United States Army Border Air Patrol facts for kids

Quick facts for kids United States Army Border Air Patrol
12th Aero Squadron Dayton-Wright DH-4 flying liaison with US Cavalry on United States/Mexico border patrol
Active	June 1919 – July 1921
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Army
Type	Air force
Role	Aerial warfare
Size	By mid-September 1919 the force was 104 officers, 491 enlisted men, and 67 planes
Engagements	Mexican Revolution Bandit War
Commanders
Notable commanders	Lt. Col. Henry B. Clagett

The United States Army Border Air Patrol was a special group of pilots and planes. They were part of the Air Service, United States Army, which was like the early air force. After World War I ended in 1918, many soldiers and planes went home. But in 1919, this air patrol was formed to protect the southern border of the U.S. from attacks coming from Mexico. Their job was also to stop people from crossing the border without permission and to prevent weapons from being smuggled.

Why the Air Patrol Was Needed

Trouble along the U.S.-Mexican border had been going on for a while. In 1913, the U.S. Army created its first airplane unit, the 1st Aero Squadron. This unit even helped in 1916 during the Pancho Villa Expedition. That was when General Pershing led troops into Mexico to find a Mexican revolutionary named Pancho Villa.

Even during World War I, when the U.S. was fighting in Europe, problems continued on the border. Sometimes, groups from Mexico would raid American ranches. They would steal supplies, cattle, and horses. These raids sometimes led to violence. In August 1918, a big fight happened near Nogales, Arizona, involving many American and Mexican fighters.

After World War I, the U.S. Army Air Service thought about using planes to patrol the border. In June 1919, Pancho Villa's forces moved towards Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. This city is right across the border from El Paso, Texas. The U.S. Army was ready to act if Villa's men caused trouble across the border. They sent Air Service planes and pilots from Texas to Fort Bliss, near El Paso, to help with border patrol.

On June 14-15, 1919, Villa's men attacked Juarez. Some stray bullets crossed into El Paso, hurting people. About 3,600 U.S. troops crossed into Mexico. They quickly dealt with Villa's forces and returned to the U.S. side.

Air Service Patrols Begin

Because of the incident in Juarez, the Air Service sent planes and people to Fort Bliss, Texas, on June 15, 1919. These planes were mostly Dayton-Wright DH-4 aircraft, which were leftover from the war. Major Edgar G. Tobin, a skilled pilot, started the first aerial patrols on June 19.

By mid-September 1919, the border patrol force had grown. It included 104 officers, 491 enlisted men, and 67 planes. These planes came from several squadrons, including the 8th Surveillance Squadron, 9th Corps Observation Squadron, 11th Aero Squadron, 90th Aero Squadron, and 96th Aero Squadron.

The Air Service planned to have many squadrons patrol the entire Mexican border. This would stretch from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Different squadrons were assigned to different parts of the border.

On July 1, 1919, three surveillance squadrons formed the Army Surveillance Group. Later, four bombardment squadrons formed the 1st Day Bombardment Group. Other groups, like the 1st Pursuit Group, also moved to Kelly Field in Texas. All these groups formed the 1st Wing at Kelly Field. Lt. Col. Henry B. Clagett was in charge of this wing. It became responsible for patrolling the border in the Southern Department.

How the Patrols Worked

The Air Service soon realized that the biggest threat from Pancho Villa had lessened. So, they made their border patrol plans smaller. From January 1920, the main job of patrolling the border in the Southern Department went to the 1st Surveillance Group. This group moved its main base to Fort Bliss and added another squadron, the 12th Reconnaissance Squadron.

The squadrons usually worked in two parts, called "flights." Each flight patrolled a specific area on either side of its base.

Here's how the squadrons were spread out along the border, from east to west:

• 8th Aero Squadron

  This squadron patrolled from the mouth of the Rio Grande River at the Gulf of Mexico to Eagle Pass, Texas.

• 90th Squadron (Surveillance)

  This squadron patrolled from Eagle Pass to Lajitas, Texas.

• 104th Surveillance Squadron

  This squadron patrolled from Lajitas to El Paso, Texas.

• 12th Aero Squadron

  This squadron patrolled from El Paso, Texas, to Yuma, Arizona.

In the Western Department, two squadrons patrolled the border:

• 9th Corps Observation Squadron
• 91st Aero Squadron

Both the 9th and 91st squadrons patrolled from the Pacific Coast near San Diego along the border to Yuma, Arizona.

The planes used for border patrol were mostly DH-4s and Curtiss JN-4 Jennies. Later, they were replaced with updated Dayton-Wright DH-4Bs. Many of the first planes were not fully ready for field use. It was hard to get all the right equipment, like bomb racks, machine gun mounts, and cameras. Radios sometimes didn't work well, and compasses were not always reliable. The areas they flew over were wild and rough, with few safe places to land in an emergency.

Air Service planes flew along the border looking for groups of people. They would report to the nearest ground troops how many people they saw, where they were, and what they were doing. The patrol times were changed often so that no one could predict when a plane would appear.

Airfields Used for Patrols

The bases for these patrols were set up very quickly. One pilot remembered his airfield in Marfa, Texas, as just a pasture with canvas hangars. The living quarters were tents. Life for the airmen was tough, with long hours and often boring conditions. They faced heat, wind, and sand. But even with these challenges, the airmen felt they had it better than the ground troops in lonely outposts.

Here are some of the main airfields used for the Border Patrol:

• Calexico Field, California
• Del Rio Field, Texas
• Douglas Field, Arizona
• Eagle Pass Field, Texas
• El Centro Field, California
• Fort Bliss, Texas
• Kelly Field, Texas
• March Field, California
• Marfa Field, Texas
• McAllen Field, Texas
• Nogales Field, Arizona
• Ream Field, California
• Rockwell Field, California
• Sanderson Field, Texas

Some other airfields were used when needed, but they didn't have permanent troops. These included places like Brownsville, Texas, and Fort Huachuca, Arizona.

Border Incidents and Challenges

Pilots were told not to fly into Mexico. But sometimes they got lost and crossed the border by mistake. Other times, they crossed on purpose for special missions.

On September 1, 1919, the President of Mexico, Venustiano Carranza, complained that U.S. military planes had crossed into Mexico many times. He was probably not aware that even high-ranking U.S. officers, like General Billy Mitchell, had flown into Mexico during inspections.

Flights Over Mexican Cities

The Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. complained about two Air Service planes flying over Chihuahua City, Mexico, on August 28, 1919. More planes flew over Chihuahua on September 2 and 5. The U.S. government promised to give strict orders to prevent this from happening again.

Later, the Ambassador complained that an Air Service plane had fired its machine gun while flying over Nogales, Arizona. Some shots hit a building in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, but no one was hurt. The Mexican government wanted the people responsible to be punished. The U.S. State Department replied that a lieutenant was being tried for the shooting.

The Candelaria Incident

Another incident that caused problems with Mexico happened on August 10, 1919. Two American airmen got lost during a flight in the Big Bend area of Texas. Their plane crashed in Mexico, and they were taken by a bandit named Jesus Renteria. The bandit demanded $15,000 for their release.

One of the officers was released after some money was paid. When Captain Matlack went to pay the rest for the second officer, he overheard the bandits planning to kill them both. Matlack bravely pulled a gun, told the bandits off, and escaped with the second officer and the money.

The next day, Captain Matlack led U.S. Cavalry troops into Mexico to chase Renteria's gang. Air Service planes flew ahead, helping the cavalry by spotting the bandits and dropping messages about the trails and water sources.

Plane Seized in Mexico

A few months later, another U.S. plane landed in Mexico by mistake. On February 2, 1920, two lieutenants, Leroy M. Wolfe and George L. Usher, got lost because of bad visibility and a broken compass. They followed the wrong railroad tracks, which led them far into Mexico. They had engine trouble and had to land. Mexican officials took them into custody. They were treated well, but they and their plane were held for several days before being released.

Crash in Baja California

On August 20, 1919, Lts. Frederick Waterhouse and Cecil H. Connolly disappeared during a border patrol flight. A search began, extending far south into Baja California, Mexico. After three weeks, the search stopped. A month later, their bodies were found near Bahía de los Ángeles, about 225 miles south of where they started.

It seemed they got lost in a rainstorm and flew south along the coast, thinking they were going north. They landed safely on a beach. They waited 17 days, hoping to be found, but the search didn't reach them. Two fishermen found them and took them to Bahia de Los Angeles. Sadly, they were killed there, possibly for their money. Their bodies were found by American explorers, and the news reached the U.S. weeks later. A Navy ship was sent to recover their bodies.

End of the Patrols

Over time, the air border units spent less time on patrols. Instead, they focused more on training with Army ground units. They practiced aerial gunnery, formation flying, and experimented with radios. They also worked to find and mark emergency landing fields and improve their equipment.

As the number of border incidents decreased, the patrols became less frequent. By late 1920, flights were only scheduled twice a week. Sometimes, patrols were canceled for days or weeks due to other training. In June 1921, General Billy Mitchell needed planes and men from the border for bombing tests. This marked the end of the United States Army Border Air Patrol.

Images for kids

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  A 1st Aero Squadron Curtiss R–2, Signal Corps No. 71, at Columbus, New Mexico, 1916.

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  United States Army Air Service Mexican Border Patrol Map, 1919–1921.

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  Officers of the 8th Surveillance Squadron – McAllen Field Texas, 1920

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  12th Aero Squadron at Camp Little near Nogales, Arizona, 1920

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  90th Squadron (Attack) – Dayton-Wright DH-4s, Sanderson Field, Texas, 1919

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  90th Squadron (Attack) – Dayton-Wright DH-4, Sanderson Field, Texas, 1919

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  De Havilland DH-4 bomber with members of the 90th Squadron (Surveillance) at Sanderson Field, Texas, ca 1920.

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  Experimental 13th Squadron (Attack) – Dayton-Wright XB-1A, at Kelly Field, Texas, Used in the Border Patrol