History of the 94th

World War I

On September 30 1917, two officers and 150 enlisted men left Texas for France and were sent to seven different aircraft factories for maintenance and repair training. In April 1918, the 94th was reunited and stationed at the Gencoult Aerodrome in Toul, France, where it began operations as the first American squadron at the front. On April 14, Lt. Douglas Campbell, who later became America's first Ace pilot, and Lt. Alan Winslow downed two German aircraft. These were the first victories ever scored by an American unit. Through to the end of the war in November 1918, the "Hat in the Ring" insignia remained synonymous with unparalleled success. No 94th pilot typified this success more than First Lt. Edward Vernon Rickenbacker,(a Columbus native) the "Ace of Aces." In the Nieuport 28 and later in the Spad XIII, was credited with 26 of the squadron's 70 kills, an accomplishment unparalleled by any other American airman. By the end of hostilities, the 94th had won battle honors for participation in 11 major engagements and was awarded the Croix-de-Guerre with Palm.An ace of this squadron was [Harvey Weir Cook].
The squadron returned home in the spring of 1919, and after several moves, the 94th settled at Selfridge Field, Michigan in July 1922. In 1923, the Spads were re-designated the 94th Pursuit Squadron. The squadron stayed in Michigan for the remainder of the inter-war years, training in its pursuit role. The Spads flew 17 different aircraft during this period culminating with the P-38 Lightning. One week after Pearl Harbor, the 94th moved to San Diego Naval Air Station. Expecting to see action in the Pacific, the squadron instead received orders for Europe. In the summer of 1942, the 94th self-deployed to England via Labrador, Greenland and Iceland. This marked the first time that a fighter unit flew its own aircraft toEurope from the United States.

World War II

In November 1942, the newly re-designated 94th Fighter Squadron went back to war. Based in Africa for two years, the 94th again distinguished itself in combat by winning two Presidential Distinguished Unit Citations, most notably as part of the raids on the oil fields at Ploesti, Romania in August 1943. In addition, the squadron won 12 Battle Participation credits, in almost every major offensive campaign in North Africa and Europe. It was credited with 124 official kills. In one raid alone, the 94th, while working with the other two squadrons of the 1st Pursuit Group, destroyed 88 aircraft in a battle over Italy. The 94th produced a total of six aces in World War II.