24th Aero Squadron

24th Aero Squadron
24th Aero Squadron, Vavincourt Aerodrome, France, November 1918
Active1 May 1917 – 1 October 1919
Country United States
Branch  United States Army Air Service
TypeSquadron
RoleArmy Observation
Part ofAmerican Expeditionary Forces (AEF)
Engagements
World War I

Occupation of the Rhineland
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Lt. Harry A Miller
Capt. Maury Hill[1]
Insignia
24th Aero Squadron Emblem
Aircraft flown
FighterSpad XIII, 1919
ReconnaissanceSalmson 2A2, 1918
Dayton-Wright DH-4, 1918–1919
TrainerCurtiss JN-4, 1917
Service record
Operations

First Army Observation Group
Western Front, France: 14 August-11 November 1918[2]

  • Total Sorties: 465
  • Combat Missions: 22
  • Enemy Combats: 54
  • Killed: 0
  • Wounded: 1 Observer
  • Missing: 3 Pilots, 3 Observers
  • Aircraft lost: 18[1]
Victories
  • Enemy Aircraft shot down: 12[3]
  • Enemy Balloons shot down: 0[3]
  • Total Enemy Aircraft Destroyed: 12[3]

    • Notable pilots:

    • Lt. Raymond P Dillon**, 4 aerial victories
    • Lt. George E. Goldthwaite**, 1 aerial victory
    • Lt. Spessard L. Holland*, 1 aerial victory
    • Capt. Maury Hill**, 2 aerial victories
    • Lt. John B. Lee*, 4 aerial victories[4]
    * Observer/Gunner
    ** Pilot (shared with Observer/Gunner)

    The 24th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I.

    The squadron was assigned as an Army Observation Squadron, performing long-range, strategic reconnaissance over the entire length of the United States First Army sector of the Western Front in France.[5][verification needed] After the 1918 Armistice with Germany, the squadron was assigned to the United States Third Army as part of the Occupation of the Rhineland in Germany. It returned to the United States in August 1919 and was demobilized.[1][6]

    In 1921, the squadron was consolidated with the United States Army Air Service 24th Squadron. It later served in the Panama Canal Zone during World War II as the 24th Fighter Squadron under 6th Air Force. It has been inactive since October 1946.[7]

    1. ^ a b c Series "E", Volume 5, History of the 22d-24th Aero Squadrons. Gorrell's History of the American Expeditionary Forces Air Service, 1917–1919, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
    2. ^ 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.
    3. ^ 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
    4. ^ Cite error: The named reference MT was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
    5. ^ "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 28 August 2013.
    6. ^ (1988 Reprint), 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
    7. ^ 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.