Combat· World War I
First US aerial resupply missions
This was a milestone in the history of military flying, carried out by Marines of the 1st Marine Aviation Force while operating with a British Royal Air Force squadron.
A French infantry regiment had been cut off in the front lines and stranded for several days without supplies. Rather than try to reach them by ground through enemy fire, Marine airmen loaded food and stores into their aircraft and flew over the trapped troops. They dropped more than a ton of supplies down to the men below, keeping them fed until they could be relieved. It was the first aerial resupply mission in the history of Marine aviation and one of the earliest anywhere. The mission showed an entirely new use for aircraft, delivering supplies to surrounded troops from the air, a tactic that would become a major part of warfare later on.
Podcast episodes on World War I
Record no. 547