History of the 91st Aero Squadron Air Service U.S.A. (WWI Centenary Series) by Anon

Author:Anon [Anon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Military, World War I
ISBN: 9781528765695
Google: Sv83EAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Published: 2021-06-28T03:32:34+00:00

Election of Mess Officer, Gondreville.

“Quiet” Cousins and Maury Hill.

On the 16th another “Back Area” fiend arrived in the person of 2nd Lt. Harold J. Hotton, and Fleck was replaced by 2nd Lt. Robert T. Boyd. H-H-H-Hugh Fontaine left at the same time, having finally been transferred to chasse, for Which he had applied some time previously.

During the rest of the month fairly continuous good weather kept everybody on the move, and before the end of August the sector was photographed over practically every square foot, and the squadron, both pilots and observers, had become a veteran outfit. Nearly every mission that went over came back reporting a combat, but the Boches seemed to bear charmed lives; it seemed almost impossible to bring them down, no matter how many rounds of tracers entered their machines. The squadron was further reinforced with both pilots and observers in preparation for the coming offensive, of Which rumors were already starting to fly around. Second Lieutenants Richard S. Jannopoulo and Raymond R. Sebring reported on the 22nd, Capt. Abraham Tabachnik on the 23rd, and 2nd Lts. John W. Schricker and John S. Richardson on the 26th as observers, while to the pilots roster were added the names of 1st Lt. Leon W. Powell and 1st Lt. William F. Baker, who arrived on the 26th Major Martin F. Scanlon, J. M. A., was temporarily assigned to us on the 26th.

A new army observation squadron, the 24th, moved in on the 23rd to help us, but their ships did not begin to arrive until some time after, and then all the pilots had to start learning to fly Salmsons. First Lieutenant Harry Miller, formerly of the 1st Aero Squadron, was in command, but on Sept. 4th the news came through that he was to be replaced by Maury Hill, and that another 91st man, “Quiet” Cousins, Maury’s old observer, would go to the 24th as operations officer. Henderson left on the 27th.

September opened with a foretaste of what was to come. On the 2nd, during a photographic mission over Metz, the fighting second flight again ran into a flock of Boches, and in a hot “dog-fight”, which lasted all the way back to the lines, brought down three enemy planes, which, however, were never confirmed, as they fell too far back to be observed. Strahm and “Cap” Wallis, Lambert and Mangan, “Pep” Foster and Perry, and Hughey and Roper, were the four teams that took part in this encounter with a total of twelve enemy machines. None of our planes was badly shot up, but the Boches certainly learned something about the difficulty of bringing down a Salmson.

“Pep” Foster had his oft-repeated Wish that he might “get in lots of time over the lines” granted on the 4th, when the same quartet got in hot water again. On this occasion three enemy ships attacked the formation and immediately closed in. One of them dove on Foster’s machine and shot Sebring, his observer, killing him instantly. To try to shake the Boches, “Pep” went into a dive, with the enemy on his tail.

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