| 17th Aero Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Replica 17th Aero Squadron Sopwith F-1 Camel on display at the National Museum of the Air Force, made by USAF personnel from the original World War I factory drawings, completing it in 1974. The aircraft is painted and marked with the squadron's RAF white dumbbell painted on each side of the fuselage aft of the cockpit as the Camel flown by Lt. George A. Vaughn Jr. | |
| Active | 16 June 1917 – 1 April 1919 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch | .svg){kind=small} United States Army Air Service |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | Pursuit |
| Part of | American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) Attached to: Royal Air Force (RAF) |
| Fuselage Code | White Dumbbell (RAF) |
| Engagements |  World War I |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lt. Robert Oldys Maj. Harold Fowler[1] |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Sopwith F-1 Camel SPAD S.XIII |
| Trainer | Curtiss JN-4 |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Operations |
Royal Air Force (65th Wing, III Brigade) 4th Pursuit Group Western Front: 15 July-11 November 1918, France[2] |
| Victories |
Aces: 6 with probable 7th[4][5]
|
The 17th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I.
As a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron. its mission was to engage and clear enemy aircraft from the skies and provide escort to reconnaissance and bombardment squadrons over enemy territory. It also attacked enemy observation balloons, and perform close air support and tactical bombing attacks of enemy forces along the front lines.[8]
The unit achieved a number of "firsts". It was the first United States Aero Squadron sent to Canada to be trained by the British; the first squadron to be completely trained prior to be sent overseas with its complete quota of trained pilots; the first squadron to be attached to British Royal Air Force squadrons and the first to be sent into combat.[5]
In October 1918, the squadron was transferred to the United States Second Army 4th Pursuit Group. However, with Second Army's planned offensive drive on Metz cancelled due to the 1918 Armistice with Germany, the squadron saw no combat with Second Army. It returned to the United States and was demobilized on 1 April 1919 as part of the demobilization of the Air Service after the war.[9][10]
On 17 October 1936, the World War I Aero squadron was consolidated with the United States Army Air Corps 17th Pursuit Squadron to preserve the lineage and history of the unit. Today, the United States Air Force 17th Weapons Squadron flies the F-15E Strike Eagle at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.[1]
- ^ a b AFHRA 17th Bomb Squadron Archived 25 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Series "H", Section "O", Volume 29, 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.
- ^ a b c Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, Series M, Volume 38, Compilation of Confirmed Victories and Losses of the AEF Air Service as of 26 May 1919
- ^ 17th Aero [email protected]
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Gorrellwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Over the Front: A Complete Record of the Fighter Aces and Units of the United States and French Air Services, 1914–1918 Norman Franks, Frank W. Bailey. Grub Street, 1992. ISBN 0- 948817-54-2, ISBN 978-0-948817-54-0.
- ^ The Aerodrome Forum message 2 June 2017
- ^ "Maurer, Maurer (1978), The US Air Service in World War I, The Office of Air Force History, Headquarters USAF Washington" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
- ^ Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
- ^ 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)