Tactical Air Support

The Army’s “Jenny” aircraft were shipped by rail from San Antonio, reassembled and flown into Mexico from the U. S. side of the border at Columbus, New Mexico to aid in locating [Pancho Villa] and his troops after their tragic raid into Columbus. General John J. Pershing was directed to organized a force to protect the border, and the 1st Aero Squadron, commanded by Capt. B.D. Foulois, was ordered to join the “punitive expedition” at Columbus.

The punitive expedition was the last true cavalry action mounted by the U.S. Army, and it was the first U.S. military operation to employ mechanized vehicles. Pershing experimented on this expedition with automobiles, trucks and airplanes in what proved to be good preparation for his work in World War I. It was also the first time an American tactical air unit was tested in the field under combat conditions.

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