54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force
unit. Its last was assigned to the 41st Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing, stationed at Andersen Air Force Base
, Guam
. It was inactivated on 30 September 1987.
as a weather reconnaissance squadron; assigned to Eighth Air Force
. Primary mission of squadron was acquiring accurate weather information over enemy-occupied Continental Europe
, including Nazi Germany
for mission planning of heavy bombardment missions to identified enemy industrial, transportation and military targets. Flew a wide variety of medium bombers and fighter aircraft, all at high speed and unarmed over enemy-held territory on a daily basis. These missions being highly hazardous and usually flown without any escort. Continued operations until the German Capitulation in May 1945 when returned to the United States.
Redeployed to North Field, Guam and equipped with very long range B-29 Superfortress
bombers, equipped with weather reconnaissance equipment in September 1945. Flew weather reconnaissance missions for Far East Air Forces during early postwar years, inactivating in October 1947.
Reactivated in 1951 at North Field (later Anderson AFB), Guam. Resumed weather reconnaissance mission with WB-29s; upgrading to WB-50D Superfortresses in 1955 Routeinely flew hazardous reconnaissance missions into tropical storms and typhoons to obtain accurate meteorological information. Inactivated in 1960 due to budget reductions.
Reactivated in 1960 with a mixture of WB-50s, WB-47s and C-130s and resumed Typhoon hunting mission. The squadron was the last operator of the WB-50D Superfortress, retiring the last aircraft in 1965. Operated with C-130s after 1965, inactivating in 1987.
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 was assigned to the 41st Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing, stationed at Andersen Air Force Base
Andersen Air Force Base
Andersen Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam....
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. It was inactivated on 30 September 1987.
History
Established in mid-1944 in EnglandEngland
England 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...
as a weather reconnaissance squadron; assigned to Eighth Air Force
Eighth Air Force
The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....
. Primary mission of squadron was acquiring accurate weather information over enemy-occupied Continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
, including Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
for mission planning of heavy bombardment missions to identified enemy industrial, transportation and military targets. Flew a wide variety of medium bombers and fighter aircraft, all at high speed and unarmed over enemy-held territory on a daily basis. These missions being highly hazardous and usually flown without any escort. Continued operations until the German Capitulation in May 1945 when returned to the United States.
Redeployed to North Field, Guam and equipped with very long range B-29 Superfortress
B-29 Superfortress
The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...
bombers, equipped with weather reconnaissance equipment in September 1945. Flew weather reconnaissance missions for Far East Air Forces during early postwar years, inactivating in October 1947.
Reactivated in 1951 at North Field (later Anderson AFB), Guam. Resumed weather reconnaissance mission with WB-29s; upgrading to WB-50D Superfortresses in 1955 Routeinely flew hazardous reconnaissance missions into tropical storms and typhoons to obtain accurate meteorological information. Inactivated in 1960 due to budget reductions.
Reactivated in 1960 with a mixture of WB-50s, WB-47s and C-130s and resumed Typhoon hunting mission. The squadron was the last operator of the WB-50D Superfortress, retiring the last aircraft in 1965. Operated with C-130s after 1965, inactivating in 1987.
Lineage
- Constituted 654th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy, Reconnaissance, Special) on 17 Jul 1944
- Activated on 9 Aug 1944
- Redesignated: 54th Reconnaissance Squadron (Long Range, Weather) on 4 Sep 1945
- Redesignated: 54th Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range, Weather) on 27 Nov 1945
- Inactivated on 15 Oct 1947
- Redesignated 54th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium, Weather) on 22 Jan 1951
- Activated on 21 Feb 1951
- Redesignated 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron on 15 Feb 1954
- Discontinued on 18 Mar 1960
- Activated on 8 Feb 1962
- Organized 18 Apr 1962
- Inactivated on 30 Sep 1987.
Assignments
- 25th Bombardment Group (Reconnaissance)25th Tactical Reconnaissance WingThe 25th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing is an inactive United States Air Force wing. Its last duty assignment was at Chambley-Bussieres Air Base, France.-History:...
, 9 Aug 1944 - Third Air ForceThird Air ForceThe Third Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe . It is headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany....
, 8 Sep 1945 - 311th Reconnaissance Wing, 27 Nov 1945
- Attached to Twentieth Air ForceTwentieth Air ForceThe Twentieth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming.20 AF's primary mission is Intercontinental Ballistic Missile operations...
, 8 Dec 1945-28 Feb 1946- Air Weather Service, 13 Mar 1946
- 43d Weather Wing, 1 Aug-15 Oct 1947
- 2143d Air Weather Wing, 21 Feb 1951
- 1st Weather Wing, 8 Feb 1954
- Department of the Air ForceDepartment of the Air ForceThe Department of the Air Force is one of the three Military Departments within the Department of Defense of the United States of America...
, 18 Mar 1960 - Military Air Transport ServiceMilitary Air Transport ServiceThe Military Air Transport Service is an inactive Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy Naval Air Transport Service and the United States Air Force Air Transport Command into a single, joint, unified command...
, 8 Feb 1962 - 9th Weather Reconnaissance Group, 18 Apr 1962
- 9th Weather Reconnaissance Wing9th Weather Reconnaissance WingThe 9th Weather Reconnaissance Wing is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with the Air Weather Service, being stationed at McClellan Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 31 August 1975.- History :...
, 1 Jul 1965 - 41st Rescue and Weather Reconnaissance Wing, 1 Sep 1975-30 Sep 1987.
Stations
- RAF WattonRAF WattonRoyal Air Force Station Watton is a former military airfield in Norfolk, England. The airfield is located approximately south-southwest of East Dereham....
(AAF-376), 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...
, 9 Aug 1944 - Drew Field, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Aug 1945 - North Field, GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, 27 Nov 1945-Mar 1946 - Buckley Field, ColoradoColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, Mar 1946-2 Jun 1946 - Langley Field, VirginiaVirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, 2 Jun 1946-Jul 1946 - Morrison Field, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Jul 1946-30 Jun 1947 - McClellan Field, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 1 Jul 1947 - Fairfield-Suisun Army Air Base, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 31 Jul 1947 - North Army Air Base, GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, 2 Aug 1947-15 Oct 1947 - Andersen AFB, GuamGuamGuam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, 21 Feb 1951-18 Mar 1960; 8 Feb 1962-30 Sep 1987.
Aircraft
- B-25 MitchellB-25 MitchellThe North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
, 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"...
XVI, 1944-1945 - B-26 MarauderB-26 MarauderThe Martin B-26 Marauder was a World War II twin-engine medium bomber built by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in the Pacific Theater in early 1942, it was also used in the Mediterranean Theater and in Western Europe....
, 1944-1945 - P-38 LightningP-38 LightningThe Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament...
, 1944-1945 - B-29/WB29 Stratofortress, 1946-1947; 1951-1956
- C-47 SkytrainC-47 SkytrainThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
, 1946-1947 - C-54 SkymasterC-54 SkymasterThe Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...
, 1951-1960 - YC-97 Stratofreighter, 1952-1953
- TB-50/WB-50 SuperfortressB-50 SuperfortressThe Boeing B-50 Superfortress strategic bomber was a post-World War II revision of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, fitted with more powerful Pratt & Whitney R-4360 radial engines, stronger structure, a taller fin, and other improvements. It was the last piston-engined bomber designed by Boeing for...
, 1955; 1955-1960 - WB-50 Superfortress, WB-47 Stratojet, and C-130 HerculesC-130 HerculesThe Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...
, 1962-1965 - WC-130 HerculesWC-130 Hercules|-See also:-External links:*, a history of the WC-130...
, 1965-1987.