4th Reconnaissance Group
Encyclopedia
The 4th Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. It was last assigned to Thirteenth Air Force
and was stationed at Clark Field, Philippines. It was inactivated on 15 January 1946.
The unit operated P-38/F-4 Lightning photo-reconnaissance aircraft in the Pacific Theater
of World War II
over a wide area. The group, based successively on New Caledonia, Espiritu Santo, Guadalcanal, and Morotai, flew reconnaissance missions over enemy territory to supply air force units with target and damage- assessment photographs and to provide army and navy units with intelligence on Japanese troop concentrations, installa¬tions, shore defenses, supply routes, and shipping. It also produced maps of Allied and enemy-held territory and prepared navigation charts for US units.
During the last three months of the war the group photographed Japanese positions and installations on Mindanao and Borneo to aid US and Australian operations
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...
unit. It was last assigned to Thirteenth Air Force
Thirteenth Air Force
The 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...
and was stationed at Clark Field, Philippines. It was inactivated on 15 January 1946.
The unit operated P-38/F-4 Lightning photo-reconnaissance aircraft in the Pacific Theater
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
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...
over a wide area. The group, based successively on New Caledonia, Espiritu Santo, Guadalcanal, and Morotai, flew reconnaissance missions over enemy territory to supply air force units with target and damage- assessment photographs and to provide army and navy units with intelligence on Japanese troop concentrations, installa¬tions, shore defenses, supply routes, and shipping. It also produced maps of Allied and enemy-held territory and prepared navigation charts for US units.
During the last three months of the war the group photographed Japanese positions and installations on Mindanao and Borneo to aid US and Australian operations
Lineage
- Constituted as 4th Photographic Group on 14 July 1942
- Activated on 23 July 1942
- Redesignated 4th Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping Group in May 1943
- Redesignated 4th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) in November 1943
- Redesignated 4th Reconnaissance Group in May 1945
- Inactivated on 15 January 1946
- Disbanded on 6 March 1947.
Assignments
- Second Air ForceSecond Air ForceThe 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....
, 23 July – 24 October 1942 - 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....
, 22 November 1942 – 15 January 1946
Components
- 17th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron17th Reconnaissance SquadronThe 17th Reconnaissance Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 57th Operations Group, and stationed at Creech Air Force Base in Indian Springs, Nevada.-Overview:...
, 23 July 1942 – 15 January 1946 - 18th Combat Mapping Squadron18th Combat Mapping SquadronThe 18th Combat Mapping Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 66th Strategic Reconnaissance Group and stationed at Newark Army Air Base, New Jersey.-History:...
(1942–46) - 19th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron19th Tactical Electronic Warfare SquadronThe 19th Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force squadron. During World War II and the Cold War, its primary mission was aerial reconnaissance and photo mapping, later it performed electronic warfare missions during the Vietnam War.-World War II:The 19th...
, 23 July 1942 – 15 January 1946 - 20th Reconnaissance Squadron20th Reconnaissance SquadronThe 20th Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force unit, based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. It currently flies the MQ-1 Predator. It is part of the 432d Wing and the 432d Operations Group..-References:...
, 23 July 1942 – 15 January 1946 - 38th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 23 July 1942 – 15 January 1946
Stations
- Colorado Springs AAFd.North American Aerospace Defense CommandNorth American Aerospace Defense Command is a joint organization of Canada and the United States that provides aerospace warning, air sovereignty, and defense for the two countries. Headquarters NORAD is located at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado...
, 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...
23 July – 24 October 1942 - Plaine Des Gaiacs AirfieldPlaine Des Gaiacs AirfieldPlaine Des Gaiacs Airfield is a former World War II airfield on New Caledonia, Melanesia in the South Pacific. It is located at Plaine Des Gaiacs near the village of Pouembout...
, New CaledoniaNew CaledoniaNew Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, MelanesiaMelanesiaMelanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region comprises most of the islands immediately north and northeast of Australia...
, 22 November 1942 - Luganville AirfieldSanto-Pekoa International AirportSanto-Pekoa International Airport is an airport in Luganville on Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu . Airports Vanuatu Limited provides aviation services for the airport.-Airlines and destinations:-History:...
, Espiritu SantoEspiritu SantoEspiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
, New HebridesNew HebridesNew Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
, 22 January 1943 - Carney AirfieldCarney AirfieldCarney Airfield is a former World War II airfield on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands in the South Pacific. It is located near Koli Point about fifteen miles from Henderson Field, closes to the Metapona River to the east and the Naumbu River to the west...
, GuadalcanalGuadalcanalGuadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
, Solomon Islands, 6 May 1944 - Wama AirfieldPitu AirportPitu Airport is a private airport located on the southern coast of Morotai Island, North Maluku, Indonesia.-History:Moratai island was the final island invasion in Netherlands New Guinea before the liberation of the Philippines. The island was recaptured by the 31st Infantry Division on 15...
, MorotaiMorotaiMorotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
, Netherlands East Indies, 12 December 1944 - Clark FieldClark Air BaseClark Air Base is a former United States Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located 3 miles west of Angeles City, about 40 miles northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was an American military facility from 1903 to 1991...
, 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, September 1945-15 January 1946