32d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 32d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last assignment was with the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (10th TRW), based at RAF Alconbury
, United Kingdom
. It was deactivated on 1 January 1976.
and photo-mapping squadron. Initial squadron training was under the Third Air Force
, before it was deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations
(MTO) and assigned to the Fifteenth Air Force
in southern Italy in August 1945.
Equipped primarily with unarmed Lockheed F-5 Lightnings, the squadron flew hazardous long-range intelligence and photo-mapping missions over enemy-held Italy and Occupied Europe, to get pictures required for the aerial war against the Axis powers. Initially it flew most missions over enemy-occupied Italy, Corsica
and Sardinia
, later flying missions over the Balkans
. After the German surrender in May 1945, the squadron's personnel were demobilized in Italy during the summer of 1945, and the squadron was deactivated as a paper unit in the United States during October.
military buildup in Europe. It was activated as a redesignation of the Alabama Air National Guard
(ANG) 157th TRS, which was federalized and brought to active duty during the Korean War
. It took over the Lockheed RF-80A Shooting Star aircraft of the ANG unit, and trained for daylight reconnaissance missions. The squadron, however was stationed at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base
in West Germany due to the uncompleted facilities at Toul-Rosières Air Base
. Weather conditions in Germany severely restricted the training operations of the assigned RF-80As. The squadron frequently deployed to Nouasseur Air Base
, Morocco
during the winter of 1952-53 where the photo conditions were excellent.
The squadron moved to Spangdahlem Air Base
, West Germany in May 1953 where all of the elements of the parent 10th TRW were assembled at one base. It re-equipped with the Republic RF-84F Thunderflash in 1955, as the RF-80s were deemed not mission-capable against the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
.
In January 1958, the squadron was moved to Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base
, France while the runway at Spangdahlem was under repair and renovation. In March 1958, the squadron was reassigned to the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, which was moving to Phalsbourg from Sembach Air Base due to poor runway conditions. During May, the Thunderflashes were replaced by McDonnell RF-101C Voodoos, which was the fastest tactical reconnaissance aircraft ever flown by the USAF.
Routine training operations were flown from Laon for over seven years. In 1965 the squadron was again reassigned; to the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
, which was being formed at Toul-Rosières Air Base. On 7 March 1966, French President Charles De Gaulle
announced that France would withdraw from NATO's military structure but not leave the political organization. He gave NATO forces one year (until 1 April 1967) to depart France.
As a result, the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was relocated to Ramstein Air Base
, West Germany. As part of the move from Toul, the 32d was reassigned to England, where it rejoined the 10th TRW, now stationed at RAF Alconbury
. It sent the RF-101s back to the United States, and at Alconbury received new McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II aircraft.
The 32d flew the RF-4C at Alconbury for the next ten years, before being deactivated in 1976. The advent of reconnaissance satellites made tactical reconnaissance less and less necessary by the mid 1970s. This, along with the need for budget reductions after the end of the Vietnam War
caused a reduction in the numbers of frontline tactical reconnaissance aircraft. On 1 January 1976, the 32nd TRS was the first of two squadrons of the 10th TRW to be deactivated that year.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
unit. Its last assignment was with the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (10th TRW), based at RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was deactivated on 1 January 1976.
World War II
The squadron was established in mid-1943 as a tactical reconnaissanceReconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
and photo-mapping squadron. Initial squadron training was under the Third Air Force
Third Air Force
The Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, before it was deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations
Mediterranean Theater of Operations
The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army was originally called North African Theater of Operations and is an American term for the conflict that took place between the Allies and Axis Powers in North Africa and Italy during World War II...
(MTO) and assigned to the Fifteenth Air Force
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
in southern Italy in August 1945.
Equipped primarily with unarmed Lockheed F-5 Lightnings, the squadron flew hazardous long-range intelligence and photo-mapping missions over enemy-held Italy and Occupied Europe, to get pictures required for the aerial war against the Axis powers. Initially it flew most missions over enemy-occupied Italy, Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
and Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, later flying missions over the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
. After the German surrender in May 1945, the squadron's personnel were demobilized in Italy during the summer of 1945, and the squadron was deactivated as a paper unit in the United States during October.
United States Air Forces in Europe
In 1952 the squadron was reactivated as a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) tactical reconnaissance unit to be based in France as a result of the United States Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
military buildup in Europe. It was activated as a redesignation of the Alabama Air National Guard
Alabama Air National Guard
The Alabama Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is, along with the Alabama Army National Guard, an element of the Alabama National Guard...
(ANG) 157th TRS, which was federalized and brought to active duty during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. It took over the Lockheed RF-80A Shooting Star aircraft of the ANG unit, and trained for daylight reconnaissance missions. The squadron, however was stationed at Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base
Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base
Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base is a German Air Force airfield located near the town of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, near Munich, Germany....
in West Germany due to the uncompleted facilities at Toul-Rosières Air Base
Toul-Rosieres Air Base
Toul-Rosières Air Base is a reserve French Air Force base. It is located in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département of France, 10 miles northeast of the city of Toul, on the west side of the Route nationale 411 Highway about one mile southeast of Rosières-en-Haye.Toul Air Base was used by American...
. Weather conditions in Germany severely restricted the training operations of the assigned RF-80As. The squadron frequently deployed to Nouasseur Air Base
Nouasseur Air Base
Nouasseur Air Base near Casablanca, French Morocco is a former United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base. It was designed for B-36 and B-47 bombers.Today, Nouasseur AB is known as Mohammed V International Airport.-Origins:...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
during the winter of 1952-53 where the photo conditions were excellent.
The squadron moved to Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base is a United States Air Force base located near the small German town of Spangdahlem, approximately 30 km NNE of the city of Trier, Rhineland-Palatinate.-Units:...
, West Germany in May 1953 where all of the elements of the parent 10th TRW were assembled at one base. It re-equipped with the Republic RF-84F Thunderflash in 1955, as the RF-80s were deemed not mission-capable against the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 was a jet fighter developed for the USSR by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. The MiG-15 was one of the first successful swept-wing jet fighters, and it achieved fame in the skies over Korea, where early in the war, it outclassed all straight-winged enemy fighters in...
.
In January 1958, the squadron was moved to Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base
Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base
Phalsbourg-Bourscheid Air Base is a former United States Air Force base in France. It is located in the Moselle département, about 2 miles west of the town of Phalsbourg, on the north side of the Route nationale 4 Highway adjacent to the village Saint-Jean-Kourtzerode; 29 miles northwest of...
, France while the runway at Spangdahlem was under repair and renovation. In March 1958, the squadron was reassigned to the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, which was moving to Phalsbourg from Sembach Air Base due to poor runway conditions. During May, the Thunderflashes were replaced by McDonnell RF-101C Voodoos, which was the fastest tactical reconnaissance aircraft ever flown by the USAF.
Routine training operations were flown from Laon for over seven years. In 1965 the squadron was again reassigned; to the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing
The 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with United States Air Forces in Europe, being stationed at Zweibrücken Air Base, Germany, where it was inactivated on 31 July 1991.-History:...
, which was being formed at Toul-Rosières Air Base. On 7 March 1966, French President Charles De Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
announced that France would withdraw from NATO's military structure but not leave the political organization. He gave NATO forces one year (until 1 April 1967) to depart France.
As a result, the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing was relocated to Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base
Ramstein Air Base is a United States Air Force base in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. It serves as headquarters for the United States Air Forces in Europe and is also a North Atlantic Treaty Organization installation...
, West Germany. As part of the move from Toul, the 32d was reassigned to England, where it rejoined the 10th TRW, now stationed at RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury
RAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
. It sent the RF-101s back to the United States, and at Alconbury received new McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II aircraft.
The 32d flew the RF-4C at Alconbury for the next ten years, before being deactivated in 1976. The advent of reconnaissance satellites made tactical reconnaissance less and less necessary by the mid 1970s. This, along with the need for budget reductions after the end of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
caused a reduction in the numbers of frontline tactical reconnaissance aircraft. On 1 January 1976, the 32nd TRS was the first of two squadrons of the 10th TRW to be deactivated that year.
Lineage
- Constituted as the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron (Fighter) on 25 June 1943
- Activated on 1 July 1943
- Redesignated 32d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 11 August 1943
- Deactivated on 28 October 1945
- Redesignated 32d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 25 June 1952
- Reactivated on 10 July 1952 by redesignation of the 157th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
- Deactivated 1 January 1976
Assignments
- 426th Reconnaissance Group426th Reconnaissance GroupThe 426th Reconnaissance Groupis an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force, based at Gainesville Army Airfield, Texas. It was inactivated on 15 August 1943....
, 1 July 1943 - III Reconnaissance (later Tactical Air) CommandIII Reconnaissance CommandThe III Reconnaissance Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Third Air Force stationed at Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota. It was inactivated on 8 April 1946.-Lineage:...
, 11 August 1943 - 90th Photographic Wing90th Air DivisionThe 90th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with First Air Force, based at Niagara Falls Airport, New York...
, c. 20 April 1944 - 5th Photographic (later Reconnaissance) Group, attached on 30 April 1944, and assigned 15 November 1944 - 28 October 1945
- 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Group10th Tactical Reconnaissance GroupThe 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, stationed at Spangdahlem Air Base, West Germany...
, 10 July 1952 - 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 8 December 1957
- Attached to 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing from 8 January 1958
- 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 8 March 1958-1 October 1965
- 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing26th Tactical Reconnaissance WingThe 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with United States Air Forces in Europe, being stationed at Zweibrücken Air Base, Germany, where it was inactivated on 31 July 1991.-History:...
, 1 October 1965-15 August 1966 - 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 15 August 1966-1 January 1976
Stations
- Gainesville Army Airfield, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, 1 July 1943 - Will Rogers Field, OklahomaOklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, 4 January-24 March 1944 - San Severo Airfield, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 28 April 1944 - Bari Airfield, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 11 August-October 1945 - Camp KilmerCamp KilmerCamp Kilmer, New Jersey is a former United States Army camp that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Transportation Corps. Troops were quartered at Camp Kilmer in...
, New JerseyNew JerseyNew Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, 26-28 October 1945 - Fürstenfeldbruck ABFürstenfeldbruck Air BaseFürstenfeldbruck Air Base is a German Air Force airfield located near the town of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, near Munich, Germany....
, West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, 10 July 1952
- Spangdahlem AB, West GermanyWest GermanyWest Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, 17 May 1953 - Phalsbourg-Bourscheid AB, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 31 July 1957 - Toul-Rosières AB, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 17 October 1960 - Laon-Couvron AB, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 1 March 1962 - Toul-Rosières AB, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, 1 July 1965 - RAF AlconburyRAF AlconburyRAF Alconbury is an active Royal Air Force station in Cambridgeshire, England. The airfield is adjacent to the Stukeleys [Great and Little] and located about northwest of Huntingdon; about north of London....
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, 15 August 1966-1 January 1976
Aircraft
- North American B-25 Mitchell, 1943–1944
- de Havilland MosquitoDe Havilland MosquitoThe de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
, Douglas A-20 Havoc and Lockheed F-5 Lightning, 1944 - F-5 Lightning, 1944–1945
- Lockheed RF-80A Shooting Star, 1952–1956
- Republic RF-84F Thunderflash, 1955–1958
- McDonnell RF-101C Voodoo, 1958–1966
- McDonnell Douglas RF-4C Phantom II, 1966–1976