The 1st Photographic Group is an inactive

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

unit. It was organized in the spring of 1941, and was the

Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

's only non combat mapping unit until December 1943, when a second

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic iden ...

was formed. From early 1944 it was assigned to the 311th Photographic Wing. It was disbanded on 5 October 1944, and its personnel and equipment absorbed by the 311th Wing, but it was reconstituted in 1985 as the 358th Special Operations Group. It has not been active since.

History

The 1st Photographic Group was organized at

Bolling Field The origins of the surname Bolling: English language, English: from a nickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling "pollard", or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling "excessive drinking". German ...

in June 1941, drawing its cadre from the

1st Photographic Squadron First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

GHQ Air Force The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

expanded its capability for photographic mapping and to conduct experiments in long range photographic reconnaissance, drawing from the experience of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

, which was involved in combat operations.White, p. 73 In addition to the 1st at Bolling, its original components included the newly-activated 2nd Photographic Squadron at

Gray Field Gray Army Airfield , also known as Gray AAF, is a military airfield located within Joint Base Lewis–McChord (formerly Fort Lewis) near Tacoma, in Pierce County, Washington, United States. Overview Used to support Fort Lewis, Army helicopter ...

, Washington, 3rd Photographic Squadron at

Maxwell Field Maxwell Air Force Base , officially known as Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation under the Air Education and Training Command (AETC). The installation is located in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. ...

, Alabama and

4th Photographic Squadron The United States Space Force's 4th Space Operations Squadron (4 SOPS) is a satellite operations unit located at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado. 4 SOPS is part of Space Delta 8 and responsible for command and control of the Milstar/Adv ...

Moffett Field Moffett Federal Airfield , also known as Moffett Field, is a joint civil-military airport located in an unincorporated part of Santa Clara County, California, United States, between northern Mountain View and northern Sunnyvale. On November ...

, California., Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 8-9, Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 16-17, Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 21-22, Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 29-30 Operational control of the four squadrons was given to the four continental

numbered air force A Numbered Air Force (NAF) is a type of organization in the United States Air Force that is subordinate to a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, major command (MAJCOM) and has assigned to it operational units such as wings, squ ...

s. Prior to April 1942,

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

(AAF) bombardment groups had attached or assigned reconnaissance squadrons, although these squadrons actually received more training on their secondary bombing mission than what was (on paper) their primary mission. In April, the AAF recognized this arrangement by redesignating these units as bombardment squadrons and transferring the mission to the group and photographic reconnaissance units that were later organized. Following the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

, the group assisted observation groups in training reconnaissance units, although its participation was limited because each of its squadrons was busily engaged in carrying out mapping missions for hemisphere defense. During the Second World War, the group charted and mapped areas of the United States and sent detachments to perform similar functions in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

, Canada, Africa (including

Operation Rusty Operation Rusty, also referred to as Project Rusty, was an American top-secret airborne reconnaissance program carried out over North Africa and the Middle East during the spring of 1942. It is notable for many reasons, but especially because the dr ...

), the Middle East, India, the Caribbean, Mexico, Central and South America, and the

Kurils The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands are a volcanic archipelago administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the Russian Far East. The islands stretch approximately northeast from Hokkaido in Japan to Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, separating the ...

. In December 1943, the AAF activated a second mapping

in the United States, the

11th Photographic Group In music theory, an eleventh is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a fourth. A perfect eleventh spans 17 and the augmented eleventh 18 semitones, or 10 steps in a diatonic scale. Since there are only seven degrees in a diatoni ...

, at

Reading Army Air Field Reading Regional Airport , also known as Carl A. Spaatz Field, is a public airport three miles (5 km) northwest of Reading, Pennsylvania, Reading, in Bern Township, Pennsylvania, Bern Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania, Berks County, Penn ...

, Pennsylvania.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp 54-55 The 1st, 3rd, and 19th Photographic Charting Squadrons were transferred to the new group.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 103-104 In February 1944, the AAF organized the 311th Photographic Wing, and assigned both the 1st and 11th Groups to it. On 5 October 1944, both groups were disbanded and their components assigned directly to the

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

. The group was transferred in inactive status to the newly created

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

in 1947. It was reconstituted on 31 July 1985 as a special operations unit, but was not activated.Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 648q, 31 July 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Organizations

Lineage

* Constituted as the 1st Photographic Group on 15 May 1941 : Activated on 10 June 1941 : Redesignated 1st Mapping Group 13 January 1942 : Redesignated 1st Photographic Charting Group c. 11 August 1943 : Disbanded on 5 October 1944Lineage information through 1944 in Maurer, ''Combat Units'', p. 24 * Reconstituted on 31 July 1985 and redesignated 358th Special Operations Group

Assignments

General Headquarters Air Force The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

(later Air Force Combat Command), 10 June 1941 *

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...

, 13 October 1942 * 311th Photographic Wing, 5 March – 5 October 1944Maurer, ''Combat Units'', p. 420 (year only)

Squadrons

* 1st Photographic Squadron (later 1st Mapping Squadron, 1st Photographic Mapping Squadron, 1st Photographic Charting Squadron): 10 June 1941 – 1 December 1943 * 2d Photographic Squadron (later 2d Mapping Squadron, 2d Photographic Mapping Squadron, 2d Photographic Charting Squadron): 10 June 1941 – 5 October 1944 * 3d Photographic Squadron (later 3d Mapping Squadron, 3d Photographic Mapping Squadron, 3d Photographic Charting Squadron): 10 June 1941 – 1 December 1943 * 4th Photographic Squadron (later 4th Mapping Squadron, 4th Photographic Mapping Squadron, 4th Photographic Charting Squadron): 10 Jun 1941 – 5 Oct 1944 * 6th Photographic Squadron: 13 November 1943 – 5 October 1944Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 40-41 * 19th Photographic Charting Squadron: assigned 11 August 1943, attached 19 November – 1 December 1943 *

91st Photographic Mapping Squadron 0191 is the UK telephone Telephone numbering plan, dialling code used by Newcastle upon Tyne, Durham, Sunderland and other nearby areas in the north east of England. Areas covered Numbering in the 0191 area is officially divided into three dist ...

: 9 October 1943 – 5 October 1944Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 307-309<

Stations

, District of Columbia, 10 June 1941 *

Peterson Field Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a United States Space Force base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airport and is home t ...

, Colorado, 23 December 1943 *

Buckley Field Buckley Space Force Base is a United States Space Force base in Aurora, Colorado named after United States Army Air Service First lieutenant, First Lieutenant John Harold Buckley. The base is run by Space Base Delta 2, with major units includin ...

, Colorado, 2 July – 5 October 1944

Aircraft

Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American light bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for ...

* Lockheed A-29 Hudson *

Douglas B-18 Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American twin-engined medium bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Airc ...

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...

* Beechcraft F-2 Expeditor * Douglas F-3 Havoc * Consolidated F-7 Liberator *

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allies of World War ...

* North American F-10 Mitchell

Notes

Citations

References

* * * {{cite web , url= https://www.dafhistory.af.mil/Portals/16/documents/Studies/51-100/AFD-090601-030.pdf , last1=White, first1=Jerry, title=Combat Crew and Unit Training in the AAF 1939-1945, USAF Historical Study No. 61, date=August 1949, publisher=Air Historical Office, United States Air Force, access-date=January 30, 2022 Reconnaissance groups of the United States Army Air Forces Military units and formations established in 1941 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944