The 26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing operated under the direction of Strategic Air Command from 1952 until 1958. The two units were consolidated in 1965 as the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing and served for the next twenty-six years with United States Air Forces Europe. The wing was inactivated on 31 July 1991.
The wing was activated again as the 26th Intelligence Wing in late 1991, redesignated 26th Information Operations Wing in August 2000, and inactivated in July 2006.
World War II
F-5E Lightning
The wing's first predecessor was activated in July 1942 as the 5th Photographic Group at what would become Peterson Field, Colorado with the 21st, 22d, 23d and 24th Photographic Mapping Squadrons assigned, although neither the group nor any of its squadrons would become operational until January 1943.[2][3][4][5][6][7] However, by the time the group moved overseas in August 1943, only the 23d and 24th Squadrons remained assigned.[3][6][7]
The unit provided road and rail target reconnaissance for the United States Fifth Army and British Eighth Army and performed bomb damage assessment photography to measure the success of allied bombing. It flew missions to northwestern France to photograph rail targets to be attacked in preparation for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy in June 1944. Closer to home, it performed similar missions for Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France in August. The group earned a Distinguished Unit Citation in September when it secured intelligence of Luftwaffe installations in the Balkans that enabled fighter aircraft to destroy large numbers of Luftwaffe fighters and transports.[3]
The group remained in Italy after VE Day until October 1945, when it returned to the United States and was inactivated on arrival at the port of embarkation.[3]
Strategic Air Command
B-47E from Lockbourne AFB at Pima Air Museum
In May 1952 the 26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was activated under Strategic Air Command as one of two Boeing B-47 Stratojet wings at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, but was not fully manned until January 1953. The wing performed strategic reconnaissance and air refueling missions. The wing became non-operational in April 1958 and was inactivated in July.[2]
Tactical Reconnaissance in Europe
The 5th Group and 26th Wing were consolidated in 1965 as the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing and served for the next twenty-six years with United States Air Forces Europe. Exercising control of a deployed Aerospace Defense Command squadron, it also performed electronic countermeasure training through the late 1960s. From 1968 to 1973, it added an air defense responsibility. It performed day and night visual and photographic reconnaissance. From the fall of 1972 to spring of 1973 the wing also had a special operations mission.[2]
With the end of the Cold War in 1990, the wing was gradually phased down. In addition, the 1960s-era McDonnell RF-4C Phantoms were increasingly costing more and more to maintain. Tactical reconnaissance was being handled by other means, and the need for the wing was becoming less critical to USAFE planners. As a result, the RF-4Cs of the wing were sent to AMARC on 1 April 1991 and the wing's remaining tactical squadron was inactivated. The wing was inactivated on 31 July 1991.
Intelligence operations
The 26th Intelligence Wing was activated in October. It was renamed the 26th Information Operations Wing in 2000 and inactivated in 2006.
5th Reconnaissance Group
Established as the 5th Photographic Group on 14 July 1942
Activated on 23 July 1942
Redesignated 5th Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping Group on 15 May 1943
Redesignated 5th Photographic Reconnaissance Group on 15 August 1943
Redesignated 5th Photographic Group, Reconnaissance on 13 November 1943
Redesignated 5th Reconnaissance Group on 4 May 1945
Inactivated on 28 October 1945
Disbanded on 6 March 1947
Reconstituted and consolidated with 26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing on 19 April 1965[2]
26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing
Constituted as the 26th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, Medium on 9 May 1952
Activated on 28 May 1952
Inactivated on 1 July 1958
Consolidated with 5th Reconnaissance Group and redesignated 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing on 19 April 1965
Ramstein Air Base, Germany, 1 October 1991 – 5 July 2006
Components
Operational Units
World War II
12th Photographic Squadron (later 12th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron): attached 27 October – 21 November 1943
15th Photographic Squadron (later 15th Combat Mapping Squadron, 15th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron): attached 21 November 1943 – 20 January 1944, assigned 21 January 1944 – 28 October 1945
21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (later 21st Photographic Squadron): 2 September 1942 – 28 April 1943 (not operational until c. 12 January 1943)
22d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (later 22d Photographic Squadron): 2 September 1942 – 7 July 1943 (not operational until c. 12 January 1943; detached after 18 May 1943)
23d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (later 23d Photographic Squadron, 23d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron): 2 September 1942 – 15 November 1944 (not operational until c. 12 January 1943; detached c. 15 July – 8 September 1943, 9 February – 9 March 1944, after 23 August 1944)
24th Photographic Mapping Squadron (later 24th Photographic Squadron, 24th Combat Mapping Squadron): 2 September 1942 – 9 October 1943 (not operational until c. 12 January 1943; detached after c. 8 August 1943)
United States
United States Air Force
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