33d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron

33d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron
Emblem of the 33d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron
Active	1942-1945
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Reconnaissance
Engagements	World War II
Aircraft flown
Reconnaissance	A-20 Havoc B-25 Mitchell DB/RDB-7 Havoc Piper L-4 P-39 Aircobra P-43 Lancer F-6B Mustang P-38/F-5 Lightning

The 33d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the Army Service Forces, stationed at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts. It was inactivated on 4 October 1945.

History

Activated by Third Air Force in early 1942, was reconnaissance/observation training squadron in the Southeast United States flying a mixture of aircraft until the spring of 1944. Re-equipped with long-range F-5 Lightnings, deployed to European Theater of Operations (ETO) in the spring of 1944.

Engaged in tactical reconnaissance over the Normandy Beaches of France prior to the Allied invasion on D-Day, 6 June 1944. Afterwards engaged in highly dangerous unarmed reconnaissance of Northern France, the Low Countries and Germany as Allied armies moved west during the Northern France Campaign during the balance of 1944 and the Allied Invasion of Western Germany, spring 1945. Provided battlefield intelligence primarily to the United States Third Army, however also flew reconnaissance missions for the United States First and Ninth Armies as requested.

Assigned to the United States Air Forces in Europe after the German Capitation in May 1945, was part of the Army of Occupation in Germany before demobilizing during the summer of 1945; inactivated as a paper unit in October 1945 under Army Service Forces.

Lineage

• Constituted 24th Observation Squadron (Light) on 5 Feb 1942.

Activated on 27 Feb 1942

Re-designated: 24th Observation Squadron on 4 Jul 1942

Re-designated: 24th Reconnaissance Squadron (Bombardment) on 2 Apr 1943

Re-designated: 33d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 11 Aug 1943

Inactivated on 4 Oct 1945.

Assignments

• 76th Observation (later Reconnaissance) Group, 27 Feb 1942
• III Reconnaissance (later Tactical Air) Command, 11 Aug 1943
• 10th Photographic Group, 1 May 1944
• 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 13 Jun 1944

Attached to 10th Photographic Group to 11 Aug 1944

• XXIX Tactical Air Command (Prov), 7 Oct 1944

Attached to 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group to 2 Nov 1944

• 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 30 Oct 1944
• 67th Tactical Reconnaissance (later Reconnaissance) Group, 17 May 1945
• 363d Reconnaissance Group, c. 5 Jul-20 1945
• Army Service Forces, 21 July-4 October 1945

Stations

• Bluethenthal Field, Wilmington, North Carolina, 27 Feb 1942
• Key Field, Mississippi, 27 Feb 1942;
• Pope Field, North Carolina, 28 Mar 1942
• Vichy Army Airfield, Missouri, 14 Dec 1942
• Morris Field, North Carolina, 8 May 1943
• Gainesville Army Airfield, Texas, 30 Oct 1943
• Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, 16 Jan-22 Apr 1944
• RAF Chalgrove (AAF-465), England, 27 Apr 1944
• Le Molay Airfield (A-9), France, 15 Aug 1944

• Toussus-le-Noble Airfield (A-46), France, 30 Aug 1944
• Gosselies Airfield (A-87), Belgium, 21 Sep 1944
• Le Culot Airfield (A-89), Belgium, 5 Nov 194
• Venlo Airfield (Y-55), Holland, 10 Mar 1945
• Gutersloh Airfield (Y-99), Germany, 16 Apr 1945
• Brunswick-Waggum Airfield (Later) AAF Station Brunswick-Waggum (R-37), Germany, 25 Apr 1945
• AAF Station Eschwege, Germany, 17 May-23 Aug 1945
• Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts, 3-4 Oct 1945.

Aircraft

• Included A-20 Havoc, B-25 Mitchell, DB/RDB-7 Havoc, Piper L-4, P-39 Aircobra, P-43 Lancer, and F-6B Mustang during period 1942-1944
• P-38/F-5 Lightning, 1944-1945.

Bibliography

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

• Maurer, Maurer, ed (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/combat_sq_of_the_af_wwii.pdf.