166th Aero Squadron The 166th 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 Bombardment Squadron , performing long - range bombing attacks on roads and railroads ; destruction of materiel and massed troop formations behind enemy lines . It also performed strategic reconnaissance over enemy controlled territory , and tactical bombing attacks on enemy forces in support of Army offensive operations . 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 became part of the permanent United States Army Air Service in 1921 , being re - designated as the 49th Squadron ( Bombardment ) . The current United States Air Force unit which holds its lineage and history is the 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron , assigned to the 53d Wing , Barksdale Air Force Base , Louisiana . History . Organization and training . The squadron was organized at Kelly Field , San Antonio , Texas on 18 December 1917 . After several days , the squadron was moved to Wilbur Wright Field , Dayton Ohio where it received its first training in the handling of Curtiss JN - 4 and Standard J - 1 aircraft . On 20 February 1918 , the squadron left Wright Field for Garden City , Long Island , New York , where it was one of a group of squadrons concentrated there for shipment overseas . On 5 March it embarked on a White Star Line ship , landing at Liverpool , England on 19 March . The squadron was then moved to Catterick Airdrome , Catterick Bridge , North Yorkshire in England for four and one - half months of training with the Royal Flying Corps . On 7 August the squadron was ordered to France for combat action . It was moved to Southampton on the channel coast where it embarked on a cross - channel ferry to Le Harve , Upper Normandy , France on the night of August 12 / 13th . From there it was moved to the St . Maixent Aerodrome which was the primary reception center for new units units assigned to American Expeditionary Forces . At St . Maixent , the squadron spent four days being equipped in all manner of equipment necessary for combat on the front , then was moved to Romorantin Aerodrome where the pilots of the squadron were equipped with De Haviland DH - 4 aircraft with Liberty Engines . Initially the squadron was scheduled to remain at Romorantin for several weeks of flight training , however the order was given to move to Colombey - les - Belles Airdrome , after just two days . However , when the squadron arrived there , it was informed that the squadron was supposed to go to Delouze Aerodrome , which it arrived three days later . After a series of delays and moves to several different Airdromes the squadron arrived at Maulan Aerodrome in the early hours of 25 September . Combat operations . At Maulan the squadron set up headquarters , mess and recreation tents and set up the airfield for combat operations . On 18 October , the 166th made its initial combat patrol , when at 14 : 00 thirteen pilots took off to attack Buzancy . Dropping 800 kg of bombs on the target , the formation was attacked by a formation of eight enemy Fokker aircraft . Two squadron aircraft were crippled , however they were able to make it back to friendly territory . One enemy aircraft was shot down . Weather conditions prevented further combat operations until 23 October . Thirteen planes took off to conduct a raid on Bois de Barricourt . Six planes reached the objective and dropped 600 kg of bombs . The formation was attacked by ten Fokkers who offered stubborn resistance all the way to the objective and then back to the lines when they turned off . During the combat , three squadron planes were forced to land , however the pilots reached the safety of Allied lines . Two Fokkers were shot down . Continuing poor weather conditions delayed further offensive operations until 27 October when fifteen planes took off on a raid to Briquenay . Nine planes reached the target and dropped 900 kg of bombs . A raid on Montigny two days later was a success with eleven planes reaching the target . Additional raids on 30 and 31 October ended combat actions when poor weather again moved in . 3 November saw two bombing raids , one on Stengy in the morning , then hitting Beaumont in the afternoon . The last raid by the 166th Aero Squadron occurred on 5 November when eleven planes attacked Montmedy . The attackers were intercepted by eight German Fokkers , one of which being a tri - plane . Severe cloud cover over the target made it impossible to bomb the target , so a secondary target at Raucourt was bombed instead . Weather conditions prevented further operations up until the Armistice was declared . The squadron was in combat for less than one month . Twelve successful raids were carried out with six enemy aircraft destroyed . No squadrons planes were lost , although one observer was killed , two wounded along with a pilot being wounded . Demobilization . After the armistice , the 166th remained at Julvecourt awaiting further orders . On 15 April 1919 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 a 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 . The squadron finally embarked at Brest for the trans - Atlantic crossing home , arriving in New York Harbor in mid June 1919 . There most of the men were demobilized and returned to civilian life .