Pancho Villa’s infamous attack on a New Mexico cavalry regiment gave the United States the impetus to finally go after the outlaw, who had been hounding America for years. Seven thousand American soldiers entered Mexico to root out Pancho Villa, supported, for the first time in history, by an airplane squadron.

On this day, March 19, in 1916 eight Curtiss “Jenny” planes of the First Aero Squadron took off from Columbus, New Mexico for the first combat air mission in U.S. history. The “combat” portion was minimal: if the planes were armed at all, they were mostly used for reconnaissance and never actually attacked. The terrain of Mexico made field operations difficult.

Despite their limited role, over a hundred air sorties were recorded in support of the 11-month  Punitive Expedition, and both pilots and engineers gained valuable experience. Several years after the war, the first air mail service launched in the U.S., using a modified version of the “Jenny” planes that saw combat in Mexico.