8th Reconnaissance Group

8th Reconnaissance Group
Active	1943–1945
Country	United States
Branch	United States Army Air Forces
Role	Reconnaissance
Part of	Tenth Air Force
Garrison/HQ	China Burma India Theater of World War II
Engagements	Burma Campaign 1944-1945; China Defensive Campaign (1944–1945); China Offensive Campaign (1945)

The 8th Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last duty station was at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, where it was inactivated on 5 November 1945.

The group operated as an umbrella support organization, with its component flying squadrons operating independently over a wide area in the China Burma India Theater of World War II, supporting local tactical ground forces near the front lines, frequently moving from one airfield to another.

History

Lineage

Constituted as 8th Photographic Reconnaissance Group on 15 September 1943

Activated on 1 October 1943

Redesignated 8th Reconnaissance Group in June 1945

Inactivated on 5 November 1945

Disbanded on 6 March 1947

Reconstituted 31 July 1985 and redesignated 318th Electronic Warfare Group

Redesignated 318th Information Operations Group, 1 July 2000

Assignments

Second Air Force, 1 October 1943 – 12 February 1944
Tenth Air Force, 31 March 1944 – 7 October 1945
Army Service Forces, 3–5 November 1945

Stations

Headquarters:

Peterson Field, Colorado, 1 October 1943
Gainesville Army Airfield, Texas, 26 October 1943 – 12 February 1944
Bally, India, (Ground echelon HQ), 31 March 1944 – 7 October 1945
Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 3–5 November 1945

Component Squadrons and Flights were stationed at numerous airfields in India, Burma and China (See below)

Components

9th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 25 April 1944 – 7 October 1945

Assigned to (prior to 25 April 1944):

Tenth Air Force, 29 March 1942 (flight attached to Fourteenth Air Force, 10 March – 12 July 1943)

AAF India-Burma Sector, 30 October 1943 (attached to 5306th Photographic and Reconnaissance Group [Prow], 30 October 1943 – 17 January 1944, and to Tenth Air Force, 17 January-7 March 1944)

Tenth Air Force, 7 March 1944

Stationed at:

Karachi Airport, India, 24 July 1942

Flight at Kunming Airport, China, November 1942-12 July 1943

Detachment thereof operating from Kweilin Airfield, China, c. February-12 July 1943

Chakulia Airfield, India, 30 November 1942

Detachment operated from Dinjan Airfield, India, 18 March–July 1943

Pandaveswar Airfield, India, 3 January 1943

Detachment operated from Dinjan Airfield, India, September 1943-20 May 1944

Barrackpore Airfield, India, 29 October 1943

Detachment operated from Tingkawk Sakan Airfield, Burma, 16 August-30 November 1944

Detachment operated from Myitkyina Airfield, Burma, 27 November-c. 5 December 1944

Detachment Operated from Chittagong Airfield, India, c. 9 October-21 December 1944

Myitkyina Airfield, Burma, c. 5 December 1944

Piardoba Airfield, India, c. 1 May 1945

Malir Airfield, India, October-c. 14 November 1945

20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 25 April 1944 – 7 October 1945

Assigned to (prior to 25 April 1944):

AAF India-Burma Sector, 26 December 1943 (attached to 5306th Photographic and Reconnaissance Group [Prow], 26 December 1943 – 17 January 1944, and to Tenth Air Force, 17 January-7 March 1944)

Tenth Air Force, 7 March 1944 (attached to 5320th Air Defense Wing [Prov], March–May 1944)

Stationed at:

Guskhara Airfield, India, 5 January 1944

Flight operated from Kisselbari Airfield, India, after 6 March 1944

Kisselbari Airfield, India, 26 March 1944

Operated from Dinjan Airfield, India, 1 May – 20 June 1944

Detachment thereof operating from Tingkawk Sakan Airfield, Burma, after 21 May 1944

Operated primarily from Tingkawk Sakan Airfield, Burma, 21 June-c. l0 November 1944

Detachment thereof operating from Myitkyina Airfield, Burma, 10 July-c. 25 August 1944

Operated primarily from Myitkyina Airfield, Burma, c. 9 November 1944

Flight operated from Akyab Airfield, Burma, 12 April-22 May 1945

Nagaghuli Airfield, India, C. 20 April 1945

Dergaon Airfield, India, 9 July 1945

Piardoba Airfield, India, September–November 1945

24th Combat Mapping Squadron, 25 April 1944 – 7 October 1945

Assigned to (prior to 25 April 1944):

AAF, India-Burma Sector, 26 December 1943 (attached to 5306th Photographic and Reconnaissance Group [Prov], z6 December 1943-17 January 1944, and to Tenth Air Force, 17 January-7 March 1944)

Tenth Air Force, 7 March 1944

Stationed at:

Guskhara Airfield, India, 5 January 1944

Detachment operated from Hsinching Airfield, China, 17 March-9 April 1944

Detachment operated from Jorhat Airfield, India, 9–22 April 1944

Detachment operated from Hsinching Airfield, China, 27 April-c. 1 July 1944

Detachment operated from Liuchow Airfield, China, 10 July-22 September 1944

Detachment operated from Chanyi Airfield, China, 22 September 1944 – 17 February 1945

Element at Hsinching Airfield, China, October–November 1944

Element at Pengshan Airfield, China, November 1944

Tulihal Airfield and Cox's Bazar Airfield, India, February-c. 7 October 1945

40th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 18 July 1944 – 7 October 1945

Guskhara Airfield, India, 18 July 1944

Alipore Airfield, India, 9 August 1944

Detachment at Cox's Bazar Airfield, India, after c. 10 December 1944

Cox's Bazar Airfield, India, 18 January 1945

Akyab Airfield, Burma, 14 February 1945

Alipore Airfield, India, C. 15 May 1945

Kanchrapara Airfield, India, September–c. 4 October 1945

Non-Flying ground support squadrons

2nd Combat Camera Unit
3d Photo Technical Unit
7th Photo Technical Sq
10th Combat Camera Unit
17th AAF Photo Intelligence Det
958th Engineer Co (Avn) Topographic

Aircraft

F-4 (P-38 Lightning), 1944–1945
F-5 (P-51 Mustang), 1944–1945
F-7 (B-25 Mitchell), 1945

Operational history

Organized at Peterson Field, Colorado in October 1943, then trained to provide photographic intelligence for air and ground forces at Gainesville AAF, Texas.

Moved to India, February–March 1944 and assigned to Tenth Air Force. Equipped with F-5, F-6, and F7 aircraft. Conducted photographic reconnaissance, photographic, mapping, and visual reconnaissance missions. Products created ranged from maps, mosaics, terrain models, to target charts of areas in Burma, China, French Indochina, and Thailand. Personnel also bombed and strafed enemy installations and provided escort for bombardment units, since the photographic aircraft were dual-capable as bombers.

Redesignated 8th Reconnaissance Group in June 1945. Returned to the US, October–November 1945. Inactivated on 5 November 1945.

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Maurer, Maurer (1983). Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.

External links

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