| Northwest African Photographic Reconnaissance Wing | |
|---|---|
| Active | 18 February 1943 – 10 December 1943 |
| Role | Reconnaisance |
| Part of | Northwest African Air Forces |
The Northwest African Photographic Reconnaissance Wing (NAPRW) was an Allied photo-reconnaissance wing which operated in North Africa during World War II until the end of 1943.
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NAPRW was a sub-command of the Northwest African Air Forces which itself was a sub-command of the Mediterranean Air Command (MAC). These new Allied air force organizations were created at the Casablanca Conference in January 1943 to promote cooperation between the British Royal Air Force (RAF), the American United States Army Air Force (USAAF), and their respective ground and naval forces in North Africa and the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO). Effective 18 February 1943, the NAPRW and other MAC commands existed until 10 December 1943 when MAC was disbanded and the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) were established. Colonel Elliott Roosevelt, the son of United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was the commander of NAPRW.[1][2]
The successor unit was the "Mediterranean Allied Photo Reconnaissance Wing"[3]
At the time of the Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) on 10 July 1943, the NAPRW consisted of:[4]
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the renowned French aviator and author of several aviation writings as well as The Little Prince, was a P-38 pilot in 2/33 Groupe de Reconnaissance. Saint-Exupéry failed to return to his base at Borgo, Corsica following a reconnaissance mission on 31 July 1944 and is believed to have died at that time.