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, installations, 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.
Constituted as 4th Photographic Group on 14 July 1942Activated on 23 July 1942Redesignated
4th Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping Group on 15 May 1943Redesignated
4th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) in November 1943Redesignated
4th Reconnaissance Group on 4 May 1945Inactivated on 15 January 1946Disbanded on 6 March 1947
Reconstituted on 31 July 1985 and redesignated 534th Combat Crew Training Group (not active)Second Air Force, 23 July – 24 October 1942Thirteenth Air Force, 22 November 1942 – 15 January 194617th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 23 July 1942 – 15 January 194618th Combat Mapping Squadron (1942–46)19th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 23 July 1942 – 15 January 194620th Reconnaissance Squadron, 23 July 1942 – 15 January 194638th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 23 July 1942 – 15 January 1946Colorado Springs AAFd., Colorado 23 July – 24 October 1942Plaine Des Gaiacs Airfield, New Caledonia, Melanesia, 22 November 1942Pekoa Airfield, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 22 January 1943Carney Airfield, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 6 May 1944Wama Airfield, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, 12 December 1944Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, September 1945-15 January 1946F-5 LightningF-10 Mitchell 
