46th Reconnaissance Squadron
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The 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron is an active Central Command unit of the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
. The
squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
was first activated as the 719th Bombardment Squadron in May 1943. After training in the United States, the squadron deployed to the
Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army forc ...
, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. The squadron was awarded two
Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...
s for its actions during the war. Following
V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...
, the 716th returned to the United States and was inactivated in June 1945. The squadron was activated again in September and trained with
Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...
es. It was redesignated the 46th Reconnaissance Squadron two months later, becoming one of the first long range reconnaissance units in
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
(SAC). In August 1946, the squadron deployed to
Ladd Field Ladd or Ladds may refer to: People *Ladd (surname) *Brent Ladds (born 1951), Canadian ice hockey administrator Places ;In the United States *Ladds, Georgia, an unincorporated community *Ladd, Illinois, village *Ladd, Missouri, an unincorporated c ...
, Alaska Territory, where it conducted long range
aerial reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of ima ...
over the Arctic. The 46th squadron flew "Project Nanook" to assess the Soviet threat in the
Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
at the beginning of the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
. The unit developed the grid system of Navigation which made Arctic navigation routine. The squadron's F-13, serial 45-21848 was the first aircraft to fly over the
North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...
on 16 October 1946. It was inactivated on 13 October 1947 and transferred its assets to the 72d Reconnaissance Squadron. The squadron was converted to provisional status and reformed in 2004 and deployed to Iraq and, later, to Afghanistan.


History


World War II

The
squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...
was first activated in May 1943 at Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona as the 719th Bombardment Squadron, one of the four original squadrons of the 449th Bombardment Group.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 323-324 It trained with
Consolidated B-24 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
s at
Alamogordo Army Air Field Alamogordo () is the seat of Otero County, New Mexico, United States. A city in the Tularosa Basin of the Chihuahuan Desert, it is bordered on the east by the Sacramento Mountains and to the west by Holloman Air Force Base. The population was ...
, New Mexico and Bruning Army Air Field, Nebraska before departing for the
Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army forc ...
in November 1943. The squadron assembled at its combat station,
Grottaglie Airfield Taranto-Grottaglie "Marcello Arlotta" Airport ( it, Aeroporto di Taranto-Grottaglie "Marcello Arlotta") is an airport serving Taranto and Grottaglie, both ''comunes'' in the province of Taranto in Italy. The airport is located from the city of ...
in Southern Italy, in early January 1944, from which it operated primarily on strategic bombing missions. It attacked
oil refineries An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where petroleum (crude oil) is transformed and refined into useful products such as gasoline (petrol), diesel fuel, asphalt base, fuel oils, heating oil, kerosene, liquefie ...
, communications centers, aircraft factories and industrial facilities in Italy, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, Albania and Greece. The squadron was awarded a
Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...
(DUC) for its actions on 4 April 1944, when the squadron, along with the other elements of the 449th Group, operated without fighter escort in an attack on railroad
marshalling yard A classification yard (American and Canadian English (Canadian National Railway use)), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, Australian, and Canadian English (Canadian Pacific Railway use)) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway ya ...
s near
Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
. The attacking group was heavily outnumbered by German
interceptor aircraft An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are cap ...
, but not only succeeded in destroying its assigned target, but inflicted heavy losses on the defending fighters. It was awarded a second DUC for an attack against oil refineries near Ploesti, attacking through heavy smoke that obscured the target area and despite intense enemy fire. The squadron attacked gun emplacements to support
Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil) was the code name for the landing operation of the Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15August 1944. Despite initially designed to be executed in conjunction with Operation Overlord, th ...
, the invasion of southern France in August 1944. It attacked troop concentrations, bridges and viaducts during
Operation Grapeshot The spring 1945 offensive in Italy, codenamed Operation Grapeshot, was the final Allied attack during the Italian Campaign in the final stages of the Second World War. The attack into the Lombard Plain by the 15th Allied Army Group started on ...
, the Fifteenth Army Group offensive in Northern Italy in the Spring of 1945. Shortly after
V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945, marking the official end of World War II in Europe in the Easter ...
, in May 1945, the squadron returned to the United States. The squadron reformed at
Sioux Falls Army Air Field Sioux Falls Regional Airport , also known as Joe Foss Field, is a public and military use airport three miles northwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. It is named in honor of aviator and Sioux Falls native Joe Foss, who later served a ...
, South Dakota at the end of May. The 449th Group began training with
Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...
very heavy bombers. However, very heavy bomber groups were authorized three squadrons, rather than the four squadrons of heavy bomber groups, and the squadron was inactivated In June 1945.


Arctic reconnaissance

The squadron was reactivated in September 1945
Grand Island Army Air Field Grand Island Army Airfield was a United States Army Air Forces airfield which operated from 1942 to 1946. After its closure, the base was reopened as Central Nebraska Regional Airport. History Grand Island Army Airfield was opened in 1942, a ...
, and began training on the B-29. It was redesignated the 46th Reconnaissance Squadron in June 1946. Its new mission was to provide very long range reconnaissance as part of the newly established
Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...
(SAC). The 46th Reconnaissance Squadron was SAC's first operational unit. The squadron was equipped with eighteen reconnaissance-modified Superfortresses. Eight of the aircraft were modified into the F-13A reconnaissance configuration, being fitted with special camera installations for photographic mapping and
aerial reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of ima ...
work. The F-13As carried three K-17B, two K-22 and one K-18 cameras with provisions for others. However, the standard B-29 bombing equipment and defensive armament were retained. Simultaneously with its redesignation, the squadron moved to
Ladd Field Ladd or Ladds may refer to: People *Ladd (surname) *Brent Ladds (born 1951), Canadian ice hockey administrator Places ;In the United States *Ladds, Georgia, an unincorporated community *Ladd, Illinois, village *Ladd, Missouri, an unincorporated c ...
, Alaska with a mission to fly reconnaissance and photographic mapping missions over the
Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar regions of Earth, polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenla ...
and perform reconnaissance along the northern border of Soviet territory in the Arctic, as well as deep-penetration reconnaissance flights. All of its missions were classified as Top Secret, the classification wasn't dropped until 2001. In August, the squadron was transferred from SAC to
Alaskan Air Command Alaskan Air Command (AAC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command originally established in 1942 under the United States Army Air Forces. Its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise direct ...
. The squadron flew its first operational mission on 2 August 1946 from its base at Ladd, eventually flying more than 5,000 hours in the Arctic and over 1,000,000 miles in its first year of operations, testing material and the limits of flying personnel in the Arctic. It made the first aircraft flight over the Geographic
North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Mag ...
on 16 October 1946, eventually accomplishing over 100 flights to the pole and its immediate vicinity. It performed photo mapping of 5,500,000 square miles of the Arctic, including areas for the strategic location of defense components, and future locations of radar sites along the northern Canadian region. Exploratory flights were made to obtain information necessary to establish commercial airline service over the Arctic. When the squadron arrived in Alaska, large areas of the territory and northern Canada were largely unexplored. The squadron developed means of polar navigation necessary due to the unreliability of magnetic compasses, and many existing maps of the region were unreliable. The grid system of navigation was developed which enabled navigators to navigate to locations within one mile of accuracy. The squadron was inactivated on 13 October 1947. Its mission, personnel and equipment were transferred to the 72d Reconnaissance Squadron, which was simultaneously activated. The 72d continued the arctic reconnaissance mission until moving to the United States in June 1949. The two units are sometimes referred to as the 46th/72d Reconnaissance Squadron and a former alumni group was titled the 46th/72d Recon Association.


Expeditionary operations

The squadron was converted to provisional status as the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron and was assigned to the
332d Expeditionary Operations Group The 332d Expeditionary Operations Group is a provisional air expeditionary group of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command, currently active. It was inactivated on 8 May 2012 and reactivated 16 November 2014. The group forms part of ...
. It deployed to
Tallil Air Base Nasiriyah Airport is a public and military airport located 23 km (14 mi) southwest of Nasiriyah, Iraq. It is also known as Tallil Air Base until December 2011 and Imam Ali Air Base until March 2017, when the base was used by United ...
, Iraq with the
General Atomics MQ-1 Predator The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator (often referred to as the predator drone) is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency ( ...
as part of
Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
under the command of the
332d Air Expeditionary Wing The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing (332 AEW) is a Provisional Wing of Air Combat Command, currently active. It was last inactivated on 8 May 2012, and most recently reactivated on 19 May 2015. The Wing's 332nd Expeditionary Operations Group (33 ...
. Sometime between then and June 2004 the unit moved to
Joint Base Balad A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...
. Sometime between June 2004 and 2009 the unit was renamed to "46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron". During May 2016 the unit was noticed operating from Ali Al Salem Airbase, Kuwait, against Da'esh as part of the
Military intervention against ISIL In response to rapid territorial gains made by the so-called Islamic State during the first half of 2014, and its universally condemned executions, reported human rights abuses and the fear of further spillovers of the Syrian Civil War, many st ...
operating over
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
and
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
under the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. The squadron replaced its Predators with
General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper The General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper (sometimes called Predator B) is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capable of remotely controlled or autonomous flight operations developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) primarily for the Unit ...
s, becoming the 46th Expeditionary Attack Squadron. It carried out its first mission with the Block 5 Reaper in support of
Operation Inherent Resolve Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) is the U.S. military's operational name for the International military intervention against IS, including both a campaign in Iraq and a campaign in Syria, with a closely-related campaign in Libya. Throu ...
on 20 October 2017. Squadron members prepare its UAVs for missions and control their takeoff and landing, During flight, they are handed off to pilots and sensor operators in the United States for control through satellite systems. Local control by the 46th is required during takeoff and landing due to the short delay inherent in the satellite based communications links used by controllers at
Creech Air Force Base Creech Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) command and control facility in Clark County, Nevada used "to engage in daily Overseas Contingency Operations …of remotely piloted aircraft systems which fly missions across the globe." ...
, Nevada.


Lineage

* Constituted as the 719th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 6 April 1943 : Activated on 1 May 1943 : Redesignated 719th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 7 September 1945 : Inactivated on 11 June 1945 * Redesignated 719th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 7 September 1945 : Activated on 17 September 1945 : Redesignated 46th Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range, Photographic) on 1 June 1946 : Inactivated on 13 October 1947Lineage, including aircraft, assignments and stations, through 1963 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 718 * Converted to provisional status and redesignated: 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron c. 2003 : Activated c. 10 September 2003 : Inactivated c. 2011 * Redesignated 46th Expeditionary Attack Squadron : Activated c. 2013


Assignments

* 449th Bombardment Group, 1 May 1943 – 11 June 1945 * 449th Bombardment Group, 17 September 1945 *
Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Force ...
(SAC), 4 August 1946 *
Alaskan Air Command Alaskan Air Command (AAC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command originally established in 1942 under the United States Army Air Forces. Its mission was to organize and administer the air defense system of Alaska, exercise direct ...
, 19 August 1946 * Yukon Sector, Alaskan Air Command, 1 October 1946 – 13 October 1947 *
332d Expeditionary Operations Group The 332d Expeditionary Operations Group is a provisional air expeditionary group of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command, currently active. It was inactivated on 8 May 2012 and reactivated 16 November 2014. The group forms part of ...
, 10 September 2003 – c. 2011 * 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, unknown - present


Stations

* Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona, 1 May 1943 * Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, 5 July 1943 * Bruning Army Air Field, Nebraska, 12 September–26 November 1943 * Grottaglie Airfield, Italy, 3 January 1944 – 15 May 1945 * Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, 29 May-11 June 1945 * Grand Island Army Air Field, Nebraska, 17 September 1945 *
Ladd Field Ladd or Ladds may refer to: People *Ladd (surname) *Brent Ladds (born 1951), Canadian ice hockey administrator Places ;In the United States *Ladds, Georgia, an unincorporated community *Ladd, Illinois, village *Ladd, Missouri, an unincorporated c ...
, Alaska, 1 June 1946 – 13 October 1947 *
Ali Air Base Nasiriyah Airport is a public and military airport located 23 km (14 mi) southwest of Nasiriyah, Iraq. It is also known as Tallil Air Base until December 2011 and Imam Ali Air Base until March 2017, when the base was used by United ...
, Iraq, c. 10 September 2003 *
Balad Air Base Balad Air Base ( ar, قاعدة بلد الجوية) , is an Iraqi Air Force base located near Balad in the Sunni Triangle north of Baghdad, Iraq. Built in the early 1980s, it was originally named Al-Bakr Air Base. In 2003 the base was captured ...
, Iraq, June 2004 - c. 2011 *
Ali Al Salem Air Base Ali Al Salem Air Base is a military air base situated in Kuwait, approximately 23 miles (37 km) from the Iraqi border, and roughly 15 km west of Al Jahra. The airfield is owned by the Government of Kuwait, and during Operation Souther ...
, Kuwait, c. 2013 – present


Aircraft

* Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943–1945 *
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
, 1945 *
Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 Fl ...
, 1945–1947 * Boeing F-13A Superfortess, 1945–1947 *
General Atomics MQ-1 Predator The General Atomics MQ-1 Predator (often referred to as the predator drone) is an American remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) built by General Atomics that was used primarily by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Central Intelligence Agency ( ...
, 2004–present * General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, unknown-present


Awards and campaigns


See also

*
Kee Bird The ''Kee Bird'' was a United States Army Air Forces Boeing B-29 Superfortress, serial ''45-21768'', of the 46th Reconnaissance Squadron, that became marooned after making an emergency landing in northwest Greenland during a secret Cold War sp ...


References


Citations

; Explanatory notes ; Citations


Bibliography

* * * * {{cite book, last1=White, first1=Ken, title=World in Peril; The Origin, Mission, and Scientific Findings of the 46th/72nd Reconnaissance Squadron , edition=2nd, Revised, year=1994, orig-year=1992, publisher=K.W. White & Assocs., location=Elkhart, IN, isbn=1-883218-10-1 046