American Fighter Combat During WWI - How Significant Was America's Late Entry
Abstract
It has been over three quarters of a century since the American Air Service began operations in Europe during the Great War. Its service there during the final days of World War I, except for a few volunteers, only covered seven short months. Even though war was declared a year earlier in the spring of 1917, it took a year to get a force organized for air combat in Europe. But, finally, high above the ruined landscape of the trench warfare, American airpower made its debut. It was here that America's young warriors without parachutes and in bitter cold open cockpits made their contributions. Their battles took place high over Toul, Chateau-Thierry, St. Mihiel, and the Meuse-Argonne. I will examine training, leadership, and the adaptation of formation tactics of the infant United States air arm. You will see that as a combat force, the Air Service made tremendous strides from its cautious beginnings in April 1918. At this time the force only consisted of a single observation squadron flying obsolete aircraft and two pursuit units flying unarmed Nieuports. By July and August the American force had grown to seven squadron's when they were thrown into the bloody battles around Chateau-Thierry. Here they flew against some of the best Jagdstaffeln in the German Air Force. Even though their experience was bloody it produced a hard core of veterans who had learned the lessons of aerial warfare well. This core then became the leadership that acted as examples to be emulated for the coming autumn campaigns. Eventually twenty-six American squadrons followed these veterans into battle. Their stability and leadership allowed large formations of American aircraft to wrestle the air away from the Germans. In the rain and mud of the Meuse-Argonne offensive, the Armenian Air Service proved worthy of their opponents in every way.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA397836
Entities
People
- Terrance W. Sando
Organizations
- Air Command and Staff College