The 323d Strategic 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. Its last was assigned to the
91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, stationed at
Lockbourne Air Force Base
Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Ohio Air National Guard installation at Rickenbacker International Airport near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie Ric ...
, Ohio. It was inactivated on 8 November 1957.
The squadron was first activated in 1942 as the 323d Bombardment Squadron. After training in the United States, it moved 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 ...
, where it participated in the
strategic bombing campaign against Germany. It was awarded two
Distinguished Unit Citation
The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...
s for combat in Germany. Following
V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...
, the squadron returned to the United States and was inactivated in late 1945.
The squadron was redesignated the 323d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron and activated at
McGuire Air Force Base
McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is unde ...
, New Jersey in 1947. Squadron elements deployed and again saw combat during the
Korean War
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. It was inactivated at
Lockbourne Air Force Base
Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Ohio Air National Guard installation at Rickenbacker International Airport near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie Ric ...
, Ohio in November 1957.
History
World War II
Organization and training in the United States
The
squadron was first activated on 15 April 1942 at
Harding Field as the 323rd Bombardment Squadron, one of the three original bombardment squadrons of the
91st Bombardment Group
The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. Classified as a heavy bombardment group, the 91st operated Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft and was known unofficial ...
.
[The group was also assigned a reconnaissance squadron, but this unit was quickly redesignated as the group's fourth bombardment squadron. Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 490–491] It was equipped with the
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 ...
. It completed First Phase training at
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 ...
under
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 ...
, with Second and Third Phase training at
Walla Walla Army Air Field under
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 ...
in Washington.
[Freeman, pp. 243-244] The squadron's ground echelon left for
Fort Dix
Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Fo ...
in early September 1942, then boarded the for transport to England. The air echelon moved to
Gowen Field
Boise Airport (Boise Air Terminal or Gowen Field) is a joint civil-military airport in the western United States in Idaho, south of downtown Boise in Ada County. The airport is operated by the city of Boise Department of Aviation, overseen ...
, Idaho on 24 August 1942, and began receiving new B-17s there. It becan flying them from
Dow Field
Bangor Air National Guard Base is a United States Air National Guard base located on the grounds of Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine.
Created in 1927 as the commercial Godfrey Field, the airfield was taken over by the U.S. Army ju ...
, Maine in September, although it was not fully equipped with new aircraft until October.
[
]
Combat in Europe
The ground echelon was established temporarily at RAF Kimbolton
Royal Air Force Kimbolton or more simply RAF Kimbolton is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station located west of Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England.
History
USAAF use
The airfield was originally built in 1 ...
by 13 September 1942. However, the runways at Kimbolton were not up to handling heavy bombers,[Freeman, p. 20] and the unit moved to what would be its permanent station in 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 ...
, RAF Bassingbourn
Royal Air Force Bassingbourn or more simply RAF Bassingbourn is a former Royal Air Force station located in Cambridgeshire approximately north of Royston, Hertfordshire and south west of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.
During the Second ...
, on 14 October 1942.[ Bassingbourn had been a prewar ]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 ...
station, so the squadron found itself in more comfortable quarters than most of its contemporaries.[ The squadron primarily engaged in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, and flew its first mission on 7 November, an attack against ]submarine pen
A submarine pen (''U-Boot-Bunker'' in German) is a type of submarine base that acts as a bunker to protect submarines from air attack.
The term is generally applied to submarine bases constructed during World War II, particularly in Germany and ...
s at Brest, France
Brest (; ) is a port, port city in the Finistère department, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of a peninsula and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an impor ...
.[Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 156-158]
Until the middle of 1943, The squadron concentrated its attacks on naval targets, including submarine pens, dockyards, ship construction facilities and harbors, although it also struck airfield
An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...
s, factories, and communications facilities. On 27 January 1943, the unit attacked the Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...
yard at Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...
as part of the first penetration by bombers of VIII Bomber Command
8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9.
Etymology
English ''eight'', from Old English '', æhta'', Proto-Germanic ''*ahto'' is a direct continuation of Proto-Indo-European '' *oḱtṓ(w)-'', and as such cognate wi ...
to a target in Germany. On 4 March 1943, it attacked marshalling yard
A classification yard (American English, as well as the Canadian National Railway), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, and Australian English, and the former Canadian Pacific Railway) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway y ...
s at Hamm Hamm may refer to:
Places
;Germany:
* Hamm, North Rhine-Westphalia, a city north-east of Dortmund
* Hamm (Sieg), a municipality in the eponymous ''Verbandsgemeinde'' in the district of Altenkirchen, Rhineland-Palatinate
* Hamm, Bitburg-Prüm, part ...
, Germany despite adverse weather and heavy enemy opposition. For this action, it was awarded its first Distinguished Unit Citation
The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...
(DUC).[
From the middle of 1943 to the end of the war, the squadron concentrated on attacks on German aviation, including attacks on aircraft factories, including ones at ]Oranienburg
Oranienburg () is a town in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Oberhavel.
Geography
Oranienburg is on the banks of the River Havel, 35 km north of the centre of Berlin.
Division of the town
Oranienburg consists of ni ...
and Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
; airfields at Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to:
Places
* Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica
*Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany
**Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony
* Ol ...
and Villacoublay; the ball bearing plants at Schweinfurt; chemical plants at Leverkusen
Leverkusen () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the eastern bank of the Rhine. To the south, Leverkusen borders the city of Cologne, and to the north the state capital, Düsseldorf. The city is part of the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan ...
and Peenemunde; and industrial facilities in Ludwigshafen
Ludwigshafen, officially Ludwigshafen am Rhein (; meaning "Ludwig I of Bavaria, Ludwig's Port upon the Rhine"; Palatine German dialects, Palatine German: ''Ludwichshafe''), is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in the German state of Rh ...
, Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
and Wilhemshaven. As part of this attack on the German aircraft industry, on 11 January, the squadron penetrated into central Germany, despite bad weather, poor fighter cover, and strong attacks by enemy interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are c ...
, the unit succeeded in bombing its target, earning a second DUC.[
The squadron also performed ]interdiction
Interdiction is interception of an object prior to its arrival at the location where it is to be used in military, espionage, and law enforcement.
Military
In the military, interdiction is the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy f ...
and air support
Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as Strafing, strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS r ...
missions. It helped prepare for Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The ope ...
, the invasion of Normandy, by bombing gun emplacements and troop concentrations near the beachhead area. It aided Operation Cobra
Operation Cobra was an offensive launched by the First United States Army under Lieutenant General Omar Bradley seven weeks after the D-Day landings, during the Normandy campaign of World War II. The intention was to take advantage of the dis ...
, the breakout at Saint Lo
In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...
, in July 1944 by attacking enemy troop positions. It supported troops on the front lines near Caen
Caen (; ; ) is a Communes of France, commune inland from the northwestern coast of France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Calvados (department), Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inha ...
in August 1944 and attacked lines of communications
A line of communication (or communications) is the route that connects an operating military unit with its supply base.
Supplies and reinforcements are transported along the line of communication. Therefore, a secure and open line of communicat ...
near the battlefield during the Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive or Unternehmen Die Wacht am Rhein, Wacht am Rhein, was the last major German Offensive (military), offensive Military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western ...
in December 1944 and January 1945. It attacked airfields, bridges, and railroads to support Operation Lumberjack
Operation Lumberjack was a military operation with the goal of capturing the west bank of the Rhine River and seizing key German cities, near the end of World War II in Europe. The First United States Army launched the operation in March 1945 ...
, the push across the Rhine
The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...
in Germany, in 1945.[
Following ]V-E Day
Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...
, the squadron evacuated prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
from German camps. The first B-17 left Bassingbourn for the United States on 27 May 1945. The ground echelon sailed aboard the on 24 June 1945. The squadron was reestablished at 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 in early July, with the intention of deploying it to the Pacific, but it was not fully manned or equipped, and inactivated on 7 November 1945.[
]
Cold War
Reactivated in 1947 as a Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...
long-range strategic reconnaissance squadron; not manned or equipped until July 1948. Used B-17 and B-29 bombers refitted for reconnaissance missions. Deployed to Japan in 1950, and performed strategic reconnaissance missions over Korea, and the Northern Pacific coast of Communist China and the Soviet Union. Re-equipped with North American RB-45C Tornado jet reconnaissance aircraft, flying reconnaissance and mapping combat missions over Korea until being assigned to the United States in mid 1952. Re-equipped with Boeing RB-47E Stratojet
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft. ...
s, performed various reconnaissance missions on a worldwide scale until inactivation in 1957.
Lineage
* Constituted as the 323d Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942
: Activated on 15 April 1942
: Redesignated 323d Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 20 August 1943
: Inactivated on 7 November 1945
* Redesignated 323d Reconnaissance Squadron on 11 June 1947
: Activated on 1 July 1947
* Inactivated on 10 November 1948
: Activated on 1 June 1949
: Redesignated: 323d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Medium on 6 July 1950
: Inactivated on 8 November 1957[Lineage in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 397, except as noted]
Assignments
* 91st Bombardment Group, 15 April 1942 – 7 November 1945
* 91st Reconnaissance Group (later 91st Strategic Reconnaissance) Group, 1 July 1947 (attached to 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing
The 55th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to Air Combat Command. The wing is primarily stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, but maintains one of its groups and associated squadrons at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ari ...
19 September – 10 October 1949, 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing after 10 February 1951)
* 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 28 May 1952 – 8 November 1957[
]
Stations
* Harding Field, Louisiana, 15 April 1942
* MacDill Field, Florida, 13 May 1942
* Walla Walla Army Air Base, Washington, 22 June-24 August 1942
* RAF Kimbolton (AAF-117),[Station number in Anderson, p. 20] England, 13 September 1942
* RAF Bassingbourn (AAF-121),[ England, 14 October 1942 – 22 June 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 July-7 November 1945
* Andrews Field Andrews may refer to:
Places Australia
*Andrews, Queensland
* Andrews, South Australia
United States
* Andrews, Florida (disambiguation), various places
* Andrews, Indiana
* Andrews, Nebraska
*Andrews, North Carolina
* Andrews, Oregon
* Andrews, ...
(later Andrews Air Force Base), Maryland, 1 July 1947
* McGuire Air Force Base
McGuire AFB/McGuire, the common name of the McGuire unit of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Air Force base in Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, approximately south-southeast of Trenton. McGuire is unde ...
, New Jersey, 19 July – 10 November 1948
* McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, 1 June 1949
* Forbes Air Force Base
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The c ...
, Kansas, 19 September 1949
* Barksdale Air Force Base
Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, in northwest Louisiana. Much of the base is within the city limits of Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwest ...
, Louisiana, 10 October 1949
* Lockbourne Air Force Base
Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Ohio Air National Guard installation at Rickenbacker International Airport near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie Ric ...
, Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
, 11 September 1951 – 8 November 1957[
]
Aircraft
* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1942–1945, 1949
* Boeing RB-17 Flying Fortress, 1948–1949
* Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1949–1950
* Boeing RB-29 Superfortress, 1949–1950
* North American B-45 Tornado, 1950–1953
* North American RB-45C Tornado, 1950–1953
* Boeing RB-47E Stratojet, 1953–1957[
]
Awards and campaigns
References
Notes
; Explanatory notes
; Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
* {{cite book, last=Watkins, first=Robert, title=Battle Colors: Insignia and Markings of the Eighth Air Force In World War II , volume=I (VIII) Bomber Command, year=2008, publisher=Shiffer Publishing Ltd., location=Atglen, PA, isbn=978-0-7643-1987-7
Units and formations of Strategic Air Command
Reconnaissance squadrons of the United States Air Force