{"id":3277,"date":"2018-03-02T13:38:03","date_gmt":"2018-03-02T20:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/?page_id=3277"},"modified":"2022-03-21T13:13:08","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T19:13:08","slug":"11th-aero-squadron","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/photos\/squadron-photos\/11th-aero-squadron\/","title":{"rendered":"11th Aero Squadron"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lawrence D. Larson, the 11<\/span>th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron, and Larson\u2019s photo album<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\"Three
Larson’s senior class picture on page 42 of Rockford High School’s 1918 yearbook.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lawrence D. Larson turned eighteen on April 6, 1917, the day the U.S. entered the war on; he was a senior at Rockford (Illinois) High School. He enlisted a month later. When the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron, which had been formed at Kelly Field at San Antonio, Texas, moved to Belleville, Illinois, in June 1917, Private Larson was assigned to it and spent several months stateside learning about the army and about Curtis JN-4s.1<\/a><\/p>\n

In early December Larson was among the approximately 150 enlisted men of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero who, along with six officers, left Illinois for New York. There they boarded the S.S.\u00a0Orduna<\/i>\u00a0and on December 18, 1917, set sail for Europe.2<\/a>\u00a0They docked at Glasgow on December 31, 1918, and then made the long journey by train from Glasgow to Winchester in the south of England on New Year\u2019s Day. At Winchester the men were divided into four flights. Two flights went to Stamford in Lincolnshire, and two to stations in Norfolk.\u00a0 Photos<\/a> of Larson taken in March 1918 indicate he was at Stamford.\u00a0 From January through April the men, alongside their counterparts<\/a> in the Royal Flying Corps (as of April 1, 1918, the Royal Air Force) learned about a variety of planes and motors.<\/p>\n

\"Three
Men of the 11th Aero trained on the above airplanes and motors in the first part of 1918. (Taken from p. 1 of [Heater], \u201cReport upon the Organization and Training of 11th Aero Service Squadron.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>On May 1, 1918, the Norfolk flights joined the other two at No. 1 Training Depot Station at Stamford. In June they moved to Waddington (also in Lincolnshire). The men of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0were now so well versed in the maintenance and care of planes and motors that it became their job to instruct American personnel who had arrived in England after them.<\/p>\n
\n

With large concentrations of American \u201cboys\u201d chafing to see action, it was perhaps inevitable that England was treated to an outsize display of patriotism on July 4, 1918. An official history describes the celebrations as extremely cordial and as putting the seal on Anglo-American friendship.3<\/a>\u00a0Larson\u2019s experience indicates that the actual events of 1776 had not been forgotten. After a literally incendiary celebration at their airfield, the men of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0were taken to the base C.O. for a dressing down. When they were ordered to stand at attention, their first sergeant\u2019s response was: \u201cI will not call my men to attention to be chastised by you for celebrating the anniversary of the date we kicked your tails in 1776.\u201d4<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In August 1918 the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron set out for France. They arrived at Delouze (twenty miles east southeast of Toul) in the American Zone of Advance on August 26, 1918. Pilots and observers began arriving on September 1, 1918. On September 7, 1918, the squadron was ordered to relocate to nearby Amanty, where, along with the 20th<\/sup>\u00a0and the 166th<\/sup>, they formed the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Day Bombardment Squadron.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\"Close
Photo of a DH-4 from Larson’s album.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The enlisted men had less than a week to get the planes\u2014American-built DH-4 bombers\u2014and equipment in shape before the beginning of the St. Mihiel Offensive on September 12, 1918, in which the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Day Bombardment Squadron was to participate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first day of the St. Mihiel drive we [the enlisted men] were ordered to have our planes ready for a raid at day-break. It meant working all night, but the next morning we had about twenty planes ready to take the air. The drive went on in real earnest and we had four days of hot fighting, which left us scarcely enough planes for one \u2018flight.\u2019 These few disastrous days were the worst the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0ever experienced.\u201d5<\/a>\u00a0By the end of the day on September 18, 1918, fourteen pilots and observers from the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0had been killed or taken prisoner, including Thornton Dayton Hooper, their commanding officer.<\/p>\n

\"Full-length
Captain Heater (detail from group photo; see below).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Credit for the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero\u2019s recovery from this devastation goes in no small part to second Oxford detachment member Charles Louis Heater, who was assigned to them as their new C.O. on September 21, 1918. His skill at close formation flying, honed during his time with No. 55 Squadron R.A.F., and his willingness to stand up to the \u201cswivel-chair commanders\u201d were what the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0needed.<\/p>\n

Soon after Heater\u2019s arrival, the three squadrons of the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Day Bombardment Group moved from Amanty to Maulan as part of the extension of the American First Army\u2019s front from the St. Mihiel sector to the Argonne Forest.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jiggs, from “11th Aero.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The official insignia of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero was chosen during the squadron\u2019s time at Maulan. A committee of enlisted men and officers decided \u201cthat \u2018Jiggs\u2019 with his long suffering, still smiling spirit was nearest typical of the spirit of the 11th<\/sup>. Hal Green and Lawrence Larson were the ones suggesting \u2018Jiggs\u2019 and were the official artists in decorating the noses of our DH4’s.\u201d6<\/a><\/p>\n

On September 26, 1918, the Meuse\u2013Argonne Offensive commenced. In part at Heater\u2019s instigation, flights by the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Day Bombardment Squadrons were made in large, tight formations, which were more effective and resulted in fewer casualties than during St. Mihiel. Nonetheless, \u201cDuring the most active period of our operations the casualties and sickness among officers began to hamper us. We always endeavored to get every machine which was fit to fly, off the ground on every raid. A shortage of observers began to make this impossible, and requests for replacements from the S.O.S. [Services of Supply] did not meet with much success.”<\/p>\n

\"\"
Larson in flying clothes (from Edwards’s “A World War Remembrance”).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“With the wealth of willing material among the enlisted men, however, we were not long in getting away from this difficulty. The first call for volunteers from the men to act as aerial gunners was answered by practically the entire roster of the squadron.\u201d7<\/a>\u00a0 Larson was evidently among those who volunteered; his son-in-law recalls that \u201cHe flew in the De Havilland DH-4 day bombardment aircraft as a rear gunner.\u201d8<\/a><\/p>\n

The operations officer of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero wrote brief summaries of the missions flown by the squadron. Most of the summaries for the Meuse\u2013Argonne period conclude with something like \u201cAll our machines returned safely at\u00a0.\u00a0.\u00a0. o\u2019clock.\u201d9<\/a>\u00a0The major exception is his report for November 4, 1918, when Montm\u00e9dy was the target.\u00a0 Two planes failed to return from that mission.\u00a0 Dana Edmund Coates with his observer Loren Renfrew Thrall and Cyrus John Gatton with his observer George E. Bures were all killed in action.\u00a0 Larson kept a remarkable aerial photo<\/a> taken of Montm\u00e9dy that day.<\/p>\n

The planes of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero flew again the next day, but did not cross the lines; the war was over for them. And it was over officially, of course, on November 11, 1918: \u201cA peculiar circumstance: the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Squadron rejoicing in the armistice taking effect at eleven o\u2019clock on the eleventh of November, the eleventh month of the year.\u201d10<\/a>\u00a0On hearing the news, there was a brief period of solemn silence. \u201cBut when, a few minutes later, things did break loose, [the men] went wild. All the loose ammunition was fired, bonfires were lighted, and colored signal lights and flares filled the air.\u201d11<\/a><\/p>\n

Finding sufficient \u201ctonnage\u201d to get the American army to Europe in 1917\u201318 had been one of the challenges confronting Pershing. Now came the same problem in reverse. In the case of the 11th<\/sup>, priority was given to officers, and by the end of 1918, most of them had left Maulan and were awaiting embarkation orders. Heater and the few others who remained \u201cwere now almost wholly concerned with properly taking care of the enlisted personnel and the squadron as a flying outfit really ceased with the close of the year of 1918.\u201d12<\/a>\u00a0The men occupied themselves with playing football against the 20th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero; they celebrated Thanksgiving in great style; and they ferried planes back to the Colombey-les-Belles depot. When leaves came, the men travelled to Paris and other parts of France. In January 1919 \u201cThe mud of Maulan was exchanged for the mud of Colombey.\u201d13<\/a>\u00a0In February they moved again, to Sablons, not far from Bordeaux, and thus significantly closer to the Atlantic and home. Larson was apparently at nearby Libourne on February 27, 1919, when Pershing reviewed troops.14<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A
This is one of three photos<\/a> from Larson’s photo album taken when Pershing was reviewing troops at Libourne on February 27, 1919.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finally, on April 21, 1919, the men of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron, as well as those of the 20th<\/sup>, embarked at Bordeaux on the\u00a0Henry R. Mallory<\/i>\u00a0bound for home; they arrived at Brooklyn on May 1, 1919.15<\/a><\/p>\n

Larson returned to Rockford and found employment as a draftsman. He married and had two daughters. One of the daughters inherited the photo album he had carefully assembled to reflect his experiences in the Great War, and the album eventually came to her husband, Bill Edwards.<\/p>\n

In 2016 Edwards contributed an article describing his father-in-law\u2019s experiences and the album to\u00a0Friends and Neighbors Magazine<\/i>, a publication edited by Suzy Hopkins for the community of Tuolumne County in northern California. The article included an iconic and oft-reproduced photo of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero that caught my attention. I contacted Edwards, and with the help of Hopkins and of Fred Smith of Sierra Instant Printing in Sonora, California, Edwards generously provided me with scans of the album pages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a>11th Sqdn Officers in their flying clothes<\/h6>\n
\"Officers
This photo of the officers of the 11th Aero Squadron is frequently reproduced, but typically at poor resolution.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Larson has identified only Heater.\u00a0 \u00a0Mike O’Neal has identified the man third from the left (hands in pockets, cigar in mouth) as Clifford W. Allsopp.\u00a0 I believe that Norris is the 11th man from the right, holding the large map (?) case. \u00a0I hope others among the men may be identified from this higher resolution copy<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
<\/a>Officers of the 11th Aero Squadron<\/h6>\n
\"A
This photo was apparently taken in early October 1918. Another copy (with the men’s signatures) was handed down in Coates’s family.\u00a0 It is also photo C-152 in Pictorial History of Air Service from Photos of Photographic Section, Air Service: Group Photos<\/em> [Part I] (= Gorrell M.17).\u00a0 For a higher resolution version of the photo itself, click here<\/a>.\u00a0 And an even higher resolution version, scanned from a copy kept by Ramon Hollister Guthrie in a photo album now among his papers in Rauner Special Collections at Dartmouth College, can be seen here<\/a> (courtesy of Dartmouth College Library).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

The following identifications are taken in part from\u00a0<\/em>History of the 11th Aero Squadron U.S.A., pp. 206\u201307. Bolded names indicate members of the second Oxford detachment.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Morton F. Bird (Stoughton, MA). 2. James G. Curtin (Milwaukee). 3. Henry W. Ulmo (Prescott, AZ). 4. Donald C. Malcolm (NYC). 5. Lew W. Springer (Cimarron, NM). 6. James L. Patten (Los Angeles). 7. Horace N. Jones, Jr. (Wheaton, IL). 8. George W. Perry (Camden, ME). 9. Philip J. Edwards (Chicago). 10. John E. Osmun (Madison, NJ). 11. John A. Richards (Minneapolis). 12. Dana Edmund Coates<\/strong> (Lodgepole, NE). 13. Alfred G. Cooper (New Kensington, PA).<\/em><\/p>\n

14. James S. Yates (Oak Park, IL). 15. Ernest G. Noring (Lawrence, MA). 16. Loren Renfrew Thrall (Bellmont, IL). 17. Clifford W. Allsopp (Newark, NJ). 18. Warren N. Cromley (Jamestown, NY). 19. Charles Louis Heater<\/strong> (ND). 20. George Peabody (NYC). 21. Cyrus John Gatton (Melbourne, IA). 22. Joseph G. B. Molten (Philadelphia). 23. Sydney E. Brewster (NYC). 24. Frederick C. Slauson (NYC). 25. Ramon H. Guthrie (Paris). 26. Vincent Paul Oatis<\/strong> (Chicago).<\/em><\/p>\n

27. Hasell D. Archer (Charlotte, NC). 28. Walter Andrew Stahl<\/strong> (Chicago). 29. Uel Thomas McCurry<\/strong> (Seattle). 30. William L. Parish (Chicago). 31. Ralf Andrews Crookston<\/strong> (Wallkill, NY). 32. Henry D. Lawrence (Denver). 33. John L. Garlough (Wichita, KS). 34. Robert Payton (Chicago). 35. Robert Brewster Porter<\/strong> (Bridgeport, CT). 36. George Dana Spear<\/strong> (Walpole, MA). 37. Lawrence Ward (Chalfont, CA). 38. Sigbert A. G. Norris (NYC). 39. William Wallace Waring (NY).<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a011th Aero, 1st flight, enlisted men and Walter “Jake” Stahl<\/h6>\n
\"\"
For a larger version of the photo, click here<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The following identifications are taken from\u00a0<\/em>History of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron U.S.A., pp. 202\u201305.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Carl H. Simpson (Normal IL). 2. Ray A. Bedell (St. Louis). 3. Purchase W. Justice (Hutchinson, KS). 4. Sam J. Lohmiller (Watseka, IL). 5. Earl C. Wilcox (Spokane, WA). 6. John M. Schroeder (Larimore, ND). 7. John D. Martin (Warrensburg, IL). 8. Frank M. Frandsen (Reno, NV).<\/em><\/p>\n

9. Everett W. Foltz (Manhattan, KS).\u00a0 10. Willard A. Hill (San Francisco). 11. Patrick J. Glynn (NYC). 12. Russell S. McCracken (Denver). 13. Hal L. Green (Ligonier, IN). 14. Clyde A. Cox (Schuyler, NE). 15. Walter C. LaSalle (Chanute, KS). 16. Marion W. Payton (Stockton, CA).<\/em><\/p>\n

17. Charles L. Ryno (Plymouth, CA). 18. Harold E. Shillock (Seattle). 19. John P. McMahon (NYC). 20. Glennes C. Woodruff (Lakeview, OH). 21. Joaquin Frank (Ryde, CA).<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a011th Aero, 2nd flight, enlisted men and Vincent Paul Oatis<\/h6>\n
\"\"
For a larger version of the photo, click here<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The following identifications are taken from\u00a0<\/em>History of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron U.S.A., pp. 202\u201305.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. James Fitzpatrick (Sweffels, CO). 2. Keith C. Wiley (Alden, IA). 3. Arthur B. Goldsberry (Chicago). 4. Stephen M. Bernard (Elk River, MN). 5. William H. Evans (Custer Park, IL). 6. Perry Saling (Pittsburgh). 7. James J. Rowe (Philadephia).<\/em><\/p>\n

8. John W. Frierson (Shelbyville TN). 9. Adolph G. Soderberg (Steinway, L.I., N.Y.). 10. Rufus D. Hart (Manitoba). 11. Carl P. Lesto (Alden, MN). 12. ? Eugene F. Johnson (Browns Valley, CA); Charles E. Johnson (Ely, NV); or George T. Johnson (Fresno, CA). 13. Charles W. Falter (Philadelphia). 14. Carroll V. Campbell (Doswell, VA).<\/em><\/p>\n

15. Henry W. Wagner (Brooklyn). 16. Walter I. Price (Alameda, CA). 17. Francis J. Collette (Los Angeles). 18. Althur A. Alburn (Chicago). 19. Edgar G. Mason (Johnson City, TN). 20. Elmer E. Scoville (Forman, ND).<\/em><\/p>\n

11th Aero, 3rd flight, enlisted men and Donald C. Malcolm<\/h6>\n
\"\"
For a larger version of the photo, click here.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The following identifications are taken from <\/em>History of the 11th Aero Squadron U.S.A., pp. 202\u201305.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Clement M. Jenkins (Watseka, IL). 2. Frank E. Plate (San Francisco). 3. Eugene L. Shetter (Butler, PA). 4. Otto J. Wilbert (Grand Rapids, MI). 5. Samuel C. Rich (Provincetown, MA). 6. N. R. Sandage (Powder River, WY). 7. Charles Zimmerman (Cameron, MO). 8. Harry C. Mewes (Oak P. O., CA). 9. David P. Carlson (Portland, OR).<\/em><\/p>\n

10. Harry W. Britten (Zearing, IA). 11. Irvin McCauley (Golden Pond, KY). 12. Lawrence L. Richert (Spokane, WA). 13. E. C. Borgert (Browerville, MN). 14. ? Eugene F. Johnson (Browns Valley, CA); Charles E. Johnson (Ely, NV); or George T. Johnson (Fresno, CA). 15. Albert J. Herrin (Belleville, IL). 16. B. J. Bennett (Mankato, MN). 17. Lawrence L. Albrecht (Minneapolis). 18. Charles S. Jackson (San Francisco).<\/em><\/p>\n

19. Lewis F. Mathewson (Lewiston, ID). 20. Jean M. Lembeye (San Francisco). 21. Charles J. Ingraham (Ashland, NE). 22. Harry Christensen (Alden, MN).<\/em><\/p>\n

mrsmcq March 2, 2018; October 2020:\u00a0 Bill Edwards has donated Larson’s photo album to the National WW1 Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Notes<\/h3>\n
\n

1<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Larson\u2019s date of birth and date of enlistment are taken from Ancestry.com,\u00a0U.S., Headstone Applications for Military Veterans, 1925\u20131963<\/i>, record for Lawrence D Larson. Much of the information on the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0here and subsequently is taken from [Heater], \u201cReport upon the Organization and Training of 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Service Squadron.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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2<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0For the list of men and their date of sailing, see War Department, Office of the Quartermaster General. Army Transport Service,\u00a0Lists of Outgoing Passengers, 1917 – 1938<\/i>, passenger list for 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

3<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See the section \u201cMarked Metamorphosis in British Hospitality\u201d on pp. 6\u20137 of\u00a0A History of the Air Service in Great Britain<\/i>\u00a0as well as photos on pp. 216 ff.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

4<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Edwards, \u201cA World War Remembrance.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

5<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0History of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron U.S.A.<\/i>, p. 87.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

6<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Ibid<\/i>., p. 92.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

7<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Ibid<\/i>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

8<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Edwards, \u201cA World War Remembrance.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

9<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See Norris, [History of operations of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Squadron during St. Mihiel Offensive]<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

10<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0History of the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron U.S.A.<\/i>, p. 177.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

11<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Ibid<\/i>., p. 95.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

12<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Ibid., p. 179.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

13<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Ibid<\/i>., p. 97.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

14<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0The National Archives and Records Administration has preserved related film footage of Pershing; see \u201cBase Section No. 2 (Bordeaux), Ceremonies and, Activities of Troops Returning to the U.S. [1919].\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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15\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0See War Department, Office of the Quartermaster General. Army Transport Service,\u00a0Lists of Incoming Passengers, 1917 – 1938<\/i>, passenger list for the 11th<\/sup>\u00a0Aero Squadron.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lawrence D. Larson, the 11th\u00a0Aero Squadron, and Larson\u2019s photo album Lawrence D. Larson turned eighteen on April 6, 1917, the day the U.S. entered the war on; he was a senior at Rockford (Illinois) High School. He enlisted a month later. When the 11th\u00a0Aero Squadron, which had been formed at Kelly Field at San Antonio, … Continue reading “11th Aero Squadron”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":43,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3277","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3277"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7105,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3277\/revisions\/7105"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/43"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parr-hooper.cmsmcq.com\/2OD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}