8th Reconnaissance Group

8th Reconnaissance Group
Active 1943–1945
Country United States
Branch United States Army Air Forces
Role Reconnaissance
Part of Tenth Air Force
Garrison/HQ China Burma India Theater of World War II
Engagements Burma Campaign 1944-1945
China Defensive Campaign (1944–1945)
China Offensive Campaign (1945)

The 8th Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last duty station was at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, where it was inactivated on 5 November 1945.

The group operated as an umbrella support organization, with its component flying squadrons operating independently over a wide area in the China Burma India Theater of World War II, supporting local tactical ground forces near the front lines, frequently moving from one airfield to another.

History

Lineage

Activated on 1 October 1943
Redesignated 8th Reconnaissance Group in June 1945
Inactivated on 5 November 1945
Disbanded on 6 March 1947
Redesignated 318th Information Operations Group, 1 July 2000

Assignments

Stations

Headquarters:

Component Squadrons and Flights were stationed at numerous airfields in India, Burma and China (See below)

Components

Assigned to (prior to 25 April 1944):
Tenth Air Force, 29 March 1942 (flight attached to Fourteenth Air Force, 10 March – 12 July 1943)
AAF India-Burma Sector, 30 October 1943 (attached to 5306th Photographic and Reconnaissance Group [Prow], 30 October 1943 – 17 January 1944, and to Tenth Air Force, 17 January-7 March 1944)
Tenth Air Force, 7 March 1944
Stationed at:
Karachi Airport, India, 24 July 1942
Flight at Kunming Airport, China, November 1942-12 July 1943
Detachment thereof operating from Kweilin Airfield, China, c. February-12 July 1943
Chakulia Airfield, India, 30 November 1942
Detachment operated from Dinjan Airfield, India, 18 March–July 1943
Pandaveswar Airfield, India, 3 January 1943
Detachment operated from Dinjan Airfield, India, September 1943-20 May 1944
Barrackpore Airfield, India, 29 October 1943
Detachment operated from Tingkawk Sakan Airfield, Burma, 16 August-30 November 1944
Detachment operated from Myitkyina Airfield, Burma, 27 November-c. 5 December 1944
Detachment Operated from Chittagong Airfield, India, c. 9 October-21 December 1944
Myitkyina Airfield, Burma, c. 5 December 1944
Piardoba Airfield, India, c. 1 May 1945
Malir Airfield, India, October-c. 14 November 1945
  • 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 25 April 1944 – 7 October 1945
Assigned to (prior to 25 April 1944):
AAF India-Burma Sector, 26 December 1943 (attached to 5306th Photographic and Reconnaissance Group [Prow], 26 December 1943 – 17 January 1944, and to Tenth Air Force, 17 January-7 March 1944)
Tenth Air Force, 7 March 1944 (attached to 5320th Air Defense Wing [Prov], March–May 1944)
Stationed at:
Guskhara Airfield, India, 5 January 1944
Flight operated from Kisselbari Airfield, India, after 6 March 1944
Kisselbari Airfield, India, 26 March 1944
Operated from Dinjan Airfield, India, 1 May – 20 June 1944
Detachment thereof operating from Tingkawk Sakan Airfield, Burma, after 21 May 1944
Operated primarily from Tingkawk Sakan Airfield, Burma, 21 June-c. l0 November 1944
Detachment thereof operating from Myitkyina Airfield, Burma, 10 July-c. 25 August 1944
Operated primarily from Myitkyina Airfield, Burma, c. 9 November 1944
Flight operated from Akyab Airfield, Burma, 12 April-22 May 1945
Nagaghuli Airfield, India, C. 20 April 1945
Dergaon Airfield, India, 9 July 1945
Piardoba Airfield, India, September–November 1945

Assigned to (prior to 25 April 1944):
AAF, India-Burma Sector, 26 December 1943 (attached to 5306th Photographic and Reconnaissance Group [Prov], z6 December 1943-17 January 1944, and to Tenth Air Force, 17 January-7 March 1944)
Tenth Air Force, 7 March 1944
Stationed at:
Guskhara Airfield, India, 5 January 1944
Detachment operated from Hsinching Airfield, China, 17 March-9 April 1944
Detachment operated from Jorhat Airfield, India, 9–22 April 1944
Detachment operated from Hsinching Airfield, China, 27 April-c. 1 July 1944
Detachment operated from Liuchow Airfield, China, 10 July-22 September 1944
Detachment operated from Chanyi Airfield, China, 22 September 1944 – 17 February 1945
Element at Hsinching Airfield, China, October–November 1944
Element at Pengshan Airfield, China, November 1944
Tulihal Airfield and Cox's Bazar Airfield, India, February-c. 7 October 1945
  • 40th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, 18 July 1944 – 7 October 1945
Guskhara Airfield, India, 18 July 1944
Alipore Airfield, India, 9 August 1944
Detachment at Cox's Bazar Airfield, India, after c. 10 December 1944
Cox's Bazar Airfield, India, 18 January 1945
Akyab Airfield, Burma, 14 February 1945
Alipore Airfield, India, C. 15 May 1945
Kanchrapara Airfield, India, September–c. 4 October 1945

Non-Flying ground support squadrons

Aircraft

Operational history

Organized at Peterson Field, Colorado in October 1943, then trained to provide photographic intelligence for air and ground forces at Gainesville AAF, Texas.

Moved to India, February–March 1944 and assigned to Tenth Air Force. Equipped with F-5, F-6, and F7 aircraft. Conducted photographic reconnaissance, photographic, mapping, and visual reconnaissance missions. Products created ranged from maps, mosaics, terrain models, to target charts of areas in Burma, China, French Indochina, and Thailand. Personnel also bombed and strafed enemy installations and provided escort for bombardment units, since the photographic aircraft were dual-capable as bombers.

Redesignated 8th Reconnaissance Group in June 1945. Returned to the US, October–November 1945. Inactivated on 5 November 1945.

References

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

External links

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