343rd Reconnaissance Squadron

World War II Constituted as 343 Fighter Squadron (Twin Engine), on 21 January 1943. Activated on 1 February 1943 at McChord Field, WA as a P-38 Lightning fighter squadron. Assigned to 55 Fighter Group. Redesignated as: 343 Fighter Squadron, Twin Engine, on 20 August 1943 The squadron also patrolled the sky over the English Channel and bombed bridges in the Tours area during the invasion of the Europe in June 1944; patrolled the Arnhem sector to support the airborne invasion of Holland in September 1944. The fighters from the 343rd continued to escort bombers on raids on transportation facilities during the Battle of the Bulge, 1-4 December-January 1945. ==Lineage==

• Constituted as the 343d Fighter Squadron (Twin Engine) on 21 January 1943 : Activated on 1 February 1943 : Redesignated 343d Fighter Squadron, Twin Engine on 20 August 1943 : Redesignated 343d Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 5 September 1944 : Inactivated on 20 August 1946 • Redesignated 343d Reconnaissance Squadron, Very Long Range, Mapping on 5 February 1947 : Activated on 24 Feb 1947 : Redesignated 343d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Photo-Mapping on 29 June 1948 : Inactivated on 14 October 1949 • Redesignated 343d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Medium, Electronics on 27 October 1950 : Activated on 1 November 1950 : Redesignated 343d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, Medium on 15 July 1954 : Redesignated 343d Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron on 16 August 1966 : Redesignated 343d Reconnaissance Squadron on 1 September 1991 England, 16 September 1943 • RAF Wormingford (AAF-159), England, 16 April 1944 • AAF Station Kaufbeuren, Germany, c. 20 July 1945 • AAF Station Giebelstadt, Germany, 30 April - 20 August 1946 • MacDill Field (later MacDill Air Force Base), Florida, 24 February 1947 • Topeka Air Force Base (later Forbes Air Force Base), Kansas, 30 June 1948 – 14 October 1949 • Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, 1 November 1950 • Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico, 3 January 1951 • Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, 10 October 1952 : Deployed at Ben Guerir Air Base, French Morocco, 30 May 1955 – 8 August 1955 • Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, 16 August 1966 – present Aircraft • Lockheed P-38 Lightning (1943–1944) • North American P-51 Mustang (1944–1946) • Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star (1946) • F-2 Expeditor (1947, 1948) • FB-17 Flying Fortress (1947–1948) • Boeing F-9 Flying Fortress (1947–1948) • RB-17 Flying Fortress (1948–1949) • Boeing RB-29 Superfortress (1948–1949, 1950–1951) • TB-29 (1949) • Boeing RB-50 Superfortress (1951–1954) • Douglas C-47 Skytrain (1953–1954) • Boeing LB-29 Superfortress (1954) • Boeing KB-29 Superfortress (1954) • Boeing RB-47 Stratojet (1954–1967) • Boeing EB-47 Stratojet (1957–1967) • Boeing RC-135 (1967–present) Operations • World War II • Operation Urgent Fury • Operation El Dorado Canyon • Operation Desert Storm ==References==