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8th Reconnaissance Group

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Active
  
1943–1945

Role
  
Reconnaissance

Country
  
United States

Part of
  
Tenth Air Force

Branch
  
United States Army Air Forces

Garrison/HQ
  
China Burma India Theater of World War II

The 8th Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last duty station was at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, where it was inactivated on 5 November 1945.

Contents

The group operated as an umbrella support organization, with its component flying squadrons operating independently over a wide area in the China Burma India Theater of World War II, supporting local tactical ground forces near the front lines, frequently moving from one airfield to another.

Lineage

  • Constituted as 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group on 15 September 1943
    • Activated on 1 October 1943 Redesignated 8th Reconnaissance Group in June 1945 Inactivated on 5 November 1945 Disbanded on 6 March 1947
  • Reconstituted 31 July 1985 and redesignated 318th Electronic Warfare Group
    • Redesignated 318th Information Operations Group, 1 July 2000

    Assignments

  • Second Air Force, 1 October 1943 – 12 February 1944
  • Tenth Air Force, 31 March 1944 – 7 October 1945
  • Army Service Forces, 3–5 November 1945

    • Stations

    Headquarters:

  • Peterson Field, Colorado, 1 October 1943
  • Gainesville Army Airfield, Texas, 26 October 1943 – 12 February 1944
  • Bally, India, (Ground echelon HQ), 31 March 1944 – 7 October 1945
  • Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 3–5 November 1945

    • Component Squadrons and Flights were stationed at numerous airfields in India, Burma and China (See below)

    Components

    Non-Flying ground support squadrons

  • 2nd Combat Camera Unit
  • 3d Photo Technical Unit
  • 7th Photo Technical Sq
  • 10th Combat Camera Unit
  • 17th AAF Photo Intelligence Det
  • 958th Engineer Co (Avn) Topographic

    • Aircraft

  • F-4 (P-38 Lightning), 1944–1945
  • F-5 (P-51 Mustang), 1944–1945
  • F-7 (B-25 Mitchell), 1945

    • Operational history

    Organized at Peterson Field, Colorado in October 1943, then trained to provide photographic intelligence for air and ground forces at Gainesville AAF, Texas.

    Moved to India, February–March 1944 and assigned to Tenth Air Force. Equipped with F-5, F-6, and F7 aircraft. Conducted photographic reconnaissance, photographic, mapping, and visual reconnaissance missions. Products created ranged from maps, mosaics, terrain models, to target charts of areas in Burma, China, French Indochina, and Thailand. Personnel also bombed and strafed enemy installations and provided escort for bombardment units, since the photographic aircraft were dual-capable as bombers.

    Redesignated 8th Reconnaissance Group in June 1945. Returned to the US, October–November 1945. Inactivated on 5 November 1945.

    References

    8th Reconnaissance Group Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA