99th Aero Squadron The 99th 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 V Corps , United States First Army sector of the Western Front in France , providing battlefield intelligence . After the 1918 Armistice with Germany , the squadron returned to the United States in June 1919 and became part of the permanent United States Army Air Service in 1921 , being re - designated as the 99 Squadron ( Observation ) . The current United States Air Force unit which holds its lineage and history is the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron , assigned to the 9th Operations Group , Beale Air Force Base , California . History . Origins . The 99th Aero Squadron was organized on 21 August 1917 at Kelly Field , Texas . On 13 October 1917 the squadron was ordered to the Aviation Concentration Center , Mineola , Long Island , New York for overseas duty . The squadron proceeded by train from San Antonio to New York City , and arrived without incident . The 99th embarked for duty in France at Hoboken , New Jersey on the White Star liner RMS Cedric on 14 November . The liner crossed the Atlantic via Halifax , Nova Scotia without incident , and arrived in Liverpool , England , on 30 November . From Liverpool , the squadron took a train south to Winchester , where it remained until 7 December at a rest camp . On 8 December , the squadron crossed the English Channel , arriving in Le Harve , France . After two days awaiting transportation , the squadron boarded a troop train and arrived at American Expeditionary Forces 2d Aviation Instruction Center at Tours Aerodrome , France . The 99th was the first complete American Aero Squadron to arrive at the 2d AIC . Men were assigned to special duty in various training departments . The instruction concentrated on becoming familiar to the British and French aircraft and various engines with which they were expedited to have experience with at the front . The squadron , now composed of three officers and 136 enlisted man left Tours on 9 March and arrived on 11 March at Haussimont Aerodrome , in the " Zone of Advance " , or the Western Front . The squadron was designated as a Corps Observation squadron , and assigned to the Headquarters , Chief of Air Service , AEF . Hangars were erected at the field in preparation for reception of airplanes and pilots . On 23 March , 18 pilots were assigned to the squadron and an equal number of aircraft , British Sopwith 1½ Strutter , commonly called " Pups " . At Haussimont , the squadron organization grew to include an armament , engineering , radio , photographic , and other departments . With the arrival of observers , the squadron was ready to enter combat as a completely equipped American Observation Squadron . Combat in France . The initial operations of the squadron began on 1 April with missions being flown in conjunction with the 3d Artillery Observation School at Mailly , France as part of the First Army Observation Group . This work continued daily until 31 May , when orders were received to move to Amanty Aerodrome . On 20 June , the first casualty of a flying officer occurred , while testing an aircraft at the French airdrome at Apiz , a 99th pilot was killed in a crash . The first flight across the lines into enemy territory occurred on 22 June 1918 when Lieutenants Alexander , Kahle , and Nutt , along with three observers flew over the enemy lines on a reconnaissance mission over the Toul - Moselle Sector . All of the aircraft returned with holes in the wings , attesting to the accuracy of enemy anti - aircraft artillery . Missions in the Toul Sector were of brief duration and on 1 July , the squadron was ordered to Luxeuil - les - Bains Aerodrome and transferred to the V Corps Observation Group . Being the first American Aero Squadron to arrive at Luxeuil , the squadron was given an unusually cordial reception . There , the squadron received the latest in French observation planes , the Salmson 2A2 , as the Sopwiths were found to be unsatisfactory for reconnaissance over enemy territory . Missions began immediately with the V Corps Infantry Aviation School at Luxeuil . A detachment of flying officers were dispatched to Corcieux Airdrome , Voages , France for flights over the lines with the French 285th Spad Squadron . The mission of the squadron at Corcieux was to cooperate with the French Air Force and enable the pilots and observers to learn the St . Die Sector . In order to learn the sector , the American Observers flew with French pilots , and French Observers flew with American pilots . In these flights , frequent combat was encountered with German aircraft . On 24 July the 285th Squadron was ordered to move and the 99th ’ s 3d Flight , consisting of seven Salmsons , seven pilots , seven observers and their maintenance crews moved from Luxouil - les - Bains , to the French Dogneville Airdrome . There , the flight was assigned to the 33rd French Corps , was ordered to carry on the work over the sector formerly covered by the 285th Squadron . The 99th flew reconnaissance missions and directed artillery fire in support of U . S . Army , 5th Division ’ s offensive against German soldiers entrenched at Frapelle . From Dogneville , the 3rd Flight flew photographic missions more than 40 kilometers behind enemy lines . No other unit , in this sector , had ever photographed deeper than ten kilometers before . When the 5th Division began its attack on 17 August 1918 , the 3rd kept two aircraft airborne throughout the day . One observed enemy positions and directed artillery fire . The other maintained contact with Allied infantry and advised headquarters of the line - of - advance . Since the ground troops never displayed panels to show their position , pilots often had to fly low enough to distinguish between friendly and enemy uniforms . This exposed the aircraft and crew to heavy machine - gun and rifle fire . Contact crews often aided the ground offensive by attacking machine - gun sites and firing at enemy troops . After the successful offensive , 3d Flight crews photographed the new front lines Observers developed an effective means of communicating their information to the ground commanders . They first radioed the data to their ground station . Pilots then flew over the unit command post and observers dropped a written message confirming the radio call . They next flew over corps headquarters and dropped another note verifying their radio communication . Despite what seemed to be an efficient method , aviators and artillery troops often had difficulty communicating and seldom made an effective team . The 99th also aided the 5th Corps during the St . Mihiel offensive from 12 through 16 September . The squadron had moved to Souilly Aerodrome on 7 September . German soldiers were well entrenched and prepared for a prolonged defense of their positions . Before the attack , crews flew photographic reconnaissance missions taking oblique shots of enemy positions . As the ground offensive began on 12 September , a heavy mist , low - hanging clouds and intermittent rain severely hampered aerial observation . Nevertheless , 99th pilots flew visual observation and artillery adjustment missions throughout the day . Severe weather also affected aerial operations on 13 September , but skies cleared the following day . So the 99th flew infantry contact , artillery adjustment , photographic and visual reconnaissance missions . Flying eight kilometers deep behind enemy lines , crews produced photographs that clearly defined enemy positions . Some of Germany ’ s best aviators operated in this area , but Allied crews successfully defended themselves and completed their mission . On 15 September , foul weather returned and limited flights to visual operations and artillery adjustments . On 20 September the 99th Aero Squadron moved to Foucaucourt Aerodrome and prepared to help the 5th Corps in the Meuse - Argonne offensive . Again , the German soldiers opposed the attack from barbed - wire - protected trenches . Also , additional enemy pursuit , observation and bombardment forces meant most of the Kaiser ’ s best aviation units defended the area . When the ground attack began on 26 September , inclement weather restricted flight operations . Rain , haze and fog usually obscured the ground from then until 11 November . Since cloud cover severely limited photographic reconnaissance , headquarters confined missions to a few , well - defined and extremely important areas . Aircraft and pilots often stood ready to fly , waiting in vain for any break in the clouds . When weather permitted , crews took oblique photographs along enemy lines . If the need for information was great , pilots flew even in heavy cloud cover hoping for a chance break to take that important picture . Pursuit planes protected observation aircraft during these missions . The large number of enemy pursuit aircraft operating in the area made an attack during photographic flights almost a certainty . The pursuit protectors often flew about 500 meters above the observation aircraft . This gave them an advantage against enemy attackers . Photographic aircraft also flew during large bombing and pursuit operations to take advantage of the amassed firepower . The four black crosses on the 9th Reconnaissance Wing ’ s emblem today represent 1st and 99th Squadrons ’ participation at St . Mihiel , Argonne - Meuse , Champagne - Marne and Aisne - Marne . Demobilization . With the Armistice with Germany reached on 11 November 1918 , combat operations ended . After nearly three months of service on the front , the 99th Aero Squadron lost 3 members Killed in Action , and another 5 members killed from wounds or other causes . Six other members were wounded . One aircraft , a Salmson , did not return from a mission on 29 September , its pilot and observer were not accounted for and were carried as Missing In Action . Both members were later determined to be KIA and their bodies were recovered . With the end of combat , the 99th was transferred to Air Service Headquarters , AEF , at Chaumont . With the sudden end of the war , the process of returning the AEF to the United States took several months . Squadron pilots began flying courier and liaison flights within the American sector , while flights of the squadron were dispatched to several airfields to support the French Air Force in reconstruction and other necessary tasks . On 19 February 1919 orders were received 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 a staging camp at Sadirac . There , personnel awaited scheduling to report to one of the Base Ports in France for transport to the United States and subsequent demobilization . In early May , the 99th was moved to the Base Port at Bordeaux , and the squadron arrived in New York about the 23d and began the process of demobilization at Hazelhurst Field on Long Island . By the middle of June , the 99th Aero Squadron was fully demobilized , its men returned to civilian life .