FIRST -- USArmy airplane flight to take hostile fire -- Fort Brown, Brownsville TX
N 25° 53.942 W 097° 29.556
14R E 650996 N 2865370
The first US Army airplane to be fired on by hostile forces was surveilling Pancho Villa's men in 1915, until they shot at it
Waymark Code: WMPDKF
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 08/13/2015
Views: 2
Old Fort Brown is now the site of Texas Southmost College. Many of the historic fort buildings have been renovated and are still in use today. There are many historic markers on campus. This one recalls that the first US Army airplane flight to take hostile fire was launched from Fort Brown on a mission to see what noted Mexican border raider Pancho Villa was up to.
The marker reads as follows:
"LAUNCHING SITE OF
FIRST US ARMY AIRPLANE
From Old Fort Brown Cavalry Drill Field, near this spot, was made the first flight of a U.S. Army plane to be fired upon in armed hostilities, April 20, 1915.
Two Signal Corps officers, Lts. Byron Q. Jones and Thos. Milling, flew a Martin T.O. Curtiss 75 on the border to spot movements of Mexican revolutionist Pancho Villa. They reached 2,600 feet; were up 20 minutes. Though they did not cross the Rio Grande, the plane was hit by machine gun and small arms fire. Their patrols lasted 6 weeks. Planes were used more effectively in fighting against Villa in 1916."
FIRST - Classification Variable: Item or Event
Date of FIRST: 04/20/1915
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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