85th Aero Squadron The 85th Aero Squadron was an Air Service , United States Army unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I . Initially assigned as an Army Observation Squadron to perform long - range strategic reconnaissance behind enemy lines , it was instead designated as a Corps Observation Squadron , performing short - range , tactical reconnaissance over the VI Corps , United States Second Army sector of the Western Front in France . The squadron saw limited combat , and with Second Army ' s planned offensive drive on Metz cancelled due to 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 July , 1919 . There is no modern United States Air Force unit that shares its lineage and history . History . Origins . The 85th Aero Squadron was organized on 17 August 1917 at Kelly Field , San Antonio , Texas . The squadron was organized from 150 recruits , which entered the Army at Angel Island , San Francisco , California . Practically all of the recruits were from Northern California . After being processed , the squadron was transferred to Scott Field , Bellesville , Illinois on 21 September . During its stay at Scott Field , the men received indoctrination training for soldiering and received initial training as aircraft mechanics . The squadron left Scott Field on 2 February 1918 , proceeding to Garden City , Long Island , New York where it was assigned to the Aviation Concentration Camp awaiting transport for overseas duty . The overseas movement to Europe was made from New York Harbor , Pier 54 , with the squadron being assigned to the RMS Olympic . The ship embarked on 25 February unescorted , its speed protecting it from submarine attacks . Two German submarines were sighted but no attacks were made . The ship reached Liverpool , England , on 5 March 1919 . Training in England . The 85th 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 " Winnal Down Rest Camp " . A week later the squadron was moved to the " Romsey Rest Camp " . On 16 March 1918 , the squadron arrived at Harlaxton Aerodrome , Grantham , Linconshire , England for training by the Royal Flying Corps . During a stay of more than five months , the mechanics were trained in the hangars , machine shops , transport , gunnery and photography sections . Two flights of the RFC 53d Training Squadron were operated solely by the mechanics of the 85th Squadron . The record made by the squadron during its stay . The squadron departed Harlaxton on 1 September 1918 , and traveled to the Southampton docks and loaded on a boat and an uncomfortable English Channel crossing was made to Cherbourg Harbour , Lower Normandy , France , arriving on 9 September . It then proceeded to St . Maixent Aerodrome , where the squadron spent two weeks , being equipped for combat on the front . The squadron arrived at Chaumont Aerodrome on 30 September for duty . At Chaumont , the squadron was assigned to the 2d Army on 25 October . Combat on the Western Front . Orders were received to move to Gengault Aerodrome , Toul , on 4 November . There , the squadron received its aircraft , four De Haviland DH - 4 with Liberty engines . On 10 November 1918 , the squadron made its only patrol across enemy lines , flying to the railway yards at Conflans - en - Jarnisy for visual reconnaissance . Following the armistice , the squadron suffered its only casualty , when 2d Lieutenant Richard Prod was killed in airplane crash . Third Army of occupation . With the end of hostilities , the squadron first moved to the 2d Air Instructional Center at Tours Aerodrome on 24 November , where the squadron was called upon to cover 45 sq . miles of the Hindenburg Line with aerial photography . The squadron photographed 8 of the 11 Metz forts & photographed everything on the surface of the ground . After the Hindenburg line was photographed , the 85th remained at Tours until the Second Army Air Service was demobilized on 15 April 1919 . It then was assigned to Sinzig Airdrome , Germany to serve as part of the occupation force of the Rhineland under the Third Army Air Service , IV Corps Observation Group . One of its duties was to fly over Cologne and other parts of the Rhineland occupied by Third Army . In addition , the 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 13 June 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 the staging camp at Nantes , France . There , personnel awaited scheduling to report to one of the Base Ports in France for transport to the United States . Upon return to the US , most squadron personnel were demobilized at at Camp Mills , New York in late July 1919 .