The 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive

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 ...

unit. It was last assigned to

XIX Tactical Air Command The XIX Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The unit's last assignment was with the Ninth Air Force based at Biggs Field, Texas, where it was inactivated on 31 March 1946. During World War II, the mission of the ...

at Brooks Field, Texas, where it was inactivated on 3 February 1946.

History

The squadron was first activated at

March Field March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 21 m ...

, California in 1941 as the 31st Army Reconnaissance Squadron, flying light observation planes. After 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 squadron flew

antisubmarine Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations a ...

patrols over the Pacific coast in 1942. It was moved to the Southeastern United States in late 1942. The squadron was primarily used for observation during Army training maneuvers near

Fort Polk Fort Polk, formerly Fort Johnson, is a United States Army installation located in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, about 10 miles (15 km) east of Leesville and 30 miles (50 km) north of DeRidder in Beauregard Parish. Named after New Yo ...

, Louisiana and

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

, Georgia. The unit deployed to the

European Theater of Operations The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...

on 22 April 1945. It flew battlefield reconnaissance in the Low Countries and during the Allied invasion of Germany in the spring of 1945, supporting Ninth Army. The squadron returned to the United States in August 1945, was never fully manned or equipped. It was inactivated in February 1946.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 31st Army Reconnaissance Squadron on 20 November 1940 : Activated on 15 January 1941 : Redesignated 31st Observation Squadron on 14 August 1941 : Redesignated 31st Observation Squadron (Medium) on 13 January 1942 : Redesignated 31st Observation Squadron on 4 July 1942 : Redesignated 31st Reconnaissance Squadron (Fighter) on 2 April 1943 : Redesignated 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 11 August 1943 : Inactivated on 3 February 1946 : Disbanded on 8 October 1948

Assignments

* Ninth Corps Area, 15 January 1941 *

Fourth United States Army Fourth United States Army was a field army of the United States Army between 1932 and 1991. History Interwar period Fourth Army (I) The Fourth Army was authorized by the National Defense Act of 1920 and was originally to be composed of Organ ...

, 24 January 1941 *

Fourth Air Force The Fourth Air Force (4 AF) is a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). It is headquartered at March Air Reserve Base, California. 4 AF directs the activities and supervises the training of more than 30,000 Air Force Reserv ...

, 1 September 1941 *

IV Air Support Command The I Tactical Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to Second Air Force, based at Biggs Field, Texas. It was inactivated on 22 December 1945. History General Headquarters Air Force (GHQ AF) reorgan ...

, 3 September 1941 (attached to

69th Observation Group The 69th Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force that was part of Air Combat Command, the group was stationed at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota where it was a tenant of the 319th Air Base Wing. The group served in ...

after December 1941) * 69th Observation Group (later 69th Reconnaissance Group, 69th Tactical Reconnaissance Group), 29 March 1942 *

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint D ...

, 20 March 1945 (attached to 9th Tactical Reconnaissance Group (Provisional)) after 28 March 1945 *

363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group 363rd or 363d may refer to: * 363d Expeditionary Operations Group, inactive United States Air Force unit * 363d Bombardment Squadron or 19th Antisubmarine Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 363d Fighter Squadron or 164th Airlift Squa ...

(later 363d Reconnaissance Group), 23 May 1945 *

United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe The United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe (USSTAF) was a formation of the United States Army Air Forces. It became the overall command and control authority of the United States Army Air Forces in the European theatre of World War II, Eu ...

, 25 June 1945 *

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a Numbered Air Force, numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U ...

, 3 August 1945 (attached to 69th Reconnaissance Group) *

, 10 January 1946 – 3 February 1946 (remained attached to 69th Reconnaissance Group)

Stations

* March Field, California, 15 January 1941 * Salinas Army Air Base, California, 1 October 1941 * San Bernardino Army Air Field, California, 31 December 1941 * Ontario Army Air Field, California, 2 June 1942 *

Laurel Army Air Field Hesler-Noble Field is a public airport in Jones County, Mississippi. It is owned by Laurel Airport Authority and is three miles southwest of Laurel, Mississippi. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 called it a ''ge ...

, Mississippi, 11 November 1942 *

DeRidder Army Air Base Beauregard Regional Airport is a public use airport in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is owned by Beauregard Parish and is located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of DeRidder, Louisian ...

, Louisiana, 9 April 1943 * Abilene Army Air Field, Texas, 10 September 1943 *

Esler Field Esler Field, also known as Esler Regional Airport , is a military and public use airfield in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States, near the City of Pineville. It is located 10 nautical miles (12 statute miles, 19 kilometres) northeast ...

, Louisiana, 13 November 1943 *

Key Field Meridian Regional Airport is a joint civil-military public use airport located at Key Field, a joint-use public/military airfield. It is located southwest of Meridian, a city in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. The Meridian Airp ...

, Mississippi, 25 January 1945 – 26 February 1945 * Maastricht Airfield (Y-44), Holland, c. 22 March 1945 * Wiesbaden Airfield (Later AAF Station Wiesbaden), Germany, 19 April 1945 – July 1945 *

Drew Field Tampa International Airport is an international airport west of Downtown Tampa, in Hillsborough County, Florida, United States. The airport is publicly owned by Hillsborough County Aviation Authority (HCAA)., effective May 15, 2025. The airp ...

, Florida, 3 August 1945 *

MacDill Field MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assi ...

, Florida, 21 December 1945 * Brooks Field, Texas, 10 January 1946 – 3 February 1946

Aircraft

* O-49 Vigilant, 1941–1942 * O-52 Owl, 1942 * L-3 Grasshopper, 1942 *

P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry ...

, 1943 *

P-39 Airacobra The Bell P-39 Airacobra is a fighter produced by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. It was one of the principal American fighters in service when the United States entered combat. The P-39 was used by th ...

, 1943–1944 * Included

North American O-47 The North American O-47 is an American observation fixed-wing aircraft monoplane designed in the mid-1930s and used by the United States Army Air Corps during the World War II. It has a low-wing configuration, retractable landing gear, and a th ...

, L-4 Grasshopper,

L-5 Sentinel The Stinson L-5 Sentinel is a World War II-era liaison aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), U.S. Army Ground Forces, U.S. Marine Corps and the British Royal Air Force. It was produced by the Stinson Division of the Vultee ...

, and L-6 Grasshopper during period 1942–1943 * A-20/RDB-7 Havoc, North American O-47, O-52 Owl, and L-5 Sentinel during 1943 * P-40 Warhawk, 1944–1945 *

F-6 Mustang The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang is an American long-range, single-seat fighter aircraft, fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II and the Korean War, among other conflicts. The Mustang was designed in 1940 by a team headed ...

, 1945

References

Notes

Bibliography

* {{cite book, editor=Maurer, Maurer, title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, orig-date=1969, url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf, archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161220180455/http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf, url-status= dead, archive-date= 20 December 2016, edition= reprint, year=1982, publisher=Office of Air Force History, location=Washington, DC, isbn=0-405-12194-6, oclc=72556, lccn=70605402 Military units and formations established in 1940 031