66th Air Base Group

66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group
Emblem of the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group
Active	1941-1957
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force

The 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It's last assignment was to the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, stationed at Sembach Air Base, West Germany. The group was inactivated on 8 December 1957.

Activated as an observation group in 1941, the unit performed field observation duties during various Army maneuvers in North Carolina and Tennessee prior to the Untied States entry into World War II. Performed anti-submarine missions along the Atlantic Coast in the early part of the war then functioned as a training unit.

During the early years of the Cold War, the group operated as a NATO reconnaissance unit in West Germany, using a variety of propeller and jet powered aircraft. Inactivated in 1957 when flying squadrons assigned directly to its parent wing.

History

For additional lineage and history, see 66th Air Base Wing

Lineage

• Constituted as 66th Observation Group on 21 Aug 1941

Activated on 1 Sep 1941.

Redesignated 66th Reconnaissance Group on 1 Apr 1943

Redesignated 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group on 1 Aug 1943

Disbanded on 20 Apr 1944.

• Reconstituted, redesignated 66th Reconnaissance Group, allotted to the reserve, and activated, on 27 Dec 1946

Redesignated 66th Strategic Reconnaissance Group on 1 Jun 1949

Called to active duty on 1 May 1951

Inactivated on 16 May 1951

• Redesignated 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group and activated on 1 Jan 1953

Inactivated on 8 Dec 1957

Assignments

• III Air Support Command, 1 Sep 1941-20 Apr 1944
• First Air Force, 27 Dec 1946-16 May 1951
• 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1 Jan 1953-8 Dec 1957

Components

• 18th Reconnaissance Squadron: 1947-1949
• 19th Liaison Squadron: 1942-1943
• 19th Reconnaissance Squadron: 1947-1949
• 20th Reconnaissance (later Strategic Reconnaissance) Squadron: 1947-1949, 1949-1951.
• 23d Reconnaissance Squadron: 1943
• 30th Reconnaissance (later Strategic Reconnaissance; Tactical Reconnaissance) Squadron: 1947-1951; 1953-1957
• 97th Reconnaissance Squadron: 1941-1943
• 106th Observation Squadron: 1941-1943.
• 118th Observation Squadron: 1941-1943
• 302d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron:, 1953-1957
• 303d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron:, 1953-1957

Stations

• Jacksonville, Fla, 1 Sep 1941
• Charleston, SC, Jan 1942
• Jacksonville Mun Aprt, Fla, Mar 1942
• Pope Field, NC, May 1942
• Tullahoma, Tenn, Sep 1942;
• Morris Field, NC, Nov 1942
• Camp Campbell, Ky, Apr 1943

• Aiken AAFld, SC, Jun 1943
• Lebanon, Tenn, Oct 1943-20 Apr 1944
• Newark AAB, NJ, 27 Dec 1946
• McGuire AFB, NJ, 27 Jun 1949
• Barksdale AFB, La, 10 Oct 1949-16 May 1951
• Shaw AFB, SC, I Jan-1 Jul 1953;
• Sembach AB, Germany, c. 7 Jul 1953-8 Dec 1957

Aircraft

• 1941-1944: 0-46, 0-47, A-20, P-39, P-40, B-25, L-5, and L-6
• RB-26 Marauder 1949-1951; 1953-1955
• RF-80A Shooting Star, 1949-1951; 1953-1956
• RF-51 Mustang, 1953
• RB-57 Canberra, 1954-1955; 1955-1957
• B-57 Canberra, 1955-1956
• RF-84 Thunderjet, 1955-1957

Operational History

Air Force Reserve

The unit was assigned to the Air Force Reserve after the war, being designated as the 66th Reconnaissance Group. It was assigned to First Air Force, being stationed at Newark Army Air Base, New Jersey and assigned RB-26 Marauders.

It was later transferred to McGuire AFB, New Jersey in June 1949 and trained for combat readiness where it became an associate unit of the Strategic Air Command 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Group. On 10 October 1949, the 66th was redesignated as the 66th Strategic Reconnaissance Group and moved to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana along with its associate 91st SRG. At Barksdale, the group was re-equipped with RF-80A Shooting Stars and trained with its active-duty counterpart.

With the outbreak of the Korean War, the group was activated on 1 May 1951. Its personnel and aircraft were reassigned to the 91st SRG to bring the unit up to authorized strength, and many of the reservists and their aircraft were sent to Japan for combat reconnaissance missions. The 66th TRG was inactivated as a paper unit on 16 May 1951

Tactical Air Command

On 1 January 1953 the 66th was reactivated at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina as a Tactical Reconnaissance Group. Upon activation, the group was assigned to the new 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing under the Hobson Base-Wing Plan. The 66th TRW commanded the functions of both the support groups as well as the flying combat 66th TRG. At Shaw, the 66th TRW was considered an associate unit in training status at Shaw being supported by the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, the host unit of the facility, as the unit was programmed for deployment to NATO once equipped and trained.

The new group was equipped with RB-26 Invaders and RF-80A Shooting Stars transferred from South Korea. Some obsolete RF-51D Mustangs were also sent to Shaw for training. The squadrons formed and activated were:

• 30th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (Night Photo) (RB-26, Yellow Tails)
• 302nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (Jet Photo) (RF-80A, Red Tails)
• 303rd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (RF-51D, Blue Tails)

On 25 June 1953 the 66th departed Shaw, being reassigned to West Germany. Just prior to the wing's deployment to NATO, the 303 TRS was reequipped with RF-80As.

United States Air Forces in Europe

The 66th arrived at Sembach Air Base, West Germany, on 8 July 1953. On that day, at 1045 hours, the first of 18 RB-26 Invader aircraft belonging to the 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group (TRG) landed on the flightline of the new air base. Major General B. C. Struther, commander of Twelfth Air Force, welcomed the 66th to Sembach and to the United States Air Forces in Europe. The 66th's Wing Commander landed at 1509 hours in a T-33 Shooting Star trainer, bringing the remainder of the wing’s aircraft with him: 32 RF-80A Shooting Stars and 4 additional T-33s.

The 66th TRG had three operational squadrons: the 30th, 302nd and 303rd TRS. The 30th TRS flew the RB-26 Invader, equipped for night reconnaissance, while the 302nd and 303rd flew the RF-80A Shooting Star for day reconnaissance.

On 30 November 1954, the 30th TRS received the first Martin RB-57A Canberra, to replace it's World War II vintage RB-26 Invaders. In August 1955, the 302nd and 303rd TRS’ started to receive the Republic RF-84F Thunderflash to replace the F-80s.

On 1 January, 1957 a fourth squadron, the 19th TRS was transferred from the SAC 47th Bombardment Wing at RAF Sculthorpe, England to the 66th TRW. The 47th TRS flew the RB-45C Tornado, however the squadron remained at Sculthrope and did not physically transfer it's assets to Sembach. At Sculthorpe, the 19th TRS transitioned to the RB-66 Invader aircraft.

In Feburary 1957, the RB-57's of the 30th TFS at Sembach were also being replaced by the Douglas RB-66B Destroyer. The heavier RB-66's however, did not land well on Sembach's runway, and the 30th TRS was deployed to Landstuhl Air Base (now Ramstein Air Base) for their operations.

As 1957 progressed USAFE HQ decided to reorganize its tactical reconnaissance assets. The 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was designated non-operational as part of the Air Force tri-deputate reorganization and all of the group's operational reconnaissance squadrons were assigned directly to the 66th TRW. The 66th TRG was inactivated on 8 December 1957 when the group was considered redundant.

References

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

• Maurer, Maurer, Air Force Combat Units of World War II, Office of Air Force history (1961). ISBN 0-40512-194-6
• Ravenstein, Charles A. Air Force Combat Wings Lineage and Honors Histories, 1947–1977. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1984. ISBN 0-91279-912-9.