List of United States Army Air Forces reconnaissance units

This is a list of United States Army Air Forces reconnaissance units, primarily operating during World War II. The subsequent United States Air Force unit lineage is noted where applicable.

North American >-F-6C (P-51C-5-NT) Mustang Serial 42-103368 of the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 10th Reconnaissance Group at Saint-Dizier Airfield, France, Autumn 1944. This aircraft was flown by Captain John H. Hoefler, who used it to shoot down three enemy aircraft in June 1944.

Aircraft operated

Groups

1st Photographic Group May 1941-Oct 1944 HQ USAAF; Second Air Force (ZI) Operated F-2 (C-45), F-3 (A-20), F-7 (B-24), F-9 (B-17), F-10 (B-25), A-29, and B-18 Squadrons deployed Worldwide Photo-Mapping 2d Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 2d Photographic Group May 1942-May 1944 Second Air Force (ZI); Third Air Force (ZI) Operated F-3 (A-20), F-5 (P-38), F-7 (B-24), F-9 (B-17) Operational Training Unit 3d Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 3d Photographic Group Jun 1942-Mar 1947 Twelfth Air Force (MTO) Operated F-4/F-5 (P-38) Combat Photo-Reconnaissance 4th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 4th Photographic Group Jul 1942-Jan 1946 Thirteenth Air Force (South, Southwest Pacific) Operated F-5 (P-38), F-10 (B-25) Combat Photo-Reconnaissance 5th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 5th Photographic Group Jul 1942-Oct 1945 Twelfth Air Force; Fifteenth Air Force (MTO) Operated F-3 (A-20), F-4 (P-38), F-7 (B-24), F-9 (B-17), F-10 (B-25) Combat Photo-Reconnaissance 6th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 6th Photographic Group Feb 1943-Apr 1946 Fifth Air Force (Southwest Pacific) Operated F-4/F-5 (P-38), F-7 (B-24), B-26 Combat Photo-Reconnaissance 7th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 7th Photographic Group May 1943-Nov 1945 Eighth Air Force (ETO) Operated Spitfire PR XI, P-51 (Escorts) Combat Photo-Reconnaissance 8th Reconnaissance Group Sep 1943-Nov 1945 Tenth Air Force (CBI) Operated F-5 (P-38), F-6 (P-51), F-7 (B-24), P-40 (Escorts) Combat Photo-Reconnaissance 9th Reconnaissance Group Sep 1943-May 1944 Third Air Force (ZI) Operated F-3 (A-20), F-4 (P-38), F-5 (P-51) F-7 (B-24), F-9 (B-17) Operational Training Unit 10th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 73d Observation Group Sep 1941-Jun 1948 Ninth Air Force (ETO) Operated F-3 (A-20), F-5 (P-38), F-6 (P-51) Combat Photo-Reconnaissance Resesignated as USAF 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Jun 1948 11th Photographic Group Nov 1943-Oct 1944 HQ USAAF (ZI) Squadrons deployed Worldwide Squadrons deployed Worldwide Photo-Mapping; Combat Photo-Reconnaissance in CBI Operated F-2 (C-45), F-3 (A-20), F-7 (B-24), F-9 (B-17), F-10 (B-25), F-13 (B-29) 25th Bombardment Group (Reconnaissance) Jul 1944-Sep 1945 Eighth Air Force (ETO) Operated Mosquito F-8-DH. Mosquito PR Mk XVI, F-5/P-38, F-7/B-24, F-9/B-17, F-10/B-25, B-26G Marauder (Night Reconnaissance) Combat Photo-Reconnaissance, Weather Reconnaissance, Electronic Counter-Measures Established as USAF 25th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, July 1965 26th Reconnaissance Group Aug 1941-Nov 1943; Dec 1946-Jun 1949 First Air Force; Third Air Force (ZI); Air Force Reserve Operated F-3 (A-20), F-10 (B-25), P-39F-2 Operational Training Unit Established as USAF 26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, May 1952 59th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 59th Observation Group 1941-1942;1943-1944 First Air Force; Third Air Force (ZI) Operated Light Observation Aircraft, P-39F-2 Coastal patrols, Operational Training Unit 65th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 65th Observation Group Aug 1941-Oct 1942; Mar-Aug 1943;Dec 1946-Jun 1949 Third Air Force (ZI); Air Force Reserve Operated Light Observation Aircraft, F-10 (B-25) Coastal patrols, Operational Training Unit 66th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 66th Observation Group Aug 1941-Apr 1944; Dec 1946-May 1951 Third Air Force (ZI); Air Force Reserve Operated F-3 (A-20), F-10 (B-25), P-39F-2, P-40 Operational Training Unit Reactivated as USAF 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Jan 1953 67th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 67th Observation Group Sep 1941-Mar 1946 Eighth Air Force; Ninth Air Force (ETO) Operated F-5 (P-38), F-6 (P-51), P-51 (Escorts) Combat Photo-Reconnaissance Reactivated as USAF 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Jun 1948

68th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 68th Observation Group Aug 1941-Jun 1944; Mar 1947-Jun 1949 Twelfth Air Force (MTO); Air Force Reserve Operated Spitfire PR XI, F-3 (A-20), F-5 (P-38), F-6 (P-51), F-7 (B-24), F-9 (B-27), A-36, P-39F-2 Combat Photo-Reconnaissance Reactivated as USAF 68th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Oct 1951 69th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 69th Observation Group Aug 1941-Jul 1946 Ninth Air Force (ETO) Operated Mosquito PR Mk XVI, F-3 (A-20), F-5 (P-38), F-6 (P-51), F-10 (B-25), P-39F-2, P-40 Combat Photo-Reconnaissance 70th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 70th Observation Group Aug 1941-Nov 1943; Mar 1947-Jun 1949 Second Air Force (ZI); Air Force Reserve Operated F-3 (A-20), F-10 (B-25), P-39F-2 Operational Training Unit 71st Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 71st Observation Group Aug 1941-Feb 1946; Feb 1947-Apr 1949 Fifth Air Force (Southwest Pacific); Far East Air Forces (Occ Japan) Operated F-5 (P-38), F-10 (B-25) Combat Photo-Reconnaissance 72d Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 72d Observation Group Aug 1941-Nov 1943; May 1947-Jun 1949 Sixth Air Force (Caribbean); Air Force Reserve Operated B-18 Antisubmarine Patrols, Photo-Mapping 74th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 74th Observation Group Feb 1942-Nov 1945; Dec 1946-Jun 1949 Third Air Force (ZI); Air Force Reserve Operated F-3 (A-20), F-6 (P-51), F-10 (B-25), P-40 Operational Training Unit 75th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 75th Observation Group Feb 1942-May 1944 Third Air Force (ZI) Operated F-3 (A-20), F-10 (B-25), F-6 (P-51), P-39F-2, P-40 Operational Training Unit Established as 75th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing in May 1966 76th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 76th Observation Group Feb 1942-Apr 1944 Third Air Force (ZI) Operated F-3 (A-20), F-10 (B-25), P-39F-2, P-40 Operational Training Unit 77th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 77th Observation Group Feb 1942-Nov 1943 Third Air Force (ZI); Detachment in India, Feb-Jul 1943 Operated F-3 (A-20), F-10 (B-25), P-39F-2, P-40 Operational Training Unit: Combat Photo-Reconnaissance 308th Reconnaissance Group (Weather) Oct 1946-Jan 1951 Air Weather Service (MATS) Operated WB-29 Weather Reconnaissance 363d Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 363d Fighter Group Sep 1944-Dec 1945; Jul 1946-Jun 1948 Ninth Air Force (ETO) Operated F-5 (F-5), F-6, (P-51) Combat Photo-Reconnaissance Redesignated as USAF 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Jun 1951 376th Reconnaissance Group May 1947-Sep 1948 Strategic Air Command Operated WB-29 Weather Reconnaissance 423d Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 423d Observation Group Mar-Apr 1943 Third Air Force (ZI) Operated F-5 (F-38), F-6, (P-51) Operational Training Unit 424th Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 424th Observation Group Mar-Apr 1943 Third Air Force (ZI) Not fully organized, disbanded 426th Reconnaissance Group Jul-Aug 1943 Third Air Force (ZI) Not fully organized, disbanded 432d Reconnaissance Group Constituted as 432d Observation Group Feb-Nov 1943 Army Air Forces School of Applied Tactics (ZI) Operated F-5 (F-5), F-6, (P-51), P-39F-2 Operational Training Unit Reactivated as USAF 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, Jan 1954

Wings

90th Reconnaissance Wing Oct 1943-Oct 1945 Twelfth Air Force (MTO); Fifteenth Air Force (MTO) Reactivated as USAF 90th Air Division (Reconnaissance), Apr 1948-Jun 1949 91st Reconnaissance Wing Oct 1943-Jan 1946 Fifth Air Force (Southwest Pacific) Reactivated as USAF 91st Air Division (Reconnaissance), Apr 1948-Jun 1949

311th Reconnaissance Wing Jan 1944-Apr 1948 HQ USAAF Units deployed Worldwide Redesignated as USAF 311th Air Division (Reconnaissance), Apr 1948-Nov 1949 325th Reconnaissance Wing Aug 1944-Oct 1945 Eighth Air Force (ETO) Redesignated as USAF 325th Air Division (Reconnaissance), Apr 1948-Jun 1949

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

• Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, AL: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.