21st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron | |
|---|---|
 SquadronRF-4C Phantom II | |
| Active | 1942–1944; 1945–1988; 2007–2008 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Reconnaissance |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award[1] |
| Insignia | |
| 21st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron emblem(approved 20 November 2010)[1] |  |
| Patch with 1st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron emblem |  |
| 21st Observation Squadron emblem(approved 12 June 1943)[2] |  |
The21st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron is a provisionalUnited States Air Force unit, assigned toUnited States Air Forces Europe to activate or inactivate as needed. Its last known location was atSouda Bay, Greece.
Thesquadron was active as the21st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, and served as a reconnaissance Replacement Training Unit duringWorld War II until being disbanded in a reorganization of theUnited States Army Air Forces designed to make the most efficient use of resources to free manpower for overseas assignment.
The1st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was formed shortly after the end of the war and served as part of theoccupation forces in Germany until 1947, when it returned to the United States, where it was inactivated in 1949. The squadron was reactivated in 1952 to replace the160th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, anAlabama Air National Guard unit. It remained in Europe as an element of the10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (later 10th Tactical Fighter Wing) until it was inactivated on 15 January 1988.
The two squadrons were consolidated in 1985. In 2007, the consolidated squadron was converted to provisional status as the21st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron and assigned toUnited States Air Forces Europe, which activated it atSouda Bay, Greece.
The squadron was first established duringWorld War II as the21st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and served as a Replacement Training Unit (RTU).[2] RTUs were oversized units whose mission was to train individualpilots oraircrews.[3] The squadron was stationed at several airfields in the Midwest and Southeast as part ofThird Air Force. It initially trained crews for medium bombers used as reconnaissance aircraft, but changed its mission to focus on training reconnaissance pilots for overseas duty.[4]
However, theUnited States Army Air Forces found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization, were less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, it adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.[5] As a result, the squadron was disbanded in 1944[2] and replaced by the347th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training Unit, Tactical Reconnaissance).
The1st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was organized after the end of the war and served in theoccupation of Germany[6] It was equipped with a variety of transport aircraft (C-45, C-47, UC-64) until it moved toFürth Air Base, Germany where it began transition toNorth American P-51 Mustangs.[7]
The squadron moved to the United States and became part ofTactical Air Command in 1947 atLangley Field, Virginia, then moved toLawson Field, Georgia without personnel or equipment[8] nearFort Benning where it equipped with F-6D (later RF-51D) Mustangs. The unit moved toPope Field, North Carolina in September. It flew aerial mapping and reconnaissance missions, largely over the mid-Atlantic region, supporting Army forces atFort Bragg during maneuvers. It was inactivated in 1949[1] due to budget restrictions.
The squadron was reactivated as a night Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in France in 1952 to replace anAlabama Air National Guard tactical reconnaissance squadron which had been federalized and brought to active duty in the buildup of forces during theKorean War. The RB-26s were repainted black[citation needed] and the squadron was assigned a night reconnaissance mission supportingUnited States Army andNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization ground forces in West Germany.[1]
In May 1953 the squadron moved toSpangdahlem Air Base, West Germany as part of aUnited States Air Forces Europe reorganization. TheWorld War II-era RB-26s began to be replaced in October 1954 byMartin RB-57A Canberras, again painted black[citation needed] for night reconnaissance missions, although some Invaders remained through 1956. In 1957 the RB-57s were transferred toChâteauroux-Déols Air Depot for shipment back to the United States and the 1st TRS was re-equipped with theDouglas RB-66C Destroyer.[1]
The squadron moved toRAF Alconbury, England in 1959 when the47th Bombardment Wing'sB-45s were retired, and Spangdalem became a tactical fighter base. It continued operating the RB-66Cs for night reconnaissance, although rotated frequently to Toul Air Base until 1966 where its parent 10th TRW operated a forward location.[note 1] In 1966 it converted to theRF-4C Phantom II upon its introduction to USAFE. The squadron flew the RF-4C for over 20 years from Alconbury,[1] and fromRAF Wethersfield,[note 2] frequently participating in NATO exercises.
The unit was consolidated with the 21st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in 1985 to give the squadron a World War II history. The squadron became non-operational on 16 June 1987 with the withdrawal of the RF-4C from Europe, and was inactivated in 1988 when the 10th TRW transitioned to aFairchild Republic A-10 tactical fighter wing.[1][9]
21st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
21st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron
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Explanatory notes
Footnotes
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency