On 15 September a formation of six aircraft took off to bomb the railroad yards at Conflans. Motor trouble due largely due to the excessive strain put upon the planes in the earlier days of the battle caused all but Captain Sellers to drop out and turn back before the enemy lines were reached. When Captain Sellers reached enemy territory he found himself alone. Although he and his observer knew from experience that alone he faced insuperable odds, he elected to try for the objective without support. His plane was attacked by four enemy Fokkers but were driven off in the dash for the important railway center, with his bombs being dropped on the objective. Three more enemy planes were met and driven off on the return to our lines, and the lone plane, riddled with bullet-holes, finally reached its field. For this exploit, Captain Sellers was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). During this first phase of the Squadron's operations, it lost but one man over the lines. Among the objectives attacked were Dommary-Baroncourt, Corse, Bayonville, Longuyon and Mars-Le-Tour. During the Battle of Saint-Mihiel, a mission to bomb Etain was carried out on 16 September. During the mission, the formation was broken up due to various troubles with the airplanes. John Y Stokes, in liaison with his pilot, continued towards the enemy lines alone and joined with a formation of aircraft from the 11th Aero Squadron. After they had crossed the lines and before the objective was reached his plane was struck by anti-aircraft artillery fire, throwing the plane out of control. His engine was missing badly and after recovering control of his plane, he could not keep up with the formation. However he proceeded to his objective and dropped bombs on the enemy target. By this time, his engine had failed completely. Attacked by an enemy airplane, he dove, with a dead propeller and with continuing firing of his machine guns, Lt. Stokes held the attacking plane at bay until he was able to reach the Allied lines where his plane crashed in the tree-tops of a forest. Stoke's action was above and beyond the call of duty in volunteering to go over the lines with a formation other than his own squadron and also in successfully dropping his bombs on the objective after his aircraft had been damaged by enemy anti-aircraft fire which damaged his engine. He was initially recommended for the Medal of Honor. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. On 23 September, the squadron was moved from Amanty to Maulan Aerodrome, near Ligny-en-Barrois.