111th Strategic Reconnaissance Group

Korean War activation

The group was called to active duty for the Korean War. However, the group's 117th and 122d Bombardment Squadrons were reassigned shortly after being activated, moving to Langley Air Force Base with the group's B-26s to become crew training units. The group, wing headquarters, support units, and 103d Bombardment Squadron moved to Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington on 10 April. In August, the group was redesignated the 111th Strategic Reconnaissance Group, assigned two new operational squadrons, and began to equip with Boeing RB-29 Superfortress reconnaissance aircraft. Based on the World War II B-29 Bomber, the RB-29s were configured with multiple aerial cameras for mapping and reconnaissance missions. On 13 June 1952, two 111th pilots were flying an RB-29 over the Soviet Union when they were shot down by a pair of Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s. The RB-29 was never recovered, having crashed in the waters off of Vladivostok. The families of the Air Guard aircrew were told they had simply "vanished" in a weather reconnaissance flight near Japan. It wasn't until the fall of the Soviet Union and the opening of Cold War archives that the crew's relatives found out the truth in 1993. It is unknown as to whether any of the crew of this aircraft were captured by the Soviets at that time. Three days later, Strategic Air Command reorganized under the dual deputy system. The group was inactivated and its squadrons reassigned directly to the 111th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing.