2nd Troop Carrier Squadron

2nd Troop Carrier Squadron
Emblem of the 2nd Reconnaissance Squadron (World War II)
Active	1941–1953
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Troop Carrier Reconnaissance/Mapping

The 2nd Troop Carrier Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 65th Troop Carrier Group. It was inactivated at Mitchel Air Force Base, New York on 1 April 1953.

History

Established under the 1st Photographic Group in May 1941. Performed aerial mapping primarily over the northwestern United States prior to the Pearl Harbor Attack using P-39 Airacobra sub-variants (F-2) which were equipped for the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles. After the United States entry into World War II, flew aerial mapping missions over Western Canada and the Alaska Territory, mapping uncharted territory to support the building of the Alaska Highway. Deployed to South America in 1942–1943; mapping locations in British Guiana and Brazil for locations of emergency airfields as part of the development of the South Atlantic Transport Route. Flew very long reconnaissance range missions from the Aleutian Islands over the Japanese Kuril Islands in the North Pacific, the squadron's aircraft being some of the first United States aircraft over Japanese soil after the 1942 Doolittle Raid.

Reassigned to Far East Air Forces in late 1944; engaged in long-range mapping and reconnaissance over combat areas in support of seaborne landings in the Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA) and the liberation of the Philippines. Remained in the Western Pacific after the Japanese. Unit largely demobilized in the Philippines, Inactivated in early 1946.

Reactivated in the Air Force Reserve after the war; becoming the first flying unit assigned to Rome Army Airfield, New York in 1946; later being redesignated as a Troop Carrier squadron in 1952, although not re-equipped. Inactivated in 1952 due to budget reductions.

Lineage

Constituted 2nd Photographic Squadron on 15 May 1941

Activated on 10 June 1941

Redesignated: 2nd Mapping Squadron on 13 January 1942

Redesignated: 2nd Photographic Mapping Squadron on 9 June 1942

Redesignated: 2nd Photographic Charting Squadron on 11 August 1943

Redesignated: 2nd Reconnaissance Squadron (Long Range, Photographic) on 15 June 1945

Redesignated: 2nd Reconnaissance Squadron (Very Long Range, Photographic) on 20 November 1945

Inactivated on 31 March 1946

Redesignated 2nd Reconnaissance Squadron (Photographic) on 11 March 1947

Activated in the reserve on 6 October 1947

Inactivated on 27 June 1949

Redesignated 2nd Troop Carrier Squadron (Medium) on 26 May 1952

Activated in the reserve on 14 June 1952

Inactivated on 1 April 1953

Assignments

1st Photographic (later Mapping; Photographic Charting) Group, 10 June 1941
311th Photographic (later Reconnaissance) Wing, 5 October 1944 – 31 March 1946

Attached to Far East Air Forces, 20 October 1944 – 4 February 1946

65th Reconnaissance Group, 6 October 1947 – 27 June 1949
65th Troop Carrier Group, 14 June 1952 – 1 April 1953

Stations

Gray Army Airfield, Washington, 10 June 1941
Geiger Field, Washington, 2 January 1942;
Felts Field, Washington, 1 February 1942
Peterson Field, Colorado, 5 January 1944
Buckley Field, Colorado, 2 July – 2 September 1944
Hollandia Airfield Complex, New Guinea, 20 October 1944

Wama Airfield, Morotai, Netherlands East Indies, 13 December 1944
Puerto Princesa Airfield, Palawan, Philippines Commonwealth, 5 May 1945
Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines Commonwealth, 22 January – 4 February 1946
Rome Army Airfield, New York, 6 October 1947 – 27 June 1949
Mitchel AFB, New York, 14 June 199 – 1 April 1953

Aircraft

P-39/F-2 Airacobra, 1941–1942
A-29 Hudson, 1942–1943
A-20/F-3 Havoc (Night Reconnaissance), 1942
B-25/F-10 Mitchell, 1943–1944
B-24/F-7 Liberator, 1944–1946

References

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.

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