bridgman (LE)
- B. Drumond Cannon
- Lawrence E. Cauffman
- Phelps Collins, KIA
- Charles Heave Dolan (LE)
- William Edward Dugan, Jr. (LE)
- Paul W. Eaton, MIA
- Warren E. Eaton
- Stuart E. Edger (LFC) Killed in Accident
- Clarence H. Faith (LFC)
- Christopher William Ford, (LE), MIA
- John Frost
- George W. FurlowGeorge W. FurlowLieutenant George Willard Furlow was a World War I flying ace credited with five aerial victories.Furlow was posted to the 103rd Aero Squadron on 25 July 1918 as a Spad XIII pilot. On 11 August, he shared his first win over a German Albatros two-seater with Edgar Tobin. Over a month later, on 13...
- Earnest A. Giroux, KIA
- James Norman HallJames Norman HallJames Norman Hall was an American author best known for the novel Mutiny on the Bounty with co-author Charles Nordhoff.-Biography:Hall was born in Colfax, Iowa, where he attended the local schools...
(LE) - Dudley Lawrence Hill (LE)
- Warren T. Hobbs, KIA
- Theodore H. Hubbard
- Frank O'Driscoll Hunter
- Livingston G. IrvingLivingston Gilson IrvingLivingston Gilson Irving DSC, was an American World War I pilot.-Text of citations:Distinguished Service Cross - for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 103d Aero Squadron, 3d Pursuit Group, U.S. Army Air Service, A.E.F., near Bantheville, France, 10 October 1918...
- C. Maury Jones
- Eugene B. Jones, MIA
- Henry Sweet Jones (LE)
- Hugo A. Kenyon
- John O. Kirtland
- John M. Koontz
- DeFreest LarnerDeFreest LarnerCaptain Gorman DeFreest Larner was a World War I flying ace credited with seven aerial victories.-World War I:Larner was too young to join U. S. aviation, so he dropped out of Columbia University and began pilot's training at the private Curtiss Flying School in Buffalo, New York. He joined the...
, (LFC) - Alfred W. Lawson
- Seth Low
- Wellford Macfadden Jr
- Dudley H. Manchester
- Kenneth Archibald Marr (LE)
- Martin F. Mcquilkin
- Charles I. Merrick
- Cord Meyer
- Charles H. Monroe
- Robert L.W. Owens
- Keene M. Palmer, MIA
- Samuel H. Paris
- David M. PetersonDavid M. PetersonMajor David McKelvey Peterson was a 1915 Lehigh University graduate who was a World War I flying ace with 6 victories earned in the Lafayette Escadrille and the United States Army Air Service. Born in Honesdale, PA on July 2, 1895, he was killed in an aviation accident following the war in Daytona...
(LE) - William PonderWilliam PonderLieutenant William Thomas Ponder was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.-World War I:Ponder joined the French air service in the fall of 1917. He was originally assigned to Escadrille 67, then Escadrille 163...
(LFC) - Percy R. Pyne
- John F. Randall
- Robert Lockerbie Rockwell (LE)
- William T. Rolph
- Louie F. Schultze
- Robert Soubiran (LE)
- Mcrea Stephenson
- Edgar TobinEdgar TobinLieutenant Edgar Gardner Tobin was a World War I flying ace credited with six aerial victories.-World War I service:Tobin was born to a prominent San Antonio family and was educated at Texas Military Institute. While he served in the 94th and 103rd Aero Squadrons, he scored all his victories while...
- Van Winkle Todd, MIA
- George E. Turnure
- Joseph Waddell
- Doyan P. Wardell
- Charles H. Willcox
staff officers
- William Thaw (aviator)William Thaw (aviator)Lieutenant Colonel William Thaw II was a World War I flying ace credited with five confirmed aerial victories and two unconfirmed ones. He is believed to be the first American to engage in aerial combat in the war. He was the first to fly up the East River under all four bridges.-Early life:He...
(LE) Co. - Phocion S. Park Adj (original Co.)
- George A. Orr Adj
- John P. Healy Adj
- Henery Bell, operations
- Dan L. Perkins, Eng.
- Claudius H.M. Roberts, Arm.
- Edward H. Carman Arm.
- William H. Bleeker supply
- Elwood S. Frymire supply
- William B. Carill supply
- Rufus K. Goodenow supply
- Sigurd H. Kraft Med.
- Omer O. Gain Med.
- Carroll D. Evans Med.
Stations
- Kelly Field, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 31 August 1917 - Garden City, New YorkGarden City, New YorkGarden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
, 5-23 November 1917 - WinchesterWinchesterWinchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 8-23 December 1917 - IssoudunIssoudunIssoudun is a commune in the Indre department in central France. It is also referred to as Issoundun, which is the ancient name.-History:...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 24 December 1917 - La Noblette, France, 18 February 1918
- BonnemaisonBonnemaisonBonnemaison is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.-Population:...
(near FismesFismesFismes is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France.- Economy :Many agricultural zones of the region may soon become a section of the zone for production of Champagne.- Antiquity :...
), France, 10 April 1918 - Bray-DunesBray-Dunes-References:* -External links:* * *...
, France, 2 May 1918 - LeffrinckouckeLeffrinckoucke-Twin towns:Leffrinckoucke is twinned with: Węgorzewo in Poland-References:* Notes...
, France, 5 May 1918 - CrochteCrochte-References:*...
, France, 8 June 1918 - ToulToulToul is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Toul is located between Commercy and Nancy, and situated between the Moselle River and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin....
, Toul-Croix De Metz AirfieldToul-Croix De Metz AirfieldToul-Croix De Metz Airfield is a former military airfield which is located approximately 1 mile northeast of Toul ; 160 miles east of Paris....
, France, 4 July 1918 - VaucouleursVaucouleursVaucouleurs is a commune in the Meuse department.Joan of Arc stayed in Vaucouleurs for several months during 1428 and 1429 while she sought permission to visit the royal court of Charles VII of France.* Distance from Paris: -External links:* *...
, France, 7 August 1918 - Lisle-en-BarroisLisle-en-BarroisLisle-en-Barrois is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meuse department...
, France, 20 September 1918 - Foucaucourt, France, 6 November 1918
- Colombey-les-BellesColombey-les-BellesColombey-les-Belles is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.-Heraldry:-See also:*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department...
, France, 5 June 1919 - Brest, FranceBrest, FranceBrest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, 6-19 February 1919 - Garden City, New YorkGarden City, New YorkGarden City is a village in the town of Hempstead in central Nassau County, New York, in the United States. It was founded by multi-millionaire Alexander Turney Stewart in 1869, and is located on Long Island, to the east of New York City, from mid-town Manhattan, and just south of the town of...
, 4-18 March 1919 (Mitchel Air Force BaseMitchel Air Force BaseDecommissioned in 1961, Mitchel Field became a multi-use complex currently home to the Cradle of Aviation Museum, Nassau Coliseum, Mitchel Athletic Complex, Nassau Community College and Hofstra University.-Origins:...
)
Assignments
- in training, 31 Aug 1917 - 23 November 1917
- Attached to Combat Group 21, Fourth Army (France)Fourth Army (France)The Fourth Army was a Field army of the French Army, which fought during World War I and World War II.-World War I:*General Fernand de Langle de Cary *General Henri Gouraud...
18 February 1918 - 10 April 1918 - Attached to Sixth Army (France)Sixth Army (France)The Sixth Army was a Field army of the French Army during World War I and World War II.-World War I:*General Maunoury *General Dubois *General Fayolle...
11 April 1918 to 30 April 1917 - Attached to Army of the North (France) 31 April 1918 to 4 July 1918
- 2d Pursuit Group, 1st Pursuit Wing, First United States Army 4 July 1918
- 3d Pursuit Group, 7 August 1918 to January 1919
- On 8 April 1924, the unit was officially consolidated with the 94th Aero Squadron.
Aircraft
- Spad VII, 1918
- Spad XIII, 1918
See also
- Aviation Section, U.S. Signal CorpsAviation Section, U.S. Signal CorpsThe Aviation Section, Signal Corps, was the military aviation service of the United States Army from 1914 to 1918, and a direct ancestor of the United States Air Force. It replaced and absorbed the Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, and was succeeded briefly by the Division of Military...
- List of American Aero Squadrons
- Lafayette Flying CorpsLafayette Flying CorpsThe Lafayette Flying Corps is a name used to describe the American volunteer pilots who flew for the French during World War I. It includes the pilots who flew with the bona fide Lafayette Escadrille squadron. The estimations of number of pilots range from 180 to over 300. The generally accepted...
- Lafayette EscadrilleLafayette EscadrilleThe Lafayette Escadrille , was an escadrille of the French Air Service, the Aéronautique militaire, during World War I composed largely of American volunteer pilots flying fighters.-History:Dr. Edmund L...
External links
- http://www.footnote.com/image/#19741083 Gorrell's History - AEF Air Service
- http://www.footnote.com/image/#19741108 officer list
- http://www.footnote.com/image/#19079013 supplement
- http://books.google.com/books?id=vJHDPzZ9L-oC&pg=PA173&dq=103d+aero+squadron&lr=&as_brr=1&cd=40#v=onepage&q=103d%20aero%20squadron&f=false
- http://www.flickr.com/photos/landoni/2874498452/in/photostream/