Major William Harrison Saunders of Sumter, South Carolina, was one of the U.S. Army’s most effective artillery spotters in the First World W

1 - 11 November 1918 The last days of the war were evidently very exciting ones for the 12th. Details are scarce but four members were...

30 October 1918 On Wednesday morning the 12th Aero Squadron assembled five aircraft to fly a photo mission. Four aircraft were to protect...

29 October 1918 On Tuesday morning, 29 October, the 12th launched Lts. Thomas and Follette on a photography mission. Because...

Monday, 28 October 1918 Lieutenants Arthur and Fleeson, returned Sunday after spending four days resting and relaxing in Paris. Now it...

This week, while on vacation, I'll be visiting the University of Texas Dallas special collections section to review the George H....

The last two weeks have been eventful ones for the 12th Aero Squadron. On 4 October, Lt. Samuel Bowman launched with his pilot (records...

29 September 1918 The Meuse-Argonne offensive has been underway now for 3 days. After initially surprising the Germans, American troops...

28 September 1918 While returning from a successful Artillery Adjustment mission, Observer Lt. Elmer Haslett of the 12th Aero Squadron...

22 September 1918 EDITOR'S NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all descriptions in this article are derived from the Burdette S. Wright Diaries...

12 September 1918 1:00 AM Toul Airfield, France It was late. Lt. Burdette Wright, labored late into the night studying and preparing his...

9 –15 Sept 1918 After four years of hard warfare and bitter failure, it was finally time for the Allies to put an end to the Saint Mihiel...

26 Aug - 1 Sept Last week the 12th returned to the Western Front. Since August 12th, they have been flying missions out of Toul Airfield....

For the last three months, men of the 12th Aero Squadron have been fighting and dying while performing four major mission types for the...

6-13 August 1918 Tuesday, 6 August, the Aisne-Marne Campaign officially ends. During the Allied drawdown of the offensive, the 12th Aero...

July 22-28 In March 1918, the Germans launched a major offensive designed to crush the British and knock France out of the war.[1] In...

On 5 July 1918, the 12th Aero Squadron received an urgent mission to photograph enemy lines. Fighter escort would be provided but the...

June 24th 0400: Gray overcast clouds hang low in the night sky. For the last week men from the 77th Liberty Division had been funneling...

17 - 23 June For the last two weeks the 12th continued its work on the front. Records are scant on details during this period except to...

Two of his planes were so badly damaged they never flew again. Capt Saunders' inspiring example foreshadowed things to come.