41st Aero Squadron

41st Aero Squadron
Pilots of the 41st Aero Squadron, Lay-Saint-Remy Aerodrome, France, November 1919
Active	16 June 1917 – 2 July 1919
Country	United States
Branch	Air Service, United States Army
Type	Squadron
Role	Pursuit
Part of	American Expeditionary Forces (AEF)
Engagements	World War I Occupation of the Rhineland
Commanders
Notable commanders	Capt. Edward Buford
Insignia
41st Aero Squadron Emblem
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Sopwith Camel F.1, 1918–1919

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.

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.