5th Pursuit Group

The 5th Pursuit Group was a United States Army Air Service aviation formation associated with the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe during the closing phase of World War I and the subsequent American occupation of the Rhineland. It was authorized in October 1918 by the Second Army Air Service for anticipated operations connected with a planned drive toward Metz and further offensives. The Armistice of 11 November 1918 ended the immediate prospect of those operations before the group could enter combat. The group was formally organized on 15 November 1918 at Lay-Saint-Remy Aerodrome in the Toul Sector of France. Its initial components were the 41st, 138th, and 638th Aero Squadrons (Pursuit), with the 94th Aero Squadron joining several days later. The group brought together personnel with varied wartime experience. Some pilots had served with the British Royal Flying Corps, including individuals who had been shot down and held as prisoners of war. Others had worked as instructors in the United States, England, or Scotland and reached Europe too late to see combat. This mixture gave the organization a substantial training and instructional role even though it was created after the Armistice. Flying activity continued after hostilities ended. When weather allowed, pilots conducted proficiency flights, formation exercises, patrol practice, and air-combat training, but the available account describes these activities as taking place over friendly territory rather than in combat. The group also performed demonstrations and aerobatic exhibitions for military and public audiences. Its pilots were reported to have carried out these exhibitions without accidents. Enlisted personnel received courses intended to maintain wartime skills and incorporate lessons learned during the conflict, while visits by senior officers provided opportunities to discuss wartime cooperation and the developing role of military aviation. The Lay-Saint-Remy station was substantially improved during the group's stay. By 1919, work by its personnel had transformed the initially rough airfield into a well-regarded installation within the Second Army Air Service. The station included an officers' club known as the Side Slip Inn, which became a venue for entertaining senior visitors. Colonel Frank P. Lahm, the Second Army Air Service's chief of air service, reportedly compared the station favorably with a peacetime Regular Army post in the United States. In April 1919, the group received orders connected with the demobilization of the Second Army Air Service. On 15 April, most of the 5th Pursuit Group was transferred to Coblenz, Germany, to serve with the Third Army Air Service; the 94th Aero Squadron was initially excluded from that movement. The 141st Aero Squadron was designated to join the group in Germany, and the 3d Air Park provided its principal support. Personnel and equipment moved by rail, truck, and aircraft, with pilots ferrying aircraft to the new location at Fort Kaiser Alexander, a former German fort overlooking Coblenz between the Rhine and Moselle rivers. At Coblenz, the group operated a mixture of aircraft and conducted test flights involving surrendered German types, including the Fokker D.VII, Pfalz D.XII, Halberstadt, and Rumpler aircraft. These flights supported evaluation and familiarization rather than combat operations. The Third Army Air Service released its relevant formations from further duty on 12 May 1919, after which the 5th Pursuit Group and its component squadrons were ordered to the 1st Air Depot at Colombey-les-Belles Aerodrome in France for demobilization. The group was therefore a temporary postwar military formation, not a continuing United States Air Force organization, and no modern United States Air Force unit shares its documented lineage and history.

The 5th Pursuit Group was authorized in October 1918 by the Second Army Air Service as part of preparations for a possible American offensive toward Metz and subsequent operations. The Armistice with Germany on 11 November prevented the group from participating in the planned campaign. It was nevertheless organized on 15 November 1918 at Lay-Saint-Remy Aerodrome in the Toul Sector of France. The original organization included the 41st, 138th, and 638th Aero Squadrons (Pursuit). The 94th Aero Squadron joined on 20 November. The personnel represented several strands of the wartime American and Allied aviation effort. Some pilots had served with the British Royal Flying Corps, while others had been instructors at American or British training fields and had not flown combat missions. The group thus combined operational experience with a strong training background. Although formed after the Armistice, the group maintained a regular flying program whenever weather permitted. Its pilots practiced formation flying, patrol procedures, and air-combat skills over friendly territory. Demonstration flights and aerobatic displays were also staged for military and public audiences. The group used these activities to preserve proficiency and demonstrate the capabilities of the Air Service to other branches of the military. Courses for enlisted personnel likewise focused on retaining technical skills and applying lessons learned during the war. The unit's station at Lay-Saint-Remy developed considerably during its existence. What began as a rough and barren aerodrome was improved through sustained work by the group and associated personnel. By 1919, it was regarded as one of the better installations of the Second Army Air Service. The officers' club, called the Side Slip Inn, served as a social and hospitality center, and senior Air Service officers visited the station to discuss aviation's wartime role and its cooperation with other military branches. Colonel Frank P. Lahm, chief of air service for the Second Army, praised the finished station as comparable to a peacetime Regular Army post. On 15 April 1919, the group received orders resulting from the demobilization of the Second Army Air Service. Most of the organization moved to Coblenz, Germany, where it became part of the Third Army Air Service. The 94th Aero Squadron did not initially accompany the main body, while the 141st Aero Squadron was directed to join the group in Germany. The transfer involved a coordinated movement of supplies, vehicles, personnel, and aircraft. Enlisted personnel traveled by rail and truck, and pilots ferried aircraft to the new airfield. The group was based at Fort Kaiser Alexander, a former German fort on high ground between the Rhine and Moselle rivers overlooking Coblenz. The 3d Air Park joined it as its primary support element. In Germany, the group flew a mixture of assigned aircraft and tested captured or surrendered German designs, including Fokker D.VII, Pfalz D.XII, Halberstadt, and Rumpler aircraft. These flights provided opportunities for technical observation and evaluation during the occupation period. The Third Army Air Service ended the group's assignment on 12 May 1919. The component squadrons were ordered to the 1st Air Depot at Colombey-les-Belles Aerodrome in France for final processing and demobilization. The 5th Pursuit Group was consequently a temporary organization of the post-Armistice Army Air Service. It did not become a continuing United States Air Force unit, and its lineage and history are not carried by a modern Air Force formation.

• 1919

  Transfer to the Third Army Air Service

  [1]5th Pursuit Groupen.wikipedia.org

  On 15 April, most of the group moved from France to Coblenz, Germany, to serve with the Third Army Air Service. The 141st Aero Squadron was designated to join it there.

• 1919

  Demobilization

  [1]5th Pursuit Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was relieved from further Third Army duty on 12 May and its squadrons were sent to the 1st Air Depot at Colombey-les-Belles for demobilization.

• 1918

  Authorization for a planned offensive

  [1]5th Pursuit Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The Second Army Air Service authorized the 5th Pursuit Group in October for anticipated operations connected with a planned drive toward Metz. The Armistice prevented the intended combat deployment.

• 1918

  Formal organization at Lay-Saint-Remy

  [1]5th Pursuit Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group was organized on 15 November at Lay-Saint-Remy Aerodrome in France with the 41st, 138th, and 638th Aero Squadrons assigned.

• 1918

  Addition of the 94th Aero Squadron

  [1]5th Pursuit Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The 94th Aero Squadron joined the group on 20 November, expanding its initial post-Armistice organization.

A temporary postwar military aviation formation focused on pilot proficiency, training, demonstrations, aircraft evaluation, and occupation-duty support rather than commercial products or services.

1. 15th Pursuit Groupen.wikipedia.org