74th Reconnaissance Group

74th Reconnaissance Group
Active	1942–1945, 1946-1949
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Reconnaissance
Part of	Continental Air Command
Battle honours	American Theater of World War II

The 74th Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 91st Air Division at Stewart AFB, New York.

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History

The unit was first activated at Lawson Field, Georgia in February 1942 as the 74th Observation Group, shortly after the United States entered into World War II.^[1] However, the group's first operational squadrons, the 11th, the newly activated 13th, and the 22d Observation Squadrons were not assigned until the following month.^[2]^[3]^[4] The unit flew reconnaissance, mapping, artillery adjustment, bombing, dive bombing, and strafing missions to support ground units in training or on maneuvers.^[1] It trained personnel in aerial reconnaissance, medium bombardment, and fighter techniques throughout the war until it was inactivated in November 1945.^[1]

The group was reactivated in the reserves in 1946 at Stewart Field (later Stewart Air Force Base), New York. It was inactivated on 27 June 1949

Lineage

Constituted as 74th Observation Group on 5 February 1942

Activated on 27 February 1942

Redesignated as 74th Reconnaissance Group on 2 April 1943

Redesignated as 74th Tactical Reconnaissance Group on 11 August 1943

Inactivated on 7 November 1945.

Redesignated 74th Reconnaissance Group, allotted to the reserve, and activated, on 27 December 1946

Inactivated on 27 June 1949.

Components

5th Observation Squadron (later 5th Liaison Squadron):^[5] 8 Aug 1942 – 25 Jan 1943; 2 Apr 1943 – 11 August 1943 (attached 11 August 1943 – 15 Sep 1943)^[6]
8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: 15 July 1945 – 7 November 1945^[7]
11th Observation Squadron (later 11th Reconnaissance Squadron, 11th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron): 21 March 1942 – 7 November 1945^[2]
13th Observation Squadron (later 13th Reconnaissance Squadron, 13th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron): 2 March 1942 – 7 November 1945^[3]
21st Reconnaissance Squadron: 1 October 1947 – 27 June 1949^[8]
22d Observation Squadron (later 22d Reconnaissance Squadron, 22d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron): 12 March 1942– 29 January 1945^[4]
22d Reconnaissance Squadron:^[9] 23 October 1947 – 27 June 1949^[10]
31st Reconnaissance Squadron (later 33d Reconnaissance Squadron): 13 November 1947– 27 June 1949^[11]
28th Reconnaissance Squadron (later 36th Photographic Mapping Squadron): 21 October 1943 – 29 March 1944^[12]
101st Bombardment Photographic Squadron: 29 January 1945 – 7 November 1945^[13]

Assignments

5th Air Support Command, 27 February 1942
3d Air Support Command (later III Ground Air Support Command, III Air Support Command), ca. April 1942
IV Air Support Command, 28 December 1942
III Reconnaissance Command (later III Tactical Air Command), ca. September 1943
XIX Tactical Air Command, 25 October 1945 – 7 November 1945^[14]
91st Reconnaissance Wing (later 91st Air Division), 27 December 1946 – 27 June 1949^[15]

Stations

Lawson Field, Georgia, 27 February 1942
DeRidder Army Air Base, Louisiana, C. 14 April 1942
Esler Field, Louisiana, c. 13 December 1942
Desert Center Army Air Field, California, c. 28 December 1942
Morris Field, North Carolina, September 1943
Camp Campbell AAF, Kentucky, November 1943
DeRidder Army Air Field, Louisiana, April 1944
Stuttgart Army Air Field, Arkansas, February-7 November 1945
Stewart Field, New York, 27 December 1946 – 27 June 1949.

Aircraft

A-26, 1945
B-18, 1942-1943
F-6 (P-51), 1945
F-10 (B-25), 1944-1945
L-1, 1942-1943
L-3, 1942-1943
L-4, 1942-1943
L-5, 1944-1945
L-6, 1942-1943
O-52, 1942-1943
P-39, 1943
P-40, 1943-1944
P-43, 1942-1943

Sources^[16] Equipped at various times with A-20s,

Awards

American Theater of World War II

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. p. 140. ISBN 0-912799-02-1.
^ ^a ^b AFHRA Factsheet, 11th Reconnaissance Squadron Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved 3 Dec 2012)
^ ^a ^b AFHRA Factsheet, 29th Attack Squadron Archived 26 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved 3 Dec 2012)
^ ^a ^b Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 117-119
^ This squadron is not related to the 5th Observation Squadron that is currently the 5th Reconnaissance Squadron
^ Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp. 35–36. ISBN 0-405-12194-6.
^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 49
^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 111-112
^ This squadron is not related to the one previously listed. During World War II it was designated the 22d Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron
^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 117
^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 184-185
^ AFHRA Factsheet, 36th Intelligence Squadron Archived 26 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved 3 Dec 2012)
^ Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 333
^ Abstract, Final History of 74th Tactical Reconnaissance Group (retrieved 4 Dec 2012)
^ AFHRA Factsheet, 91st Air Division Archived 28 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved 4 Dec 2012)
^ Aircraft flown are based on the sources cited for individual squadrons. Not all squadrons flew the same aircraft while assigned to the group

Bibliography

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1.
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.

External links

United States Army Air Forces Third Air Force in World War II

Units

Commands

Divisions

III Tactical Air Division

Wings

Groups

Air Commando	2nd Air Commando 3rd Air Commando
Bombardment	3rd Bombardment 12th Bombardment 17th Bombardment 21st Bombardment 29th Bombardment 30th Bombardment Group 38th Bombardment 44th Bombardment 46th Bombardment 47th Bombardment 85th Bombardment 88th Bombardment 90th Bombardment 91st Bombardment 92nd Bombardment 93rd Bombardment 94th Bombardment 95th Bombardment 97th Bombardment 98th Bombardment 99th Bombardment 100th Bombardment 309th Bombardment 310th Bombardment 312th Bombardment 319th Bombardment 320th Bombardment 321st Bombardment 322d Bombardment 323d Bombardment 335th Bombardment 336th Bombardment 340th Bombardment 344th Bombardment 345th Bombardment 386th Bombardment 387th Bombardment 391st Bombardment 394th Bombardment 396th Bombardment 397th Bombardment 409th Bombardment 410th Bombardment 411th Bombardment 416th Bombardment 417th Bombardment 418th Bombardment 451st Bombardment 454th Bombardment 463rd Bombardment 483rd Bombardment 488th Bombardment
Fighter	20th Fighter 31st Fighter 49th Fighter 50th Fighter 53rd Fighter 54th Fighter 56th Fighter 59th Fighter 79th Fighter 80th Fighter 81st Fighter 84th Fighter 85th Fighter 311th Fighter 332nd Fighter 337th Fighter 338th Fighter 339th Fighter 361st Fighter 369th Fighter 372nd Fighter 404th Fighter 405th Fighter 408th Fighter 414th Fighter 506th Fighter
Fighter-Bomber	27th Fighter-Bomber 48th Fighter-Bomber 86th Fighter-Bomber 406th Fighter-Bomber 407th Fighter-Bomber
Reconnaissance	2d Reconnaissance 9th Reconnaissance 10th Reconnaissance 26th Reconnaissance 65th Reconnaissance 67th Reconnaissance 68th Reconnaissance 69th Reconnaissance 70th Reconnaissance 75th Reconnaissance 77th Reconnaissance 423d Reconnaissance 424th Reconnaissance 426th Reconnaissance

United States Army Air Forces

USAAF Fourth Air Force in World War II