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Constituted as 26th Observation Group on 21 Aug 1941. Activated on 1 Sep 1941. Assigned to First and later to Third AF. Redesignated 26th Reconnaissance Group in Apr 1943, and 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Group in Aug 1943. Participated in the Carolina Maneuvers in the fall of 1941; flew antisubmarine patrols off the east coast after the US entered the war; took part in the Tennessee Maneuvers in the fall of 1942; later participated in exercises and provided air support for training ground forces. Aircraft: O-46's, O-47's, O-52's, L-4's, A-20's, B-25's, and P-39's. Disbanded on 11 Nov 1943.
Reconstituted, redesignated 26th Reconnaissance Group, and allotted to the reserve, on 27 Dec 1946. Activated on 23 Oct 1947. Inactivated on 27 Jun 1949.
Squadrons. 4th: 1947-1949. 10th: 1947-1949. 14th: 1942-1943. 72d: 1943. 91st: 1943. 101st: 1941-1943. 103d: 1941-1943. 152d: 1941-1943.
Stations. Ft Devens, Mass, 1 Sep 1941; Providence, RI, c. 12 Sep 1941; Quonset Point, RI, Jun 1942; Hyannis, Mass, Jul 1942; Harrisburg Mun Aprt, Pa, Sep 1942; Reading AAFld, Pa, Jun-11 Nov 1943. Niagara Falls Mun Aprt, 23 Oct 1947; Buffalo, NY, c. 17 Feb 1948-27 Jun 1949.
Commanders. Col Louis E Boutwell, c. 1 Sep 1941; Lt Col Paul D Myers, Aug 1942; Lt Col James R Gunn Jr, Jun 1943-unkn.
Campaigns. Antisubmarine, American Theater.
Decorations. None.
Insigne. Shield: Bendy of eight azure tenne, a camera lens proper, ringed argent, superimposed on two electrical flashes in saltire of the last. Motto: Inveni Et Renuntiate - Reconnoiter and Report. (Approved 28 Oct 1942. This insigne was modified 4 Sep 1953.)
Data from Air Force Combat Units of World War II By Maurer, Maurer, Published 1986
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Historical Artifacts: We are looking for photos, documents and other types of artifacts including uniforms, medals, insignia, gear, manuals, and training material. We accept electronic/scans or originals of pictures and paper records. A General Order could be an award document that contains information on many servicemen. Special Orders may contain transfers or other information. Flight records, accident reports, maintenance logs, after action reports, pilot encounter reports, diaries and biorgraphies; all of these types of documents help us support or mission: preserving your history! Contact us today for instructions on sending us this material. Contact Today
Are you an AAC, AAF or USAF Veteran, family member, historian or WW2 enthusiast? We Need YOU! Contact us today to see how you can help the Army Air Corps Library and Museum, a Texas Not-For-Profit Corporation. We need your help! We are looking for volunteers that can help us with the following tasks. Typing and Transcriptionists: One of our big projects is extracting data from the thousands of documents we have and putting this data into a database where we can display the information on a website such as this one. We also need assistance with retyping unit history documents.
