the 32d French Corps, awarded the "Croix de Guerre" to several aircrews for exceptional bravery in combat. At the beginning of June, the 1st Aero Squadron was re-equipped with the latest in French observation aircraft, the Salmson 2A2. Also in June, the 1st Aero Squadron adopted the American flag as its squadron emblem, it being the first Air Service squadron on the front lines. The insignia was painted on the fuselage of all of its aircraft. Chateau Thierry offensive On 29 June, the squadron moved to Saints Aerodrome to take part in the Chateau Thierry offensive, the first major American operation of the war. Flying over the front began on 1 July and from the beginning, a great number of combats with enemy aircraft were encountered. The Germans appeared to have concentrated a large number of aircraft over the sector, to counter a large number of British aircraft which had operated there prior to the 1st Squadron's arrival. The combat sustained in the offensive therefore, was quite heavy. The squadron was tasked with missions of the greatest importance, and heroic actions were frequent. Operations began with the squadron having less than its full number of aircraft, pilots and observers. Until replacements were received, ground mechanics and other support personnel worked day and night, and observation patrols were flown from dawn until dusk, sometimes into the night, with two or three sorties per day with each aircraft. St. Mihiel Offensive In preparation for the St. Mihiel Offensive, the 1st Aero Squadron moved to Croix de Metz Aerodrome, near Toul, on 22 August. The St. Mihiel salient in the line covered an area of and its elimination was the next major task for the American Expeditionary Forces. About 02:00 on 12 September, their artillery opened up to begin the offensive. The squadron received orders to fly no lower than in overflying enemy territory, but the 1st flew much lower than that, flying anywhere between in altitude in order to avoid enemy machine-gun fire. Shortly after daylight, squadron aircraft No. 6 took off. The sun was clear before it arrived over the lines, but then disappeared behind the clouds. American infantry had just crossed the German lines and it was noted that panels had been placed on the ground indicating that their artillery barrage was falling about 100 meters short. That information was sent to division headquarters. This routine was repeated for the