41st Aero Squadron The 41st 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 5th Pursuit Group , Second 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 . The squadron was never fully organized , 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 and was demobilized . In 1924 , the squadron was reconstituted and consolidated with the United States Army Air Service 41st Squadron . It was inactivated by the United States Air Force as the 429th Bombardment Squadron in 1962 . History . The 41st Aero Squadron has its origins at the Signal Corps Barracks , Fort Leavenworth , Kansas . There , a squadron of 180 men was formed and sent to Kelly Field , Texas , arriving there on 5 July 1917 . At this time , Kelly Field was a barren , unorganized post and over the next few days , the squadron was engaged in pitching tents , laying out streets , and policing the grounds . On 9 July , the squadron was official recognized as the 41st Aero Squadron . The squadron was then engaged in close order infantry drill , construction and fatigue work . On 25 August , the 41st was ordered to proceed to Selfridge Field , Michigan . Upon arrival on the 28th , the squadron was again engaged in construction work , instruction in the manual of arms , the study of aviation and a varying round of other duties . After an extended period of training , the squadron was ready to be sent overseas and was ordered to proceed to the Aviation Concentration Center , Garden City , Long Island on 2 February 1918 . After just over a week , it moved to the Port of Entry , Hoboken , New Jersey for boarding on the RMS Carmania , leaving on 16 February , bound for Liverpool , England . On 4 March , after arriving at Liverpool , the squadron was moved to the Romsey Rest Camp , Winchester , England where the squadron was assigned to the Royal Flying Corps ( RFC ) for combat training . The RFC sent to squadron to RFC Montrose , Scotland where it arrived on 10 March . It was the first American Air Service squadron to arrive in Scotland . From there , it was moved to RFC Gullane , Scotland where the RFC had established a new flying field . About three weeks after arriving at Gullane , the RFC divided the squadron into two flights , and each flight was sent to a different station for training . After the first week their total number of flying hours and total number of planes released from the Aero Repair began to exceed the amount of its British trainees . Finally on 14 August , fully trained and anxious to get to the front lines in France , orders were received for the squadron to report to the Replacement Concentration Center , AEF , at St . Maixent Replacement Barracks , France . Moving though Winchester , and Southampton , the squadron reached Cherbourg , France on the morning of 19 August . It reached St . Maixent on the 22d . There , the squadron was fully equipped with clothing and was mustered to full strength . The squadron then was ordered to Air Service Production Center No . 2 , Romorantin Aerodrome . At Romorantin , the squadron was engaged in fatigue and garrision duties . On 18 September , it was again ordered to the 1st Air Depot , Colombey - les - Belles Airdrome , where it arrived on 18 September . There , gas mask s were received and the squadron was fully trained in their use by experiencing the tear gas training class . It also was tasked for fatigue and garrison duties . However , the 41st Aero Squadron was designated as a Pursuit Squadron , and ordered to report to the 5th Pursuit Group , Second Army , which was being formed at Lay - Saint - Remy Aerodrome . However , by the time the 41st reached Lay - Saint - Remy on 15 November , the Germans had agreed to an Armistice , and the squadron never engaged in active combat . In spite of the Armistice , the squadron was made ready for service by being equipped with British Sopwith Camel F . 1 aircraft , and pilots were assigned . Third Army of Occupation . Equipped with aircraft and pilots , the squadron engaged in flying flew proficiency flights , training in formation flying , patrols and in air combat being on the schedule each day the weather permitted , although all flying was performed in friendly territory . Also demonstration flying was performed for various events to thrill the crowd and to demonstrate to the other branches of the service the capabilities of the Air Service . The pilots were skilled in aerobatic flying , and no accidents ever resulted from an exhibition . On 15 April 1919 , orders were received that the Second Army Air Service was being demobilized . The entire 5th Pursuit Group was ordered to Coblenz , Germany to become part of the Third Army Air Service . The squadron prepared to move , and their equipment and supplies were moved the 200 - odd miles in their own trucks . The enlisted personnel moved by rail and also by truck , while the pilots ferried their aircraft to their new airfield in the Rhineland . The 41st made itself comfortable in Fort Kaiser Alexander , which was built by Wilhelm Hohenzollern ' s grandfather . The Fort commanded a high ridge between the Rhine and Moselle rivers , overlooking the city . At Coblenz , the groups flew a mixture of their assigned aircraft , and also they were 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 . The entire air service of the Third Army , excepting that of the III Corps Observation Group at Weißenthurm Airdrome , were relieved from further duty with the Third Army , on 12 May 1919 and ordered demobilized . The 41st Aero Squadron was ordered to proceed to the 1st Air Depot at Colombey - les - Belles Airdrome , France for subsequent demobilization . The squadron ' s planes were delivered to the Air Service Production Center No . 2 . at Romorantin . 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 , finally boarding a troop ship for the United States in late June . The 41st Aero Squadron arrived in New York Harbor in late June , and was sent to Camp Lee , Virginia where it was demobilized in early July 1919 .