page_title: First Army Air Service
section_title: 1st Pursuit Wing
hierarchical_section_title: First Army Air Service / History / St. Mihiel offensive / Operations / 1st Pursuit Wing
caption_attribution_description: English: 13th Aero Squadron - SPAD S.XII , November 1918.
context_page_description: The First Army Air Service was an Air Service, United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I as part of the Air Service, First United States Army. The First Army Air Service was the largest and most diverse Air Service combat organization of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, and most American Air Service combat units were assigned to it when assigned to the front.
  The organization was demobilized in France on 15 April 1919 with the demobilization of the United States First Army. There is no modern United States Air Force unit that shares its lineage and history.
context_section_description: On 12 September, throughout the day there were high winds, and rain fell intermittently. The usual functions of the pursuit aviation could not be performed, but the pursuit planes were used to secure valuable information and to harass by machine-gun and bombs the retreating enemy. Many favorable objectives presented themselves, especially over the Vigneville-Chambley and the Vigneulles St. Benoit roads. The 3d Pursuit Group, equipped its airplanes with bombs, and an these roads, together with assistance of the machine guns of the 2nd and 1st Pursuit Groups, constantly threw into confusion the retreating German forces.  Owing to weather conditions on the opening day, few large patrols were used, and many individual reconnaissances were made by pursuit pilots of the lst, 2d and 3d Group. Often single aircraft determined and reported the advance of our front line, actually flying down to 50 meters, and co-operating with the troops on the ground.
  By 13 September, shortly after midnight, infantry patrols from the south and those from the west met near Vigneulles. Still the enemy was in retreat. The Chambley, Mars-la-Tour road was jammed with his reinforcements coming up and his wagons in retreat. In one day the 3d Pursuit Group made five expeditions bombing and harassing with machine guns, protected by elements of the 2nd Pursuit Group. The 1st Pursuit Group on its sector harassed the infantry, maintaining protective patrols above at different altitudes. But, it was not until 14 September, when the weather cleared, that pursuit aviation was able to operate at its normal altitude.  Enemy Balloons were attacked with determination, and massed enemy troops withdrawn on 12, 13 and 14 September were harassed and repeatedly thrown into confusion. Large enemy formations of aircraft when they appeared were fought gallantly even by inferior members, and every opportunity of making observations from pursuit planes was seized with eagerness.
caption: 13th Aero Squadron - SPAD XII
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