24th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 24th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive unit of the United States Air Force
. Its last assignment was with the 68th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Lake Charles Air Force Base, Louisiana
. It was inactivated on 16 January 1953.
, then deployed to the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II
, where the squadron operated from a large number of airfields in China, providing maps and photo-intelligence to Tenth
and Fourteenth Air Force
flying mostly B-25 Mitchell
medium bombers and long range B-24 Liberator
s equipped with a variety of oblique and vertical mapping cameras. Squadron was demobilized in India
in late 1945; inactivated in the Philippines
in early 1946.
Activated in the postwar reserve in 1947; neither manned or equipped and inactivated in 1949 due to budget restrictions. Reactivated as a Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron by SAC in 1951 and equipped with RB-29s; redeisgnated a medium bomb squadron in 1952; a Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron in 1953 and inactivated as part of the phaseout of the B-29 from SAC.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. Its last assignment was with the 68th Bombardment Wing, stationed at Lake Charles Air Force Base, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. It was inactivated on 16 January 1953.
History
Activated in late 1942 as an aerial photography/photogrammetry squadron with a mission to take aerial mapping photos. Trained under Second Air ForceSecond Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....
, then deployed to the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, where the squadron operated from a large number of airfields in China, providing maps and photo-intelligence to Tenth
Tenth Air Force
The Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
and Fourteenth Air Force
Fourteenth Air Force
The Fourteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command . It is headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California....
flying mostly B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
medium bombers and long range B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
s equipped with a variety of oblique and vertical mapping cameras. Squadron was demobilized in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in late 1945; inactivated in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in early 1946.
Activated in the postwar reserve in 1947; neither manned or equipped and inactivated in 1949 due to budget restrictions. Reactivated as a Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron by SAC in 1951 and equipped with RB-29s; redeisgnated a medium bomb squadron in 1952; a Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron in 1953 and inactivated as part of the phaseout of the B-29 from SAC.
Lineage
- Constituted 24th Photographic Mapping Squadron on 14 July 1942
- Activated on 2 September 1942
- Redesignated: 24th Photographic Squadron (Heavy) on 6 February 1943
- Redesignated: 24th Combat Mapping Squadron on 11 August 1943
- Inactivated on 15 June 1946
- Redesignated: 24th Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range, Photographic-RCM) on 13 May 1947
- Activated in the reserve on 12 July 1947
- Inactivated on 27 June 1949.
- Redesignated: 24th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium, Photographic) and activated on 10 October 1951.
- Redesignated: 24th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 16 June 1952
- Redesignated: 24th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium) and inactivated on 16 January 1953
Assignments
- 5th Photographic (later Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping; Photographic Reconnaissance) Group, 2 September 1942
- Third Air ForceThird Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, 9 October 1943 - III Reconnaissance Command, 12 October 1943
- AAF, India-Burma Sector, 26 December 1943
- Attached to: 5306th Photographic and Reconnaissance Group [Prov], 26 December 1943 – 17 January 1944,
- Attached to: Tenth Air ForceTenth Air ForceThe Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
, 17 January–March 1944- Tenth Air ForceTenth Air ForceThe Tenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Reserve Command . It is headquartered at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas....
, 7 March 1944
- Tenth Air Force
- 8th Photographic (later Reconnaissance) Group, 25 April 1944
- AAF, India-Burma Theater, 20 September 1945
- Thirteenth Air ForceThirteenth Air ForceThe Thirteenth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces . It is headquartered at Hickam Air Force Base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. 13 AF has never been stationed in the continental United States...
, 28 January 1946 - 313th Bombardment Wing313th Air DivisionThe 313th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, based at Kadena AB, Okinawa. It was deactivated on 1 October 1991.-History:...
, 1 April – 15 June 1946 - 68th Reconnaissance Group, 12 July 1947 – 27 June 1949; 10 October 1951
- 68th Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952 – 16 January 1953
Stations
- Colorado Springs Army Air Base, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, 2 September 1942 - Will Rogers Field, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, 13 October – 8 November 1943 - Guskhara AirfieldGuskhara AirfieldGuskhara Airfield is a former wartime United States Army Air Forces airfield in India used during the Burma Campaign 1944-1945. It is now abandoned.-History:...
, India, 5 January 1944
- Detachment operated from: Hsinching Airfield, China, 17 March – 9 April 1944
- Detachment operated from: Jorhat Airfield, India, 9–22 April 1944
- Detachment operated from: Hsinching Airfield, China, 27 April-c. 1 July 1944
- Detachment operated from: Liuchow Airfield, China, 10 July – 22 September 1944
- Detachment operated from: Chanyi Airfield, China, 22 September 1944 – 17 February 1945
- Element at: Hsinching Airfield, China, October–November 1944
- Element at: Pengshan Airfield, China, November 1944
- Detachment operated from: Tulihal and Cox’s Bazar, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, February-c. April 1945 - Air echelon at Clark Field, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Philippines, after 18 December 1945
- Chakulia AirportChakulia AirportChakulia Airport is an airport in India. It is located southwest of the city of Chakulia, a city and a notified area in Purbi Singhbhum district in the state of Jharkhand....
, India, 23 December 1945 - KanchraparaKanchraparaKanchrapara is a city and a municipality under Bijpur police station of Barrackpore subdivision. in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority.-Geography:...
, India, 27 December 1945 – 17 January 1946 - Clark Field, LuzonLuzonLuzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Philippines, 29 January – 15 June 1946
- Detachment operated from: Sydney AirportSydney AirportSydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport, also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney, Australia* Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport, in Nova Scotia, Canada...
, Australia, January-15 June 1946- Hamilton Field, California, 12 Ju1 1947-27 June 1949
- Lake Charles AFB, LouisianaLouisianaLouisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, 10 October 1951 – 16 January 1953
Aircraft
- B-24/F-7 Liberator,1943, 1944–1946
- B-25/F-19 Mitchell, 1944, 1946
- RB-29 Superfortress,1952–1953
External links
- "A Tale of Two Airplanes" by Kingdon R. "King" Hawes, Lt Col, USAF (Ret.)