The 57th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army S ...
squadron. Its last assignment was with the 9th Weather Reconnaissance Wing at
Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lieutenant Colonel Horace Meek Hickam. The installation merged in 2010 with Naval Station Pearl Harbor to become part of the newly formed Joint ...
, Hawaii, where it was inactivated on 10 November 1969.
History
World War II
Activated in early 1943 under
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 Reser ...
; spent
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
in the United States as an Operational Training Unit, initially equipped with
Bell 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 ...
s for advanced fighter training. Reassigned to
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a 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.S. air forces in E ...
in 1944, becoming a Replacement Training Unit for
North American A-36 Apache
The North American A-36 (listed in some sources as "Apache" or "Invader", but generally called Mustang) was the ground-attack/dive bomber version of the North American P-51 Mustang, from which it could be distinguished by the presence of rectang ...
fighter-dive bomber ground attack aircraft.
The squadron moved to
Stuttgart Army Air Field
: ''for the airport's World War II history, see Stuttgart Army Airfield (Arkansas), Stuttgart Army Airfield''
Stuttgart Municipal Airport is in Prairie County, Arkansas, Prairie County, Arkansas. It is eight miles north of Stuttgart, Arkansas, St ...
Arkansas in 1945 and realigned into a long-range strategic weather reconnaissance squadron, training with
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...
s and long-ranger
P-61C Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow is a twin-engine United States Army Air Forces fighter aircraft of World War II. It was the first operational U.S. warplane designed as a night fighter, and the first aircraft designed specifically as a night fi ...
Night Fighters modified for weather reconnaissance missions. Moved to
Rapid City Army Air Field
Ellsworth Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base located about northeast of Rapid City, South Dakota, just north of the town of Box Elder.
The host unit at Ellsworth is the 28th Bomb Wing (28 BW). Assigned to the Global Str ...
, South Dakota in late 1945, using P-61Cs as part of a
NACA
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was a United States federal agency founded on March 3, 1915, to undertake, promote, and institutionalize aeronautical research. On October 1, 1958, the agency was dissolved and its assets ...
/
Air Weather Service
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
Thunderstorm Project to learn more about thunderstorms and to use this knowledge to better protect civil and military airplanes that operated in their vicinity. The
Northrop P-61 Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow is a twin-engine United States Army Air Forces fighter aircraft of World War II. It was the first operational U.S. warplane designed as a night fighter, and the first aircraft designed specifically as a night figh ...
's radar and particular flight characteristics enabled it to find and penetrate the most turbulent regions of a storm, and return crew and instruments intact for detailed study. Inactivated in 1946 as part of the general demobilization of the
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 ...
.
Reserve reconnaissance unit
The squadron was activated in the reserve in July 1947 at
Hamilton Field. However, it is not clear that it was manned or equipped beyond a token cadre before President
Truman's reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number units in the Air Force,
[Knaack, p. 25] and the squadron was inactivated in June 1949.
[Maurer, p. 229]
Weather reconnaissance
Reactivated in 1951 in Hawaii, Equipped with very long range
Boeing WB-29 Superfortresses, upgrading to extended long-range
Boeing WB-50D Superfortress
The Boeing B-50 Superfortress is an American strategic bomber. A post–World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, it was fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller tail fin, and ot ...
es in 1956. Conducted long-range weather flights over the Arctic and along the northern periphery of the Soviet Union; the aircraft being equipped with sensors for detecting radioactive debris to gather evidence when the Soviets tested nuclear devices. Inactivated in 1958 as part of the phaseout of the WB-50s and development of faster jet aircraft for the long-range intelligence mission.
Reactivated in 1962 at
Kirtland Air Force Base
Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the ea ...
, New Mexico. Beginning in 1963 began to be equipped with new high-altitude reconnaissance
Martin RB-57F Canberra
The Martin/General Dynamics RB-57F Canberra is a specialized strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed in the 1960s for the United States Air Force by General Dynamics from the Martin B-57 Canberra tactical bomber, which itself was a license ...
aircraft modified for high altitude, long range intelligence gathering, assigned to the meteorological role. Part of their duties involved high-altitude atmospheric sampling and radiation detection work in support of nuclear test monitoring. Over the next decade the RB-57Fs were flown on a worldwide basis at very high altitudes at high speeds; the squadron being moved to Australia, then to Hawaii. Stress cracks began appearing in the wing spars and ribs of the RB-57Fs after a few years of service. Some were sent to General Dynamics for repairs. By 1969 the aircraft were basically worn out and they were flown to
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for storage. Squadron was then inactivated.
Lineage
* Constituted as the 399th Fighter Squadron on 26 May 1943
: Activated on 1 August 1943
: Redesignated 399th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 5 April 1944
: Redesignated 399th Fighter Squadron on 5 June 1944
: Redesignated 57th Reconnaissance Squadron, Weather on 7 July 1945
: Inactivated on 25 January 1946
* Redesignated 57th Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range, Weather on 3 July 1947
: Activated in the reserve on 1 August 1947
: Inactivated on 27 June 1949
* Redesignated 57th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Medium, Weather on 22 January 1951
: Activated on 21 February 1951
: Redesignated 57th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron on 15 February 1954
: Inactivated on 18 October 1958
* Activated on 8 February 1962 (not organized)
* Organized on 16 February 1962
: Inactivated 10 November 1969
[
]
Assignments
* 369th Fighter Group
The 369th Fighter Group is a disbanded United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force, stationed at Stuttgart Army Air Field, Arkansas. It was inactivated on 10 August 1945.
The 369th was initially a training group in ...
, 1 August 1943
* Third Air Force
The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a 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.S. air forces in E ...
, 7 July 1945
* 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 ...
, 21 July 1945 – 25 January 1946
* 70th Reconnaissance Group, 1 August 1947 – 27 June 1949
* Air Weather Service
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...
, 21 February 1951
* 2142d Air Weather Wing, 20 May 1951
* 1st Weather Wing, 8 February 1954 – 18 October 1958
* Military Air Transport Service
The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NATS) and the United States Air Force ...
, 8 February 1962 (not organized)
* 9th Weather Reconnaissance Group, 16 February 1962
* 9th Weather Reconnaissance Wing
The 9th Weather Reconnaissance Wing is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Air Weather Service at McClellan Air Force Base, California, where it was inactivated on 31 August 1975.
History
Weather re ...
, 8 July 1965 – 10 November 1969[
]
Stations
* Hamilton Field, California, 1 August 1943
* Redding Army Air Field, California, 1 November 1943
* Hamilton Field, California, 16 March 1944
* 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, Louisiana ...
Louisiana, 28 March 1944
* Stuttgart Army Air Field, Arkansas, 8 February 1945
* 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 wi ...
, Oklahoma, 21 July 1945
* Rapid City Army Air Field, South Dakota, 29 July 1945 – 25 January 1946
* Hamilton Field (later Hamilton Air Force Base), California, 1 August 1947 – 27 June 1949
* Hickam Air Force Base
Hickam Air Force Base is a United States Air Force installation, named in honor of aviation pioneer Lieutenant Colonel Horace Meek Hickam. The installation merged in 2010 with Naval Station Pearl Harbor to become part of the newly formed Joint ...
, Hawaii, 21 February 1951 – 18 October 1958
* Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, 16 February 1962
* RAAF Laverton, Victoria, Australia, September 1963 - 8 July 1965[Two aircraft were stationed at ]RAAF East Sale
RAAF Base East Sale is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base and training school, located in , Victoria, Australia. The base is one of the main training establishments of the RAAF, including where Australian Air Force Cadets f ...
, Australia between 1963
and 1965.
* Avalon Airport
Avalon Airport is an international airport located in Avalon in the City of Greater Geelong in Victoria, Australia. While located outside the Melbourne metropolitan area, it is the second busiest of the four airports serving the state capit ...
, Victoria, Australia, 8 July 1965
* Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, 15 September 1965 – 10 November 1969[
]
Aircraft
* Bell P-39 Airacobra, 1943–1944
* North American A-36 Apache, 1944
* Curtiss P-40 Warhawk
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and ...
, 1944–1945
* 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 Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...
, 1945
* Northrop P-61C Black Widow, 1945
* Boeing WB-29 Superfortress, 1951–1956
* Boeing WB-50 Superfortress, 1956–1958
* Martin WB-57F Canberra, 1962–1969
* Boeing WB-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. ...
, 1966-1969
* WC-130B Hercules 1963
* Lockheed U-2
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "''Dragon Lady''", is an American single-jet engine, high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides da ...
c. 1963
References
; Notes
; Citations
Bibliography
*
*
*
*
*
{{cite book, editor=Robertson, Bruce, title=United States Army and Air Force Fighters 1916-1961, year=1961, publisher=Harleyford Publishers, Lts., location=Hertfordshire, England, isbn=9780900435126
057 57 may refer to:
* 57 (number)
* one of the years 57 BC, AD 57, 1957, 2057
* "57" (song), a song by Biffy Clyro
* "Fifty Seven", a song by Karma to Burn from the album ''Arch Stanton'', 2014
* "57" (album), a studio album by Klaus Major Heuser B ...
Military units and formations in Hawaii