| 185th Aero Squadron | |
|---|---|
 Officers of the 185th Aero Squadron, Rembercourt Aerodrome, France, November 1918 | |
| Active | 11 November 1917 – 30 June 1919 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch | .svg){kind=small} United States Army Air Service |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | Night Pursuit |
| Part of | American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) |
| Fuselage Code | "Bats" |
| Engagements |  World War I |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Lt. Seth Low[1] Capt. Jerry C. Vasconcells[2] |
| Insignia | |
| 185th Aero Squadron Emblem |  |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | Sopwith Camel F.1, 1918[2] |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Operations |
1st Pursuit Group
|
| Victories | No official victories, however the 1st Pursuit Group commander, Col. Harold E. Hartney flew a night patrol in a squadron aircraft on 22 October 1918 and engaged a German Gotha G.V bomber. He attacked the aircraft and the aircraft he flew came back bullet-ridden, however no claim of a victory was made. Later, the crashed remains of a Gotha was found in the area where he was engaged in combat. It may have been the first (and only) night victory of the Air Service during World War I.[1] |
The 185th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I.
Known as the "Bats", the 185th Aero Squadron was the first and only night pursuit (fighter) squadron organized by the United States during World War I. Its mission was night interception of enemy aircraft, primarily bombers and observation aircraft. It was engaged in combat for less than a month before the 1918 Armistice with Germany. After the armistice, the squadron returned to the United States in June 1919 and was demobilized.[2][4]
The 185th Aero Squadron was reactivated as the 185th Cyberspace Operations Squadron in June 2019, 100 years after being demobilized. Just as the Bats of WW1 were faced with a new mission in a new domain to protect their fellow soldiers on the ground, the Bats of today hunt and illuminate their adversaries within the Air Force's Cyberspace environment. The 185 COS is under the 192nd Wing, Virginia Air National Guard, which shares a total force integration relationship with the 1st Fighter Wing on Langley Air Force Base.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ a b c d Series "E", Volume 20, History of the 149th–199th Aero Squadrons. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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)