The 31st Photographic 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 the 74th Reconnaissance Group, stationed at

Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People and fictional characters *Mitchell (surname), including lists of both people and fictional characters *Mitchell (given name), lists of people and fictional characters Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Ca ...

, New York. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949.

History

Established in mid-1943 as a photo-reconnaissance squadron, trained in the southeast United States. Deployed to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) in the spring of 1944, initially engaged in aerial photography of the French English Channel coastline and Low Countries. After D-Day, moved to France and performed battlefield tactical reconnaissance primarily for Third Army, also for First and Ninth Armies during the Northern France Campaign in 1944. Moved into Germany as part of the Allied invasion of Western Germany, spring 1945 continuing to supply battlefield reconnaissance for Army ground forces. After the German Capitulation, remained as part of the Occupation Army of the United States Air Forces in Europe, gradually de-mobilizing during the fall of 1945 until inactivated. Was re-activated as an Air Force Reserve squadron 1947–1949; unit not manned or equipped. Inactivated in 1949 due to budget reductions.

Lineage

* Constituted 70th Reconnaissance Squadron (Fighter) on 15 Jun 1943 : Activated on 20 Jun 1943. : Re-designated 31st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 11 Aug 1943 : Inactivated on 22 Nov 1945 * Re-designated 31st Reconnaissance Squadron (Night Photographic) on 5 Sep 1947 : Activated in the reserve on 13 Nov 1947 : Re-designated 33d Reconnaissance Squadron (Night Photographic) on 25 Nov 1947. : Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949

Assignments

76th Reconnaissance Group The 76th Tactical Reconnaissance Group is a disbanded United States Army Air Forces organization. It was last active in 1944 as part of the Desert Training Center at Thermal Army Air Field, California. History The group was constituted and acti ...

, 20 Jun 1943 *

III Reconnaissance Command The III Reconnaissance Command is a disbanded United States Army Air Forces unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota, where it was inactivated on 8 April 1946. After transferring t ...

, 11 Aug 1943 * 10th Photographic (later Reconnaissance) Group, 31 Mar 1944 – 22 Nov 1945 * 74th Reconnaissance Group, 13 Nov 1947 – 27 Jun 1949.

Stations

Morris Field Charlotte Douglas International Airport is an international airport serving Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, located roughly west of the city's central business district. Charlotte Douglas is the primary airport for commercial and m ...

, North Carolina, 20 Jun 1943 *

Will Rogers Field Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, Oklahoma, 29 Oct 1943 – 11 Feb 1944 *

RAF Chalgrove Chalgrove is a village and civil parish in South Oxfordshire about southeast of Oxford. The parish includes the hamlet of Rofford and the former parish of Warpsgrove with which it merged in 1932. The 2011 Census recorded the parish populati ...

(AAF-465), England, 23 Mar 1944 * Rennes-St-Jacques Airfield (A-27), France, 18 Aug 1944 *

Châteaudun Airfield Châteaudun () is a Communes of France, commune in the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. It was the site of the Battle of Châteaudun during th ...

(A-39), France, 27 Aug 1944 *

Saint-Dizier Airfield Saint-Dizier () is a subprefecture of the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France. It has a population of 23,382 (2018 figure) and is a subprefecture of the department. Although Saint-Dizier is marginally the most populous commune in Hau ...

(A-64), France, 12 Sep 1944 *

Conflans-en-Jarnisy Airfield Conflans-en-Jarnisy () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department The following is a list of the 591 communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle ...

(A-94), France, 29 Nov 1944 * Trier/Evren Airfield (Y-57), 28 Mar 1945 * Ober Olm Airfield (Y-64), Germany, 5 Apr 1945 * Fürth Airfield (later AAF Station Fürth), Germany, 30 Apr – 22 Nov 1945 *

, New York, 13 Nov 1947 – 27 Jun 1949

Aircraft

* F-5 Lightning, 1943-1945 *

F-4 Lightning The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinc ...

, 1943-1944 *

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

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 1943 031