12th Reconnaissance Squadron

The 12th Reconnaissance Squadron plans and executes worldwide high-altitude combat surveillance and reconnaissance missions including peacetime intelligence gathering, contingency operations and conventional warfare. Operating the RQ-4B Global Hawk Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), the 12 RS provides signals intelligence and near real-time imagery intelligence to fulfill operational requirements generated by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in support of the Secretary of Defense and unified commanders. ==History==

World War I The 12th Reconnaissance Squadron is one of the oldest United States Air Force squadrons, having been involved in every armed conflict the United States has deployed forces into combat since World War I. The 12th Aero Squadron was established in June 1917, shortly after the United States' entry into World War I. Formed at what would become Kelly Field, Texas, the squadron trained at Wilbur Wright Field, Ohio during the summer of 1917 before deploying to France in December 1917. After a period of training in France, the 12th became an early photo-reconnaissance unit, flying over the trenches of the Western Front. Was attached to the French IV Army Corps and American I Army Corps; squadron moved frequently from one area of the front to another, usually staying at one location no more than a week or two, taking air photos and gathering intelligence. After the Armistice with Germany in November 1918, the squadron remained in France and later Germany as part of the IV Army Corps with the Rhineland Occupation forces. Returned to the United States in June 1919. Inter-War era : see also: United States Army Border Air Patrol Arriving at Mitchell Field, New York in June 1919, most squadron members were separated from the Air Service and returned to civilian life. A small cadre of members remained on duty, and on 8 October, Lt Alexander Pearson in a 12th Squadron De Havilland DH-4 took off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island in the first transcontinental air race, a round trip to Crissy Field, San Francisco, California, which he won with a flying time of 48 hours, 37 minutes, and 16 seconds, or an average speed of 111.3 mph. After a brief attachment to Scott Field, Illinois, the 12th was transferred back to Kelly Field, where it immediately began preparations for service along the Mexican Border. By February 1920, the squadron (less A Flight, which was detached to Douglas Field, Arizona) was settling in at Biggs Field, near El Paso, equipped with De Havilland DH-4s. Later that month, a terse telegram described one incident of this service: Lts G. L. Usher and L. M. Wolfe, "lost direction on patrol. Made forced landing near Nacozari Sonora Mexico. Plane reported broken. Commanding General Southern Department making arrangements for officers release from Mexico." Wolfe and Usher, on a flight from Columbus Airfield New Mexico to Nogales, Arizona on 2 February 1920, lost their way due to a bad compass and poor visibility, mistakenly following a railway some into Mexico. In landing near the village of La Noira, south of Nacozari, a wing was damaged. They were detained by Mexican authorities, although they were given the freedom of Nacozari and spent most of their time at the club of an American copper company. They were finally released on 24 February. Between 4–11 April, the 12th moved to Nogales, where it operated for nearly a year until it joined the detached flight at Douglas Field, Arizona. On 28 September the squadron, reduced in numbers, returned to Biggs Field. The squadron was reactivated at March Field, California on 31 August 1946 as the 12th Reconnaissance Squadron, Photo (Jet Propelled). It was assigned to the 363d Reconnaissance Group, Ninth Air Force. However, because the rest of the group was stationed at Brooks Field, Texas, and later at Langley Field, Virginia, it was attached to Twelfth Air Force. The squadron, receiving FP-80 Shooting Star aircraft, claimed to be the first unit in the Air Force to use jet-photo equipment. Extensive aerial photography was performed by the 12th, including maps and layouts for the United States Department of Agriculture, the Army Corps of Engineers, and many other agencies. On 24 July 1947, the 12th was reassigned once again to the 67th Reconnaissance Group, and in the months that followed, the 12th participated in many exercises and maneuvers. The squadron filled many requests for aerial photographs. Many layouts of dams and waterways were made for the Army Corps of Engineers, Army Mapping Service, and the Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service In March 1951, the squadron's first month in South Korea, the 12th flew a total of 256 effective sorties. One of its early tasks was to provide photographs of all enemy airfields in North Korea. It also flew sorties in conjunction with the preparation and execution of a parachute drop on 23 March. On 21 August, the squadron moved to Kimpo Air Base (K-14) at Seoul and remained there for the remainder of the war. The equipment complement of the 12th Squadron necessarily influenced its performance of mission. The squadron was authorized 27 RB-26 Invaders for night reconnaissance missions, but it seldom possessed so many planes and several of the authorized aircraft were EB-26s modified for electronic reconnaissance. In the summer of 1953, the RB-26s covered the three main supply routes of the enemy each night: one route on each coast and one in the center of the peninsula. Special night photo missions were also flown against pre-briefed targets at which some particular enemy activity, was suspected on occasions the night photo planes photographed targets that for some reason could not be covered during daylight. On 22 December the first of the 12th's new planes arrived. In April 1958, two of the 12th's aircraft deployed to Bangkok, Thailand, to fly reconnaissance missions for a Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) exercise, and in the following June its RB-66s took part in a joint Navy-Air Force exercise, providing navigational aid and escort for F-100Ds attacking the naval task force. On 3 November 1965, the outfit was redesignated the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (Photographic) and assigned to Tactical Air Command. It was reactivated at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho on 1 July 1966, and organized there about 8 July, assigned again (temporarily) to the 67th Wing. At this time the unit was equipped with McDonnell RF-4C Phantom II reconnaissance aircraft. On 2 September of that year, the unit deployed to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, where it became a part of the 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing on 9 September. In June 2019 the squadron was reassigned to reactivated 319th Operations Group. The 12th Reconnaissance Squadron is inactive today after the divestment of the RQ-4 B30 aircraft. ==Lineage==

• Organized as the 12th Aero Squadron on 2 June 1917 : Redesignated 12th Aero Squadron (Corps Observation) on 3 May 1918 : Redesignated 12th Aero Squadron on 17 June 1919 : Redesignated 12th Squadron (Observation)' on 14 March 1921 : Redesignated 12th Observation Squadron on 25 January 1923 : Redesignated 12th Observation Squadron (Medium) on 13 January 1942 : Redesignated 12th Observation Squadron on 4 July 1942 : Redesignated 12th Reconnaissance Squadron (Fighter) on 31 May 1943 : Redesignated 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 13 November 1943 : Inactivated on 31 March 1946 • Redesignated 12th Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic (Jet Propelled) on 9 July 1946 : Activated on 29 July 1946 : Redesignated 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic-Jet on 14 June 1948 : Inactivated on 28 March 1949 • Redesignated 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Night Photographic on 5 February 1951 : Activated on 25 February 1951 : Redesignated 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Night Photographic-Jet on 23 February 1959 : Discontinued on 8 March 1960 • Redesignated 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic-Jet and activated on 3 November 1965 (not organized) : Organized on 1 July 1966 : Redesignated 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 1 October 1966 : Redesignated 12th Reconnaissance Squadron on 1 November 1991 : Inactivated on 30 September 1992 • Activated on 8 November 2001 Assignments • Post Headquarters, Kelly Field, 2 June 1917 • Post Headquarters, Wilbur Wright Field, 8 July 1917 • Aviation Concentration Center, 5 October 1917 :: Overseas transport, SS Northland, 5–25 December 1918 • Replacement Concentration Center, American Expeditionary Forces, 1–16 January 1918 • Chief of Air Service, American Expeditionary Forces, 16 January 1918 • I Corps Observation Group, 3 May 1918 • United States Third Army, 21 November 1918 • American Expeditionary Forces, 16 April – 16 June 1919 • Post Headquarters, Mitchell Field, 17 June 1919 • Post Headquarters, Scott Field, 6 July 1919 • First Army Observation Group, 1 October 1919 : Attached to 1st Surveillance Group from 13 October 1919 • 1st Surveillance Group, 24 March 1920 • Eighth Corps Area, 27 June 1921 : Divisional aviation for 1st Cavalry Division, Sep 1921 – Jun 1926, and for 2d Division, Jun 1924 – c. Oct 1931 : Detachment at Field Artillery School, 1 July 1927 – 1 June 1928 • 12th Observation Group, 1 October 1930 • VIII Corps Area, 1 June 1937 • V Corps Area : Attached to: 7th Cavalry Brigade (later, 1st Armored Division), 20 June 1937 : Attached to: Armored Force, 2 October 1940 • 73d Observation Group, 1 September 1941 • V Air Support Command, 21 January 1942 • 67th Observation Group (later 67 Reconnaissance Group, 67 Tactical Reconnaissance Group), 29 March 1942 • 10 Photographic Group (later 10 Reconnaissance Group), 13 June 1944 : Attached to 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group to c. 11 August 1944 • Continental Air Forces (later, Strategic Air Command), 15 February – 31 March 1946 • 363d Reconnaissance Group (attached to Twelfth Air Force), 29 July 1946 • 67th Reconnaissance Group (later 67 Tactical Reconnaissance Group), 24 July 1947 – 28 March 1949 • 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 25 February 1951 : Attached to 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1 June-24 Nov 1954 and 1 July – 30 September 1957 • 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1 October 1957 – 8 March 1960 • Tactical Air Command, 3 November 1965 (not organized) • 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 1 July 1966 • 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 9 September 1966 • 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 31 August 1971 – 30 September 1992 : Under operational control of 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 5 May – 4 June 1974, 7 July – 7 August 1981, 15 May – 11 June 1984, and 27 August – 24 September 1987 : Flight attached to Tactical Fighter Wing, Provisional, 35, 14 January-10 May 1991 • 9th Operations Group, 8 November 2001 – 28 February 2013 • 69th Reconnaissance Group, 1 March 2013 – 27 June 2019 • 319th Operations Group, 28 June 2019 - present Stations ;; World War I • Kelly Field, Texas, 2 June 1917 • Wilbur Wright Field, Ohio, 8 July 1917 • Aviation Concentration Center, Garden City, New York, 2 November – 3 December 1917 • Liverpool, England, 25 December 1917 • St. Maixent Replacement Barracks, France, 1 January 1918 • Chaumont Aerodrome, France, 16 January 1918 • Amanty Airdrome, France, 2 February 1918 • Ourches Aerodrome, France, 3 May 1918 • Flin Aerodrome, France, 13 June 1918 • Saints Aerodrome, France, 29 June 1918 • Francheville Aerodrome, France, c. 6 July 1918 • Ferme de Moras Aerodrome, France, 22 July 1918 • May-en-Multien Aerodrome, France, 3 August 1918 • Coincy Aerodrome, France, 10 August 1918 • Chailly-en-Brie Aerodrome, France, 12 August 1918 • Gengault Aerodrome, France, 22 August 1918 • Remicourt Aerodrome, France, 20 September 1918 • Julvecourt Airdrome, France, 3 November 1918 • Mercy-le-Haut Airdrome, France, 21 November 1918 • Trier Airfield, Germany, 6 December 1918 • Fort Alexander, Koblenz, Germany, 30 December 1918 • Colombey-les-Belles, France, 16 April 1919 • Le Mans, France, 5 May 1919 • Brest, France, 20 May – 2 June 1919 ;; Inter-War Period • Mitchel Field, New York, 17 June 1919 • Scott Field, Illinois, 6 July 1919 • Kelly Field, Texas, 13 October 1919 • Fort Bliss, Texas, 9 January 1920 : Flight operated from Douglas Field, Arizona, from 10 January 1920 • Nogales Field, Arizona : Flight operated from Douglas Field, Arizona from 12 April 1920 • Douglas Field, Arizona : Flight operated from Nogales Field, Arizona from c. Feb 1921 • Biggs Field, Texas, 28 September 1921 : Detachment at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, after 26 June 1924 • Fort Sam Houston, Texas, 22 June 1926 : Detachment at Post Field, Oklahoma, 1 July 1927 – 1 June 1928 : Detachment operated from Fort Huachuca, Arizona, 6 April – 10 May 1929 • Brooks Field, Texas, 31 October 1931 • Godman Field, Kentucky, 20 June 1937 : Flight at Post Field, Oklahoma, 1 June 1937 – 30 November 1940 ;; World War II • Esler Field, Louisiana, 20 March – 12 August 1942 • RAF Membury (AAF-466), England, 7 September 1942 • RAF Greenham Common (AAF-486), England, 16 December 1943 • RAF Aldermaston (AAF-467), England, 9 January 1944 • RAF Chilbolton (AAF-404), England, 1 March 1944 • RAF Middle Wallop (AAF-449), England, 14 March 1944 • Le Molay Airfield (A-9), France, c. 5 July 1944 • Rennes Airfield (A-27), France, 11 August 1944 • Châteaudun Airfield (A-39), France, 24 August 1944 • Saint-Dizier Airfield (A-64), France, 12 September 1944 • Conflans Airfield (Y-94), France, 30 November 1944 • Trier Airfield (Y-57), Germany, 29 May 1945 • Ober Olm Airfield (Y-64), Germany, 2 April 1945 • Fürth Airfield (R-28), Germany, 28 April 1945 – 15 February 1946 ;; United States Air Force • Bolling Field, District of Columbia, 15 February – 31 March 1946 • March Field (later March Air Force Base), California, 29 July 1946 – 28 March 1949 • Komaki Air Base, Japan, 25 February 1951 • Taegu Air Base (K-2), South Korea, 15 March 1951 • Kimpo Air Base (K-14), South Korea, 21 August 1951 • Itami Air Base, Japan, 8 November 1954 • Yokota Air Base, Japan, 14 August 1956 – 8 March 1960 • Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, 1 July – 2 September 1966 • Tan Son Nhut Airport, South Vietnam, 9 September 1966 – 31 August 1971 • Bergstrom Air Force Base, Texas, 31 August 1971 – 30 September 1992 : Deployed at: Ramstein Air Base and Zweibrücken Air Base, West Germany, 5 May – 4 June 1974 : Deployed at: Zweibrücken Air Base, West Germany, 7 July – 7 August 1981, 15 May – 11 June 1984, and 27 August – 24 September 1987 : Flight deployed at: Sheik Isa Air Base, Bahrain, 14 January – 10 May 1991 • Beale Air Force Base, California, 8 November 2001 – 28 February 2013 • Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, 1 March 2013 – present Aircraft • Dorand AR-2, 1918 • Salmson 2, 1918–1919 • Airco DH.4, 1919 – c. 1926 • Douglas O-2, C. 1926–1930 • JN-6 Jenny JNS-1, Curtis O-11, during period 1919–1930 • Thomas-Morse O-19, 1930–1933, 1935 • Fokker O-27, 1933–1935 • Douglas O-43, 1935–1941 • North American O-47, 1938–1942 • Stinson YO-54, 1940–1942 • O-52 Owl and O-57 Grasshopper, 1941–1942 • O-59 Grasshopper, 1942 • Douglas O-31, O-46; Curtiss O-40 Raven; Ryan YO-51 Dragonfly during period 1935–1941 • Douglas O-38 and 0-49 during period 1941–1942 • A-20 Havoc, 1942 • P-51/F-6C Mustang, 1942 • Spitfire PR Mk XI, 1942–1944 • L-4 Grasshopper, 1942–1943 • DB-7 and A-20 Havoc, 1943 • P-51/F-6D Mustang, 1943–1946 • FP-80A Shooting Star, 1946–1949 • RB-26B Invader, 1951–1956 • RB-66B Destroyer, 1956–1960 • RF-4C Phantom II, 1966–1992 • RQ-4 Global Hawk, 2001 – present Awards and decorations ==See also==