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HISTORY OF FIRST AERO SQUADRON
CHAPTER 1
EARLY HISTORY.

Altho the First Aero Squadron was first organised on July 1st, 1915, its history really begins in March 1914, when an aviation school was established at San Diego, Cal.  Since it was from the personnel of this school that the First Aero Squadron was recruited.  this school had for its purpose the training of pilots, it included twenty-five men and ten officers and under the command of Captain A.S. Cowan. The type of machines used were the Burglew-Wright and the Curtiss Type B.  It is interesting to note that Aerial observation in the American Army had its inception at this time.
A military cross-country flight was arranged, the Aero Club of America, having offered a prize for the winner.  The flight was to be from San Diego, to Los Angeles, and but one, piloted by Captain Dodd, made the return trip.  It was with this humble beginning that our Air Service began the development terminating in the present organisation.
As mentioned above, the First Aero Squadron was formed from the personnel of the San Diego School on July 1st, 1915, Captain B.D. Foulois being in command.  On July 26th, it moved from San Diego, to Fort Sill, Oklahoma arriving there July 29th.  Here the Squadron suffered its first casualty, when on August 12th, Captain Know and Lieut. Sutton fell from a height of one thousand feet.  Captain Knox was killed and Liet. Sutton suffered serious injuries.
The work at Fort Sill was done in conjunction with the Artillery School at that place, the first attempt to direct artillery fire by means of aeroplane observation was made on August 28th, 1915 by Captain Foulois, Observer, with a battery of six-inche howitzers.  Various problems wre carried out in the locating and marking on maps of artillery left in the open for this purpose.  Aerial Photography was first attempted on October 22nd, 1915 when Lieut. Milling, in an aero-plane equipped with a Brock Automatic camera made two flights for testing purposes.  On his first trip the plates jammed and the second he experienced troubles with the shutter.  A few good pictures were obtained on October 29th, and Lieut. Milling took forty-two on November 6th.
On November 19th, the Squadron moved to San Antonio, Texas, arriving there on November 26th, six planes flew the entire distance, stopping enroute to Wichita Falls, Forth Worth, and Austin Little flying was done here, the weather being inclement, a great deal of construction work, building and other routine work was done.  On March 13th, 19166 orders were received to report the squadron to xxxxx General Pershing for immediate service and moving began at once.
The squadron reached Columbus, New Mexico, on March 15th; the first trip into Mexico was made on the 16th, by Captain Dodd, pilot, and Captain Foulois, observer.  On March 19th, the squadron moved to Casas Grandes, Mexico.  During this flight three machines got lost and two landed inside the Mexican lines, the pilots escaped and reported back three or four days later.
During the Mexican campaign the duties consisted mainly of reconnaissance work, courier and communication work.  It was found that the type then in use, the Curtiss JN 3. possessed only limited military usefulness, it being impossible to fly across the Sierra Madra mountains which have an altitude of 9000 feet.  Therefore it was requested that two each of the following types should be tested under actual field conditions.  Martin model $(?), Curtiss R 2, Sturtevant, Thomas and Sloane.  The only planes received of which there is record were received from the Curtiss Co., two type R.2. and N.8. These proved to be a great improvement over the old type.
The following report illustrate the kind of work done by this Squadron during the Mexican campaign and also the difficulties...