commander, General John Pershing, created a divided tactical aerial force, with, first, Brigadier General William Kenly, <strong>the</strong>n Benjamin Foulois, and, finally, Mason Patrick as Chief <strong>of</strong> <strong>Air</strong> Service, American Expeditionary <strong>Force</strong>, and Mitchell as <strong>Air</strong> Commander, Zone <strong>of</strong> Advance. A less-than-clear chain <strong>of</strong> command insured a collision between Foulois and Mitchell, but Pershing wanted Mitchell in charge <strong>of</strong> combat opera- tions. Some Americans had already acquired combat experience in France, serving with French and British squadrons before <strong>the</strong> United States entered <strong>the</strong> war. Among <strong>the</strong> most famous were members <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Lafayette Escadrille, including Norman Prince (five victories) and Raoul Lufbery (seventeen victories). These veterans transferred to <strong>the</strong> <strong>Air</strong> Service and provided <strong>the</strong> cadre for new squadrons arriving from <strong>the</strong> United States. After advanced training, American squadrons joined French and British units for combat experience. Only when American ground units were ready for combat did <strong>Air</strong> Service squadrons join American armies. Flying French SPAD and Nieuport fighters and French Breguet and British DH-4 bombers, all-American units under American command began operations in March and April 1918. Lieutenants Alan Winslow and Douglas Campbell gained America’s first aerial victories on April 14, 1918, in French Nieuport fighters armed with British Vickers machine guns. The United States may have been slow in developing aerial weapons, but its ground commanders quickly put <strong>the</strong>m to use. <strong>Air</strong>men flew infantry contact patrols, attempting to find isolated units and report- ing <strong>the</strong>ir location and needs to higher headquarters. Of <strong>the</strong>se missions, <strong>the</strong> 50th Aero Squadron’s search for <strong>the</strong> “Lost Battalion” in <strong>the</strong> Meuse- Argonne during <strong>the</strong> <strong>of</strong>fensive <strong>of</strong> September and October 1918 is perhaps <strong>the</strong> most famous. Two airmen, pilot Harold Goettler and observer Erwin Bleckley flew several missions at low altitude, purposely attracting German fire to find out at least where <strong>the</strong> “Lost Battalion” was not. They paid with <strong>the</strong>ir lives but helped <strong>the</strong>ir squadron narrow its search. For <strong>the</strong>ir heroism, Goettler and Bleckley won two <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> four Medals <strong>of</strong> Honor awarded to American airmen during <strong>the</strong> war. The o<strong>the</strong>r two went to Eddie Rickenbacker and Frank Luke for aerial combat. Reconnaissance missions to determine <strong>the</strong> disposition and make- up <strong>of</strong> enemy forces were critical and were usually carried out by aircraft flying east at low altitude until shot at. Allied ground troops, for example, needed to know about German activity at <strong>the</strong> Valleroy railroad yard dur- ing <strong>the</strong> battle <strong>of</strong> St. Mihiel or, best <strong>of</strong> all, that <strong>the</strong> “convoy <strong>of</strong> enemy horse-drawn vehicles [was] in retreat along <strong>the</strong> road to Thiaucourt.” 7
World War I Aviation Heroes Three heroes <strong>of</strong> World War I: Captain Eddie Rickenbacker; top, left, Lieutenant Frank Luke, top, right, both recipients <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Congressional Medal <strong>of</strong> Honor; and <strong>the</strong> forceful and controversial advocate <strong>of</strong> air power and service autonomy, Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, center, Assistant Chief <strong>of</strong> <strong>Air</strong> Service, American Expeditionary <strong>Force</strong> (AEF).
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Hallion, Richard P. Rise of the Fig