US pilots in french squadrons

[Lassaque]

In 1918, USAAS was fully operational on the western front but some new pilots still were assigned to french squadrons. My sample is 1st Lt Henry Birdsall Marsh who joined escadrille Spa 124 in aug. 1918 and remained until after the victory.
Why not to have him assigned to a regular USAS squadron ? His status is questionable as Lt Marsh doesn't appear on the Spa 124 roster.
I'd appreciate any information about him (if interested, I've a short memo about him. Please feel free to ask for it).
Thanks for reading.
J. Lassaque

[regular122]

A place to start for US Aviators that flew with the French would be the excellent and period work in two volumes, "The Lafayette Flying Corps" published in 1920.

After America's declaration of war, the Executive Committee of the Lafayette Corps decided that the pilots of the Escadrille Lafayette, as well as all of those Americans serving in other French squadrons, should be asked to offer their services to the United States Government. The final decision was left wholly to the men themselves, and it was a difficult one to make. While all of them were eager to serve their own country, they were reluctant to leave the service of France. They had formed lasting friendships with their French comrades, and had come to think of France as a second mother country, almost as dear to them as their own.

After many long conferences held in barracks on rainy days, and between patrol hours, the pilots of the Lafayette Squadron decided that their first duty was to their own land; and that, inasmuch as the French Government had expressed its willingness to release them, they would offer their services as a unit to the United States. This was done in the late autumn of 1917. They were officially released from the French Army in December, but as many of them did not receive notification of their American commissions until January or February, 1918, they continued to serve at the Front as civilians, still wearing their French uniforms. During this time the Squadron, which was then stationed at La Ferme de la Noblette on the Champagne Front, remained with Groupe de Combat 13 as a French unit.

On February 18, 1918, under the provisions of a curious and interesting agreement between the French and American armies, the Escadrille Lafayette became the 103d Pursuit Squadron of the U.S. Air Service, retaining a detachment of French mechanics to instruct the newly arrived American non-flying personnel in their duties. A clause in the agreement, which states that the average annual cost of keeping one Spad in service at the Front was 313,865 francs, illustrates the enormous expense of military aviation. The Squadron, still under French orders, was attached to the Groupe de Combat 15, for at that time there were no other American squadrons ready for service. The pilots were: Ray C. Bridgman, Charles H. Dolan, Jr., William E. Dugan, Jr., Christopher W. Ford, James N. Hall, Dudley L. Hill, Henry S. Jones, Kenneth Marr, David McK. Peterson, Robert L. Rockwell, and Robert Soubiran, under command of Major William Thaw. To this number were added Phelps Collins, Paul F. Baer, Charles J. Biddle, C. Maury Jones, George E. Turnure, Jr., and Charles H. Wilcox, who had received their American commissions and had been sent from their French squadrons for further duty with the Escadrille Lafayette.

It had been the hope of the pilots of the Squadron that they might be kept together as a unit, but this was not to be. By the early summer of 1918, many of them were scattered through the new American squadrons, as commanding officers and flight leaders. A few of them were left with the 103d, which became a training squadron at the Front for new pilots. Many Americans, who afterward became flight and squadron commanders gained their first experience and their first successes in combat in the old Escadrille Lafayette.

From February 18 to April 9, 1918, the Squadron operated first with the 15th and then with the 21st Combat Group, with the Fourth French Army. From April 10 to April 30, with the Sixth French Army, and from May 1 to June 30, with the French D.A.N. From July 1 to August 6, it was incorporated in the 2d Pursuit Group attached to the First Army, A.E.F., and from August 7 until the Armistice, in the 3d Pursuit, First Army, A.E.F. During the period of its service as an American squadron, forty-five enemy planes and two observation balloons were shot down and their destruction officially confirmed; and eighty-two others were probably destroyed. Twenty-five of these officially confirmed victories were gained by pilots who formerly belonged to the Lafayette Corps.

This work goes on to to state that there were also 93 pilots serving with the French that were not in N124, or the Lafayette Escadrille, that transferred from numerous squadrons to service in the US Air Service. Among these would be such notables as David Putnam, Charles Biddle, Thomas Cassady and William Ponder. When hostilities ceased, Lafayette pilots had served in sixty-six escadrilles de chasse, and twenty-seven army corps and bombardment squadrons of the French Aviation Service.

Some, like Frank Baylies, decided to stay on with the men they had grown to love and did not transfer. For Baylies himself, this might have also had something to do with the US Air Service rejecting him in 1917 because of poor vision! He had 12 victories. One wonders what he might have been able to do with good vision.

Hope this helps you on your search. Steve

[ONEALM]

He was definately with SPA 124 and I have some documentation about him which I will be happy to share - There's a nice group photo of him with the unit that originated with the SHAA...

[ONEALM]

Here's a very brief bio on Marsh - this is part of a larger compilation so there are references in this to other bios not included here. The attached photo is the only one I have of Marsh form his time with SPA124.

Henry Birdsall Marsh was born 10 April 1894 in Tonawanda, New York the only child of Clinton S. and Alice B. Marsh. His father was a teacher by profession, but by the time of the 1900 census, he was risen to be the Superintendent of Schools in North Tonawanda, Niagara County, New York. The family later moved to Wallingford Connecticut, where father Marsh was Superintendent of Schools, but by the time the United States entered the First World War in April of 1917, the family had relocated to 15 Franklin Place in Summit, New Jersey.

Henry entered Cornell University with the class of 1914 and he would eventually earn a Bachelors degree in architecture at the University. On 7th April 1917, one day following the US declaration of war, Henry applied for his U.S. Passport. He shipped overseas and as did many college-educated Americans at this time, joined the American Field Service. He served with TMU 526 for four months, transporting wounded French soldiers. Marsh was in good company in TMU 526 - at least five other New Jersey natives destined for further service in aviation were in the unit - Bloomfield's Schuyler Lee, Edward Tinkham from Upper Montclair, Charles Hopkins from Newark, Montclair native Paul Crane and William Beaumont who hailed from Ridgefield. Of these five, three would not return home after the war.

Similar accounts, particularly those of New Jersey native Arthur Taber who also served the French cause in the Ambulance Service and who also did not make it home following the war, will give a good accounting of Marsh's experiences.

The daily experience of service to France and his first hand view of the great conflict solidified his commitment to the Allied cause, and like many before him, including Taber, Marsh joined the U.S. Air Service in France when his four month tour of duty with TMU 526 was completed.

His Air Service career began in Paris where he enlisted in 1917. Two separate sources giving either the 22nd or 23rd as the date of entry and Marsh was shortly thereafter on his way through the French flight training program. His training assignments are not known, but by the fall of 1917, he had earned his French Brevet #9537 on 26 October 1917. He certainly continued his flight training following this with courses in aerobatics and aerial gunnery, though again, the locations are yet to be discovered. On 18 January 1918, he was commissioned Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Service.

Around the time of his commission, he was posted to the pilots pool at Plessis-Belleville to await assignment to a front line unit. Some records collected by the USAS indicate he was assigned to SPA 163 in late July or early August 1918. SPA 163 was part of a four squadron formation Groupe de Combat 21 which included SPA 163, SPA 124, SPA 98 and SPA 157. It is likely he was assigned to the Groupe - not to a particular unit on 2 August 1918, but he certainly spent the majority - if not all - of his service time with SPA 124.

The famous "Escadrille LaFayette" - whose American pilots are well chronicled - were transferred en masse to the U.S. Air Service in 1918. The unit designation went with them and left a vacated Escadrille number - 124 - behind. Seizing the opportunity, SPA 124 was constituted in April of 1918, and dubbed unoffically "Escadrille Jean d'Arc". All squadrons of the Groupe bore diagonal fuselage bands of various color as their individual unit insignia, but SPA 124 took it one step further. On many of her aircraft, the helmeted head of Jean of Arc completed the livery.

Lieutenant Henri Berge took command of the Escadrille about the time Marsh arrived. At that time, the unit was attached to the French 4th Army occupying the airfield at Somme-Vesle about 20 kilometers directly east of Chalons sur Marne. By war's end, the unit would score 26 confirmed victories, 9 of which were scored by Crimean-born Paul V. d'Argueff. Though relatively low scoring, the unit could boast that it never lost a pilot killed in combat. Besides d'Argueff, the unit hosted Marsh - and American - one Czech pilot and no fewer than 3 Portuguese pilots. Originally equipped with SPAD VII's, by the time Marsh arrived, the unit was flying the more powerful, twin gunned SPAD XIII.

Records compiled by the Boal Commission which reported on the activity of U.S. Air Servicemen assigned with foreign units, show that Marsh flew 35 hours with SPA 124 which included 7 practice flights, 16 patrols and 3 reconnaissance missions. During that time he had 5 combats, but scored no aerial victories.

Marsh returned to the United States 12 January 1919 and received his discharge from the national service on 17 February.

In the post war, he returned to his parents home in Summit and took up a career in architecture. The 1930 Federal Census records he was still living in Summit, unmarried, in 1930.

Henry Birdsall Marsh passed away on 15 September 1948.

[Lassaque]

Thanks Onealm (and apologies for this delayed reply)
Three points in my reply
1- Here are known details on eastern side of the Atlantic about Henry B Marsh. Most match with yours :
Henry Birdsall Marsh
Born 4-10-1894
1914-17 : Student in architecture at Cornell university, Ithaca (NY) ; Graduated 4-1917.
Volunteered for 6 months in the American Ambulance Field Service to serve in France as a civilian ambulance driver. Sailed to France 4-14-1917 onboard SS Chicago. Arrived Bordeaux 4-25. Training until 5-15-1917 then assigned as a truck driver to the american-manned ammunition motor transport section TMU-526, platoon A (platoon manned by Cornellians) active on the Aisne front (Fr Sixth Army) .
9-1917 : Drafted into US national Army as a private and volunteered for the Air Service.
Trainee at the Tours basic aviation school (8-1917). Qualified pilot on Caudron airplane 10-26-1917 (french certificate n° 5937). Scout pilot training at Pau (11/12-1917) then air gunnery training at Cazaux (12-1917/1-1918).
1-22-1918 : French training scheme completed, appointed 2nd lieutenant, USA and joined Air service, American Expeditionary Forces
2/6-1918 : Aviation school AS/AEF
On completion, promoted to 1st lieutenant, USA (5-1918).
Spent 6 weeks in military hospital for severe influenza (6/7-1918)
Flew with the french squadron Spa 124 (8/12-1918)
Mentioned in Fr Fourth Army despatches 2-28-1919 :
MARSH, Henry, aviation lieutnant in squadron Spa 124 : officer of great value, having a high spirit of his duty. Able and audacious scout pilot, setting in every circumstance the finest example of courage and energy. Especially singled himself out during the latest offensive, especially on october 29th, 1918, extricating two french aircraft at grips with a four Fokker patrol. (JORF dated 6-9-1919, p. 6007)
thus awarded the Croix de Guerre with palm.
Returned home onboard SS Stockholm. Back in Summit 2-12-1919
Established as an architect Union, NJ 1919-48.
Passed away Soldiers & sailors hospital, Penn Yan, NY 9-15-1948

2. I still don't understand why 1st Lt Marsh was not assigned to an american squadron in 1918.

3. Escadrille no 124, known as N. 124 when flying Nieuports then Spa.124 after switching to Spads and as "Escadrille Lafayette" for propaganda reasons, split 12-25-1917 giving birth to a provisional squadron (a regular process within french air service) retaining the name "Escadrille Lafayette" but without a number. This because the 103rd Aero squadron (Pursuit) ground personel was retained in Issoudun. US flying and ground personel merged eventually into 103rd 2-17-1918.
Meantime escadrille no 124 walked its way on, receiving new personel and aircraft, having just lost its name en route.

Hope this is of interest

Best regards

J. Lassaque