AVIATION.
STRENGTH AND DISTRIBUTION.
On April 6, 1917, the Marine section of naval aviation consisting of
five officers and 30 enlisted men, was stationed at the naval air
station, Pensacola, Fla., as part of the complement of that station.
During April, May, and June, 1917, the Marine aviation section was
transferred to a combination land and water station for Marine fliers
at the navy yard, Philadelphia, Pa., and the training of personnel
for land flying began. The official designation of this organization
was the Marine Aeronautic Company. Training in observation balloons
was done in addition to the heavier-than-air work.
On October 12, 1917, this Marine Aeronautic Company, then consisting
of 34 officers and 330 enlisted men, was divided into the First
Aviation Squadron, consisting of 24 officers and 237 enlisted men,
and the First Marine Aeronautic Company, consisting of 10 officers
and 93 enlisted men.
On October 14, 1917, the First Marine Aeronautic Company was
transferred to Cape May, N. J., and took over the naval air station
at that place.
On December 7, 1917, the First Marine Aeronautic Company, then
consisting of 12 officers and 133 enlisted men, was ordered to Naval
Base 13, Ponta Delgada, Azores, arriving there on January 21, 1918.
This company was the first completely equipped American aviation unit
to leave the United States for service in the war. This organization
operated an antisubmarine patrol station of 10 _R-6_ seaplanes, 2
_N-9_ seaplanes, and later 6 _HS-2-L_ flying boats until the station
was ordered abandoned on January 24, 1919, when it was ordered to
return to the United States, arriving at the Marine flying field,
Miami, Fla., March 15, 1919. Maj. Francis T. Evans was in command
from January 9 to July 18, 1918, and Maj. David L. S. Brewster from
July 19, 1918, to January 20, 1919.
On October 17, 1917, the First Aviation Squadron was transferred
from the Marine flying field, navy yard, Philadelphia, Pa., to the
Army training field at Mineola, Long Island, where instruction and
training were carried on in land flying. On December 31, 1917, this
organization was transferred to Gerstner Field, Lake Charles, La.,
for advanced training.
In March, 1918, the Marine flying field, Miami, Fla., was established
and on March 31, 1918, the First Aviation Squadron was transferred to
that field from Lake Charles, La.
Four Marine squadrons of land-fighting planes and a headquarters
company were organized to operate under the Navy as the Day Wing of
the Northern Bombing Group, in northern France, which operated in the
Dunkirk area against German submarines and their bases at Ostend,
Zeebrugge, and Bruges.
On July 13, 1918, the first Marine aviation force, consisting of
Squadrons A, B, C, and Headquarters Company, left Miami, Fla., and
embarked on board the _De Kalb_ at New York City for France, July 18,
1918. This organization consisted of 107 officers and 654 enlisted
men, and when Squadron D joined in October, 1918, it consisted of
149 officers and 842 enlisted men. On July 30, 1918, the Day Wing
disembarked at Brest, France, and proceeded to its aerodromes between
Calais and Dunkirk, where they established camp and prepared the
aerodromes for use. The personnel of the Day Wing was completely
organized and ready for service two weeks after their arrival in
France. Part of the planes and equipment of this organization arrived
at Pauillac, France, before the organization reached France on July
30, 1918. On September 28, 1918, one plane was delivered to the
Marine Day Wing. On October 5, 1918, Squadron D of the Day Wing,
consisting of 42 officers and 188 enlisted men, arrived at Le Franc
aerodrome, completing the four squadrons of the Day Wing. During the
month of October additional planes were delivered to the Day Wing.
In order to prevent the personnel, who were completely trained
and ready for action when they reached the front, August 2, 1918,
from getting badly out of practice, the commanding officer, Day
Wing, requested permission from the British aviation forces in the
vicinity to be allowed to assign certain Marine pilots to operate
with their squadrons until the Marine planes were delivered. As many
Marine pilots as could be accommodated were operating with British
squadrons until the end of the war, and were highly complimented by
the British officers. The Day Wing, carried out 14 independent raids
far behind the enemy lines, did considerable damage, and brought
back valuable information. The organization participated actively
and creditably in both offensives on the Flanders front. It was
learned after the armistice that one raid resulted in the death of
60 enemy officers and 300 enlisted men. A feat worthy of mention was
performed by Marine Corps pilots. A French regiment was cut off by
the enemy near Stadenburg. It was decided to attempt to feed them
by aeroplane. Marine Corps pilots loaded up with food and flew low
over this isolated regiment and successfully dropped 2,600 pounds
of food to them in the face of heavy fire from artillery, machine
guns, and rifles. This process was continued for two days until the
regiment was extricated. The number of enemy planes brought down by
Marine pilots, bombs dropped, food dropped, and other facts of a
statistical nature are given elsewhere. Three pilots were killed or
died of wounds received in action, two of them being shot down over
the enemy’s lines.
Maj. Alfred A. Cunningham commanded the Day Wing from the date of its
organization to December 7, 1918, except the period August 1 to 7,
1918, during which time Maj. Roy D. Geiger was in command.
While in Europe the Marine fliers served with Squadrons 213 (pursuit
squadron), 217, and 218 (bombing squadrons), Royal Flying Corps of
England; and with pursuit, observation, and bombing squadrons of the
French Flying Corps.
In February, 1918, the Marine aviation section of 8 officers and 40
enlisted men was organized and stationed at the naval air station,
Miami, Fla. The personnel of this section was later increased and
served at that station throughout the war, taking over the deep-sea
scouting of that station. Capt. Thomas R. Shearer was in command
during the entire time.
STRENGTH AT BEGINNING AND END OF WAR.
The strength of Marine aviation on April 6, 1917, and on November 11,
1918, was as follows:
APRIL 6, 1917.
Commissioned officers 4
Warrant officer 1
Enlisted men 30
-----
Total 35
NOVEMBER 11, 1918.
Commissioned officers 250
Warrant officers 32
Enlisted men 2,180
-----
Total 2,462
STATIONS.
The following are the stations at which Marine aviators operated,
showing whether they operated independently, with the Navy, or with
the Army:
--------------------------+------------------------+---------------------
Independently. | Navy. | Army.
--------------------------+------------------------+---------------------
Marine flying field, |Marine section naval air|Roosevelt Field, Min-
Miami, Fla. | station, Miami, Fla. | eola, Long Island.
Balloon Company, Marine |Day Wing, Northern |Gerstner Field, Lake
Barracks, Quantico, Va. | Bombing Group, France.| Charles, La.
Naval Base No. 13, Azores.|Naval air station, |Army balloon schools
Marine flying field, | Pensacola, Fla. | at St. Louis, Mo.,
Philadelphia, Pa. | | and Omaha, Nebr.
Naval air station, Cape | |
May, N. J. | |
--------------------------+------------------------+---------------------
PLANES OPERATED BY MARINES.
The number of planes operated by Marine aviators at Pensacola, Fla.,
on April 6, 1917, was four, and the type, AH Curtiss.
On November 11, 1918, the following planes were operated by the
personnel of Marine Aviation:
Marine flying field, Miami, Fla.:
De Haviland 4’s, Curtiss JN’s, Thomas-Morse scouts, and
M-1 defense planes 118
Naval air station, Miami, Fla.:
HS-1-L, and HS-2-L flying boats, and R-6 Curtiss seaplanes 24
Balloon Company, Quantico, Va.:
N-9 and R-6 seaplanes 3
Caquot and kite balloons 4
Naval base No. 13, Azores:
R-6 and N-9 seaplanes and HS-2-L, and HS-1-L flying boats 18
Northern Bombing Group, France:
De Haviland 4’s and 9’s 177
At other times the following planes were operated by Marine pilots:
At Philadelphia, Pa.:
Curtiss JN’s 6
Curtiss R-6’s 2
Curtiss N-9’s 2
At Roosevelt field, Mineola, Long Island:
Army land planes 12
At Gerstner field, Lake Charles, La.:
Army land planes 12
At Cape May naval air station:
R-6 and N-9 seaplanes 8
Total planes operated by Marine pilots 386
TRAINING OF OFFICERS AND ENLISTED MEN.
During the war the Marine Corps selected and trained its own flyers
and mechanics, and had its own aviation field and equipment. At
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass., enlisted
Marines selected as promising flying material and given the rank of
gunnery sergeant, took a 10 weeks’ course in groundwork, and about 80
men a month were graduated. After ground graduation they did their
actual flying at the Marine flying field, Miami, Fla. This course
embraced preliminary, acrobatic, and formation flying, bombing,
gunnery, and reconnaissance work, including photographing. Upon
qualifying they were commissioned as second lieutenants in the Marine
Corp Reserve Flying Corps. Marine flying candidates were all enlisted
Marines, of superior physique, weighing from 135 to 165 pounds, and
with at least two years’ college or university study to their credit.
The age limits were 19 to 39 years. Marine Corps mechanics, riggers,
and armorers were trained at the Marine Corps section of the naval
school for mechanics, Great Lakes Training Station, Chicago, Ill.,
the course covering eight weeks, and at a similar school in aviation
mechanics at San Diego, Calif.
In December, 1917, 2 Marine officers and 10 enlisted men were sent to
the Army balloon school at St. Louis, Mo., and later to Omaha, Nebr.,
for training.
AVIATION STATISTICS.
Marine squadrons overseas in France 5
Total officers in France 165
Total enlisted men in France 895
Marine officers serving with Army Air Service, American
Expeditionary Forces 6
Overseas, outside of France: 1 squadron, 12 officers,
135 enlisted men, Naval Base No. 13, Ponta Delgada, Azores.
Officers completely trained ready for overseas aviation
duty in the United States on Nov. 11, 1918 100
Enlisted men completely trained ready for overseas aviation
duty in the United States on Nov. 11, 1918 1,150
Number of squadrons and companies in United States
(Nov. 11, 1918) 3
Total officers in United States on Nov. 11, 1918 100
Total enlisted men in United States Nov. 11, 1918 1,150
Total number of cadets under training (at all times) 225
Cadets completely trained (in all three branches) as
bombers, chasse pilots, and seaplane fliers, total
commissioned from Oct. 1, 1918, to date 175
Raids participated in by Marine fliers serving with the
British and French 43
Total number of bombing raids completely Marine 14
Total pounds of bombs dropped 52,000
Number of food raids 5
Pounds of food dropped 2,600
Number of enemy aircraft accounted for officially 12
RETURN OF MARINE AVIATORS FROM EUROPE.
Early in December, 1918, the Day Wing received orders to return to
the United States, and embarked on December 6, 1918, on board the
_Mercury_ at St. Nazaire, France, arriving at Newport News, Va.,
December 21, 1918.
The First Marine Aeronautic Company returned from the Azores in
March, 1919, arriving at the Marine flying field, Miami, Fla., on
March 15, 1919.