2nd Troop Carrier Squadron

The 2nd Troop Carrier Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 65th Troop Carrier Group. It was inactivated at Mitchel Air Force Base, New York on 1 April 1953.

History
Established under the 1st Photographic Group in May 1941. Performed aerial mapping primarily over the northwestern United States prior to the Pearl Harbor Attack using P-39 Aircobra sub-variants (F-2) which were equipped for the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles. After the United States entry into World War II, flew aerial mapping missions over Western Canada and the Alaska Territory, mapping uncharted territory to support the building of the Alaska Highway. Deployed to South America in 1942–1943; mapping locations in British Guiana and Brazil for locations of emergency airfields as part of the development of the South Atlantic Transport Route. Flew very long reconnaissance range missions from the Aleutian Islands over the Japanese Kuril Islands in the North Pacific, the squadron's aircraft being some of the first United States aircraft over Japanese soil after the 1942 Doolittle Raid.

Reassigned to Far East Air Forces in late 1944; engaged in long-range mapping and reconnaissance over combat areas in support of seaborne landings in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) and the liberation of the Philippines. Remained in the Western Pacific after the Japanese. Unit largely demobilized in the Philippines, Inactivated in early 1946.

Reactivated in the Air Force Reserve after the war; becoming the first flying unit assigned to Rome Army Airfield, New York in 1946; later being redesignated as a Troop Carrier squadron in 1952, although not re-equipped. Inactivated in 1952 due to budget reductions.

Lineage

 * Constituted 2nd Photographic Squadron on 15 May 1941
 * Activated on 10 June 1941
 * Redesignated: 2nd Mapping Squadron on 13 January 1942
 * Redesignated: 2nd Photographic Mapping Squadron on 9 June 1942
 * Redesignated: 2nd Photographic Charting Squadron on 11 August 1943
 * Redesignated: 2nd Reconnaissance Squadron (Long Range, Photographic) on 15 June 1945
 * Redesignated: 2nd Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range, Photographic) on 20 November 1945
 * Inactivated on 31 March 1946


 * Redesignated 2nd Reconnaissance Squadron (Photographic) on 11 March 1947
 * Activated in the reserve on 6 October 1947
 * Inactivated on 27 June 1949
 * Redesignated 2nd Troop Carrier Squadron (Medium) on 26 May 1952
 * Activated in the reserve on 14 June 1952
 * Inactivated on 1 April 1953

Assignments

 * 1st Photographic (later Mapping; Photographic Charting) Group, 10 June 1941
 * 311th Photographic (later Reconnaissance) Wing, 5 October 1944 – 31 March 1946
 * Attached to Far East Air Forces, 20 October 1944 – 4 February 1946


 * 65th Reconnaissance Group, 6 October 1947 – 27 June 1949
 * 65th Troop Carrier Group, 14 June 1952 – 1 April 1953

Stations

 * Gray Army Airfield, Washington, 10 June 1941
 * Geiger Field, Washington, 2 January 1942;
 * Felts Field, Washington, 1 February 1942
 * Peterson Field, Colorado, 5 January 1944
 * Buckley Field, Colorado, 2 July – 2 September 1944
 * Hollandia Airfield Complex, New Guinea, 20 October 1944


 * Wama Airfield, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, 13 December 1944
 * Puerto Princesa Airfield, Palawan, Philippines Commonwealth, 5 May 1945
 * Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines Commonwealth, 22 January – 4 February 1946
 * Rome Army Airfield, New York, 6 October 1947 – 27 June 1949
 * Mitchel AFB, New York, 14 June 199 – 1 April 1953

Aircraft

 * P-39/F-2 Aircobra, 1941–1942
 * A-29 Hudson, 1942–1943
 * A-20/F-3 Havoc (Night Reconnaissance), 1942
 * B-25/F-10 Mitchell, 1943–1944
 * B-24/F-7 Liberator, 1944–1946