139th Aero Squadron The 139th 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 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 . The squadron was very successful in combat , having half a dozen Air Aces including David Putnam , Karl Schoen , Robert Opie Lindsay , and future Brigadier General Harold H . George . After the 1918 Armistice with Germany , the squadron returned to the United States in June 1919 and was demobilied . There is no current United States Air Force or Air National Guard unit that shares its lineage and history . History . Origins . The 139th Aero Squadron was organized at Kelly Field , Texas on 21 September 1917 . After a period of indoctrination training into the Army , orders were issued for the squadron to proceed to Toronto , Quebec , Canada for technical training under the British Royal Flying Corps ( RFC ) . However , these orders were countermanded and the squadron remained at Kelly Field until 28 October 1917 , when it was ordered to proceed to Barron Field , Everman , Texas for training under the RFC . One week later , it moved again to Hicks Field , Saginaw Texas for further training . During the squadron ' s training at Hicks Field , numerous transfers of personnel were made and the squadron was brought to a strength of 204 men . Upon completion of training by the RFC , the 139th received ordered to move to the Aviation Concentration Center , Camp Mills , Garden City , New York on 12 February 1918 . The following day , 25 flying officers selected from cadets who trained with the squadron were assigned . The squadron left Fort Worth , Texas on 14 February , and arrived at Camp Mills on the 19th . After a short period at the Concentration Center , the squadron left New York Harbor on 26 February on the RMS Olympic . It arrived in Liverpool , England on 5 March , and was transferred by train to Winchester , England , where it awaited further orders at the Romney Rest Camp . On 17 March , orders were received to move to France , leaving for Le Harve on the 17th and arriving on the 18th . It then proceeded to the 2d Instructional Center , AEF , at Tours Aerodrome , arriving on 21 March . Training in France . During its assignment at the 2d AIC , the squadron was engaged in station duties , until being ordered to proceed to the 3d AIC at Issoudun Aerodrome to complete combat training for combat duties . It arrived at Issodun on 29 March . At Issodun , the flying officers commenced training a few days after the arrival of the men and trained in Nieuport 28 s . The enlisted personnel were trained as mechanics for the various types of French aircraft that were in use at the front . Training was completed at the 3d AIC on 24 May 1918 , and the 139th was orders to proceed to the 1st Pursuit Organization Center at Epiez Aerodrome . Orders , however , were again changed and it was ordered to report to Vaucouleurs Aerodrome . The squadron arrived at Vaucouleurs on 28 May 1918 . The first plane , a SPAD VII , was assigned on 10 June , and the remaining within a week afterwards . As the squadron pilots and mechanics had no experience with the SPAD VIII , the mechanics were sent to a French Aerodrome where they remained for about ten days . With their return , two French mechanics , along with two representatives from the Hispano - Suiza factory arrived at Vaucouleurs . Language difficulties , however negated the benefit of these representatives and they returned to their home bases while the mechanics worked out on the job training for maintaining the SPAD VIIs . The month of June was devoted to training flights and reconnaissance along the lines . A major difficulty was the lack of supplies and equipment necessary to keep the SPAD VIIs operational . Many times it was necessary to appeal to the French for these , and they assisted in every way possible . Western Front combat . On 30 June , the squadron was reassigned to the 2d Pursuit Group and moved to Gengault Aerodrome , near Toul . The 139th was the first squadron assigned to the new group . Later , the 13th , 22d and 49th Aero Squadron s were assigned to the Group at Toul . The first combat between the 139th and enemy aircraft took place on 30 June , with Lt . David E . Putnam shooting down a German bi - plane . Now in combat , the squadron began flying regular patrols between Pont - à - Mousson and Saint - Mihiel . However , during its first weeks in combat , the sector was relatively quiet with only a few German aircraft . Six combats were reported during July , and the squadron received confirmation on two enemy aircraft destroyed . One pilot , Lt . MacLure was lost on 17 July when he was forced to land behind enemy lines , however he was later reported as a Prisoner of War . During August , the Toul Sector was far more active , as the Germans moved more aircraft into the area . In August , the squadron engaged in twelve combats , with the squadron receiving four official victories , and several un - official ones , including the shooting down of several German observation balloons . The buildup of First Army infantry units was proceeding though August and into September . On 12 September , the St . Mihiel Offensive began with a massive artillery barrage . Orders were received to engage in low - altitude flights in front of the infantry and machine - gun enemy fortifications , troop concentrations and attack movements of enemy troops , convoys and railroad lines . However , adverse weather limited flight operations . Very few enemy aircraft were seen , however , as the day progressed the weather cleared to some extent . Eight enemy aircraft were seen and a combat began . Lt . Putnam destroyed one enemy plane , however he was later killed in action during another combat near Limey . The next day , ten 139th planes engaged in a free - for - all combat with German aircraft in the region of Bayonville , in which four enemy planes were destroyed and two more were claimed but not confirmed without loss . With the success of the St . Mihiel attack , the squadron was moved from Toul to Belrain Aerodrome on 24 September . On the 25th regular patrols began in the region south of Verdun , and on 26 September , First Army began the Meuse - Argonne Offensive . Aerial activity by the 139th again became very intense , with the squadron flying aircraft from before dawn to after dusk . On the first day , one enemy observation aircraft was shot down , and it performed several road strafing and bombing missions against enemy infantry forces . At Belrain , the squadron began to be re - equipped with SPAD XIII s , that were equipped with bomb racks carrying two twenty - pound bombs . During the next few weeks a marked increase of enemy aircraft were seen and attacked . On 28 September , three enemy aircraft were shot down . Bad weather limited operations during early October . However , on the 10th , a massive combat free - for - all resulted with six squadron aircraft engaged with about a dozen German Fokkers . The squadron shot down nine enemy aircraft . The remainder of October was quite active and eleven more successful combats were fought , twenty enemy aircraft were destroyed . The squadron lost Lt Schoen when he was killed in action on 29 October near Esnes - en - Argonne . Poor weather limited the number of patrols flown in early November , although on 5 November , three squadron aircraft attacked an enemy Fokker and pursued him to his own Aerodrome , shooting it down directly over his own airfield . The squadron moved to Souilly Aerodrome on 7 November , however , the talk of peace was very prevalent and although regular combat patrols were flown , few enemy aircraft were seen . All offensive operations over the lines ceased at 11 : 00am on 11 November . Demobilization . The AEF was very slow in returning its forces to the United States . The Squadron remained at Souilly Airdrome until 29 January 1919 when it moved Grand Aerodrome , France , to help construct a new airfield . On 18 April 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 the staging camp at Le Mans . There , personnel awaited scheduling to report to one of the Base Ports in France for transport to the United States and subsequent demobilization . It moved to its Base Port at Brest on 22 May 1919 for transport to the United States . The 139th Aero Squadron ( Pursuit ) , returned to New York City on 14 June , its personnel were demobilized and returned to civilian life , the squadron inactivated at Hazelhurst Field , Long Island , on the 17th of June , 1919 .