15th Aero Squadron

1^st Photographic Squadron

1^st Mapping Squadron 1^st Photographic Mapping Squadron 1^st Photographic Charting Squadron

1^st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron

1^st Reconnaissance Squadron

Lineage:

Constituted, as the 1^st Photographic Squadron, on 22 Dec 1939.

Activated: 01 Feb 1940.

Redesignated: as the 1^st Mapping Squadron on 13 Jan 1942.

Redesignated: as the 1^stPhotographic Mapping Squadron on 09 Jun 1942.

Redesignated: as the 1^stPhotographic Charting Squadron on 11 Aug 1943.

Redesignated: as the 1^stPhotographic Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Heavy) on 10 Nov 1944

Redesignated: as the 1^stReconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range – Photographic RCM) on 04 Oct 1945.

Redesignated: as the 1^stReconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range – Photographic) on 13 Nov 1945.

Inactivated: on 10 Mar 1947.

Disbanded: on 08 Oct 1948.

Assignments:

Office of the Chief of the Air Corps, 01 Feb 1940; 1^st Photographic (Later: Photographic Mapping; Photographic Charting) Group, 10 Jun 1941; 11^th Photographic Group, 01 Dec 1943; 311^th Photographic Wing, 05 Oct 1944; Second Air Force, 10 Nov 1944 (Attached to the Eighth Air Force c. 09 Sep 1945); 311^th Reconnaissance Wing, 04 Oct 1945 (Attached to the Eighth Air Force c. 04 Oct 1945; VII Bomber Command, 10 Dec 1945; Eighth Air Force, Mar 1946; 1^st Air Division, 7 Jun 1946); Far East Air Forces, 03 Feb 1947; Thirteenth Air Force, 11 Feb – 10 Mar 1947.

Stations:

Bolling Field, DC, 01 Feb 1940; Bradley Field, CT 05 Dec 1941; MacDill AFB, FL, 15 Jan 1944; Smoky Hill AFB, KS, 26 Oct 1944 – 31 Jul 1945; Okinawa, 09 Sep 1945; Clark Fld, Luzon, 11 Feb – 10 Mar 1947

Aircraft:

C-8, 1940; B-10, 1940; C-45/F-2, 1940, 1946-1947; A-29, 1941-1942; A-20/F-3, 1942; B-24/F-7, 1942-1945; B-34, 1942-1944; B-25, 1943; B-17/F-9, 1943-1944; B-29/F-13, 1944-1947; L-5, 1946-1947.

Operations:

Mapping areas of the United States, 1940-1943; Alaska, Canada, Newfoundland, Labrador, and Greenland, 1941-1943; Africa, Middle East, India, and China, 1943-1944; Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia, 1944, and the Far East, 1946-1947.

Honors:

Services Streamers:

World War II:

American Theater

European-African-Middle Eastern (EAME) Theater

Asiatic-Pacific Theater

Armed Forces Expeditionary Streamers:
None.

Decorations:

None.

Emblem:

On and over a blue disc, bordered in yellow, with white clouds issuing from base, a brown and white hawk, having yellow feet, beak, and aviators helmet, focusing a black aerial camera. Approved 03 Oct 1941.

(Note: This is a modified patch listed on an internet site as a 1^st Reconnaissance Squadron (That conforms with the lineage) This patch has been modified to reflect the insignia and Air Force provide drawing (B&W) as shown The USAF Alfred F. Simpson Historical Research Center’s book "Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II" first printer in 1969. The Insignia in the Book matches the drawing in the book except for: 1) the cloud behind the hawk is under the hawk and about half the size. 2) The Hawk is more brown and contains white areas as well as the yellow – however the hawk is exactly the same shape but slight larger then the revised patch. 3) the Aerial Camera has a longer focal lens and is black.

The Patch for the 1^st Reconnaissance Squadron copied off the internet:

Approved: (Unknown)

Motto: None.

This documentation was provided by Terry L Horstead, TSgt USAF Retired, 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (SAC)