278th Aero Squadron The 278th Aero Squadron was a Air Service , United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I . The squadron was assigned as a Corps Observation Squadron , performing short - range , tactical reconnaissance over the VII Corps , United States First Army sector of the Western Front in France , providing battlefield intelligence . 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 June 1919 and was demobilzied . There is no current United States Air Force or Air National Guard unit that holds its lineage or history . History . The 278th Aero Squadron was organized at Love Field , Dallas , Texas on 14 February 1918 . The squadron was trained in various mechanics skills with the Curtiss JN - 4 D trainer , and other necessary skills for duty in France . It was also used to support the operations of the various departments at Love Field . However , on 8 July 1918 , the squadron was ordered to report to the Aviation Concentration Center , Garden City , Long Island , for overseas duty . It was further ordered to report to the Port of Entry , Hoboken , New Jersey and on 18 August 1918 , it sailed for the port of Brest , France on board the USS Von Steuben , arriving in France on 27 August after an uneventful voyage across the Atlantic Ocean . At Brest , the squadron remained at the Pontanesen Barracks awaiting orders until 2 September when it boarded a train bound for the Replacement Concentration Center , AEF , St . Maixent Replacement Barracks for equipping , and personnel processing . It arrived at St . Maixent on 4 September and was then further ordered to proceed to the 1st Air Depot at Colombey - les - Belles Airdrome . There the men were given gas masks and trained how to use the mask with tear gas . There , the men of the 278th also heard the artillery of the Western Front for the first time of the Zone of Advance . On 1 October , it was moved to the nearby Autreville Airdrome where it began to receive pilots and observers , as well as some Dayton - Wright DH - 4 observation aircraft , the squadron being designated a Corps Observation ( reconnaissance ) squadron . It was assigned to the First Army VII Corps Observation Group on 29 October and was ordered to the Gengault Aerodrome , near Toul on 10 November . However , the Armistice with Germany on 11 November meant the 278th Aero Squadron would not see any combat at the front . Unfortunately , the squadron did suffer a tragic incident when on 29 November , 2d Lieutenant Ogilieve and Williams were killed in a plane crash . Third Army of Occupation . The squadron remained at Gengault Aerodrome until being assigned to Weißenthurm Airdrome , Germany on 15 April 1919 to serve as part of the occupation force of the Rhineland under the Third Army Air Service , III Corps Observation Group . There , the squadron began a series of photo - reconnaissance flights in the occupied Rhineland of major manufacturing centers , important cities and towns in both Occupied Germany as well as Luxembourg . Lines of communication ( railroads , rivers and roads ) were carefully mapped and photographed . In addition , squadron was able to perform test flights on surrendered German aircraft . Flights of the Fokker D . VII , Pfalz D . XII , Halberstadts and Rumpler aircraft were made and evaluations were made . Demobilization . On 18 May 1919 orders were received from Third Army for the squadron to report to the 1st Air Depot , Colombey - les - Belles Airdrome to turn in all of its supplies and equipment and was relieved from duty with the AEF . The squadron ' s planes were delivered to the Air Service Production Center No . 2 . at Romorantin Aerodrome , and there , practically all of the pilots and observers were detached from the Squadron . Personnel were subsequently assigned to the Commanding General , Services of Supply and ordered to report to one of several staging camps in France . There , personnel awaited scheduling to report to one of the Base Ports in France for transport to the United States and subsequent demobilization . The 278th Aero Squadron was demobilized at Mitchell Field , New York on 13 June 1919 .