49th Aero Squadron The 49th Aero Squadron was an Air Service , United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I . The squadron was assigned as a Day Pursuit ( Fighter ) Squadron as part of the 2d Pursuit Group , First United States Army . Its mission was to engage and clear enemy aircraft from the skies and provide escort to reconnaissance and bombardment squadrons over enemy territory . It also attacked enemy observation balloons , and perform close air support and tactical bombing attacks of enemy forces along the front lines . After the 1918 Armistice with Germany , the squadron returned to the United States in March 1919 and was demobilized . On 16 October 1936 , the World War I Aero squadron was consolidated with the United States Army Air Corps 49th Bombardment Squadron to preserve the lineage and history of the unit . Today , the United States Air Force 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron performs flight testing at Barksdale Air Force Base , Louisiana . History . Organization and training . Formed at Kelly Field # 1 , San Antonio , Texas on 6 August 1917 . During its initial indoctrination training at Kelly Field , many squadron members were re - assigned to other squadrons , however on 25 August , personnel from the 68th Aero Squadron were assigned to the 49th . After about a month of basic training as soldiers , the squadron was moved to the newly opened Kelly Field # 2 where they began training with Curtiss JN - 4 Jennys as a school squadron . On 16 November , training ended and the squadron moved back to Kelly Field # 1 to await orders for overseas deployment . On 21 November , an additional 65 men were assigned to the 49th Squadron , and the unit entrained in San Antonio bound for Garden City , Long Island , New York . The squadron arrived in New York on 3 January 1918 . Several weeks were spent at the Aviation Concentration Center , sailing for Liverpool , England on 9 January , arriving on 23 January . The squadron disembarked the ship the next day and marched to the Liverpool railway station where a train took them to Winchester , Hampshire , on the south coast of England . Winchester was reached that evening and the squadron detrained and marched to the Romsey Rest Camp where the squadron remained for a week . On 31 January the 49th Squadron was divided up into separate flights for training by the Royal Flying Corps in England . Flight " A " and " D " were assigned to the Castle Bromwich Aerodrome , Birmingham ; Flight " B " was assigned to Bicester Aerodrome , Oxford , and " C " flight to Rendcomb Aerodrome , Cirencester . The flight officers wee ordered to the Third Air Instructional Center , Issoudun Aerodrome , France for combat training . The squadron was re - assembled at Castle Bromwich Aerodrome on 5 April where additional training was received until 24 June . From there the squadron departed for France , arriving at Issoudun for additional training on French aircraft . Several weeks were spent there before being assigned to the 3d Pursuit Group and transferring to Vaucouleurs Aerodrome . There the squadron received French SPAD XIII pursuit planes , then being transferred again to Gengault Aerodrome , Toul where the squadron was re - assigned to the 2d Pursuit Group . Combat Operations . Combat patrols began on 18 August when at 06 : 15 three aircraft took off from Toul . Two of the aircraft had engine problems and were forced to return , leaving Lt Buford alone . At 07 : 30 he encountered a German Rumpler biplane at 5 , 000 meters . Lt Buford engaged the enemy aircraft and got on the tail of the Rumpler and fired a long machine - gun burst . The Rumpler caught fire and he saw the plane go into a straight nose dive . On 23 September , the squadron moved to Belrain Aerodrome near Bar - le - Duc . On 4 October , a patrol of seven aircraft encountered a formation of six Fokker s in the region of Doulcon . Turning , several aircraft of the squadron moved into position to attack , while the remainder remained above . During the course of the combat , several other Fokkers attacked the high flight of the squadron . During the course of the combat , eleven enemy aircraft were seen to go down , the remaining aircraft turning back . One squadron pilot was lost in the battle and another squadron plane was damaged and had to make a forced landing on the friendly side of the lines after receiving several enemy bullets in his engine . Four of the 49th squadron planes encountered four enemy aircraft during a patrol on 10 October . The squadron attacked the enemy aircraft , seeing one begin to burn and falling in a straight nose dive and crashing to the ground . During the battle one of the squadron ' s SPAD ' s lost a wing and begin to fall , being followed down by a Fokker . The enemy aircraft was attacked and driven off . The last Fokker was attacked and it burst into flames , seeing it dive to the ground out of control . The last combat patrol was flown on 23 October when a formation of four squadron aircraft on patrol encountered four Fokkers . Attacking out of the sun and from above , the 49th Squadron shot down all four enemy aircraft without loss . On 6 November the squadron moved to Souilly Aerodrome , however bad weather led to no combat flying being made before the Armistice on 11 November . Demobilization . After the Armistice , members of the squadron began taking leave in France , with the organization standing down , although some cross - country flights were made . On 6 December orders were received from First 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 . Finally , in March , the squadron boarded a ship bound for New York , and upon return to the United States , the men of the 49th Aero Squadron were demobilized and returned to civilian life . During its time in Combat , the 49th Aero Squadron downed 25 enemy aircraft , losing six pilots killed , wounded , or missing .