95th Reconnaissance Squadron


The 95th Reconnaissance Squadron is a squadron of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the 55th Operations Group, Air Combat Command, stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The squadron is equipped with several variants of the Boeing C-135 aircraft equipped for reconnaissance missions.
The 95th is one of the oldest units in the United States Air Force, first being organized as the 95th Aero Squadron on 20 August 1917 at Kelly Field, Texas. The squadron deployed to France and fought on the Western Front during World War I as a pursuit squadron.
During World War II the unit served in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations as part of Twelfth Air Force as a Martin B-26 Marauder light bomber squadron, participating in the North African and the Southern France Campaign. In the Cold War, the squadron fought in the Korean War with Douglas B-26 Invader medium bombers, then later as part of Strategic Air Command, flying TR-1A Dragonlady reconnaissance aircraft supporting NATO.

Mission

Conducts RC-135 Rivet Joint flight operations in the European and Mediterranean theaters of operations as tasked by National Command Authorities and European Command. Provides all operational management, aircraft maintenance, administration, and intelligence support to produce politically sensitive real-time intelligence data vital to national foreign policy. Supports EC-135, OC-135 Open Skies, and Boeing E-4B missions when theater deployed.
Although it is a component of the 55th Operations Group, main flying operations are conducted from RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom and Souda Bay, Crete.

History

World War I

The 95th was originally activated as the 95th Aero Squadron on 20 August 1917 at Kelly Field in Texas. It deployed to various locations in France during World War I, initially at Issoudun Aerodrome. On 5 May 1918, it was assigned to the 1st Pursuit Group. Well-known pilots with the 95th Aero Squadron who perished in World War I included Lt. Quentin Roosevelt, the youngest son of President Theodore Roosevelt, and Irby Curry. Both of them died while the squadron was based in Saints Aerodrome, France. A number of aces also served with the unit, including Lansing Holden, Sumner Sewall, Harold Buckley, Edward Peck Curtis, James Knowles, and one of its commanding officers, Captain David M. Peterson.
After the war ended on 11 November 1918, the 95th Aero Squadron was demobilized on 18 March 1919. As the 95th Pursuit Squadron it conducted bombing missions on the Clinton River to prevent flooding in communities near the river caused by an ice jam. As the 95th Attack Squadron, it flew reconnaissance missions in March 1938 to support flood relief operations in southern California.

Interwar years

The 95th Aero Squadron underwent various activations and inactivations over the years and experienced numerous name changes.
In 1939 the squadron was equipped with the new Douglas B-18 Bolo medium bomber and redesignated the 95th Bombardment Squadron. The B-18s were soon replaced by Douglas B-23 Dragons.
In June 1940 the squadron moved to McChord Field, Washington. The B-23 had a short life in front line service, and the 95th was re-equipped with the new North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber in February 1941, when the 17th Bombardment Group became the first Air Corps unit to receive the new bomber. In June, the squadron moved to Pendleton Field, Oregon, In August, it received the updated B-25B, that had a much heavier defensive armament, dictated by the results of combat reports coming in from Europe.

World War II

Antisubmarine patrols

In the immediate aftermath of the Pearl Harbor Attack, the 95th flew anti-submarine warfare patrols in the Pacific Northwest from 22 December 1941 to c. March 1942. It moved to Lexington County Airport, South Carolina, on 9 February 1942 in order to meet the greater threat from German submarines operating off the East Coast.

Doolittle raid

Planning for a retaliatory bombing raid on Japan began in December 1941, and twenty-four B-25Bs were diverted from the 17th Bombardment Group, which was the only B-25 unit in the Air Corps, and volunteers from its four squadrons, including the 95th, were recruited, the crews being told only that this was a secret and dangerous mission. The volunteers trained at Eglin Field, Florida. Upon completion of training, they left Eglin for McClellan Field, California for final modifications to the B-25s before moving to Naval Air Station Alameda, where the bombers were loaded on the for the raid.

Combat in the Mediterranean

The remainder of the squadron remained in Columbia, flying antisubmarine patrols until 23 June when it moved to Barksdale Field, Louisiana. There, the squadron re-equipped with the Martin B-26 Marauder, and began transition training under Third Air Force.
In November 1942, the squadron deployed to North Africa, arriving at Telergma Airport, Algeria in December 1942 following Operation Torch's initial landings, becoming part of XII Bomber Command. The squadron flew interdiction and close air support, bombing bridges, rail lines, marshalling yards, harbors, shipping, gun emplacements, troop concentrations and other enemy targets in Algeria and later Tunisia supporting American and later Allied ground forces as they moved east and participated in the Tunisian Campaign.
During 1943, the 34th participated in Operation Corkscrew, the reduction of Pantelleria. It supported Operation Husky, the Allied invasion of Sicily and Operation Avalanche, the invasion of Italy. During the drive toward Rome, the squadron was awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation for its attacks on airfields near Rome on 13 January 1944. It was also awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for its operations in Italy between April and June.
The unit provided tactical air support in the liberation of Sardinia and Corsica. From airfields in Corsica, the 95th supported Allied ground forces during Operation Dragoon, the invasion of southern France in August 1944. It moved to Southern France and bombed enemy targets during the Allied drive northward. It earned a second Distinguished Unit Citation for bombing attacks on enemy defenses near Schweinfurt, Germany just before the end of the war on 10 April 1945.
The squadron remained in Europe after V-E Day. It became part of the occupation forces, and participated in the disarmament of Germany. It moved to the American Occupation Zone in Austria. The squadron returned to France to stage for its return to the United States, where it was inactivated in late November 1945.

Reconnaissance operations

After being inactivated on 25 June 1958, it was redesignated as the 95th Reconnaissance Squadron on 20 January 1982 and reactivated at RAF Alconbury in the United Kingdom on 1 October 1982. It flew Lockheed U-2 and TR-1 aircraft in support of NATO and United States Air Forces Europe missions. After the end of the Cold War, the 95th was no longer needed and the unit was inactivated on 15 September 1993. This hiatus did not last long as the unit was reactivated on 1 July 1994 at RAF Mildenhall, this time flying the RC-135 Rivet Joint and OC-135 Open Skies aircraft.

Lineage

  • Organized as the 95th Aero Squadron on 20 August 1917
  • Reconstituted and organized on 12 August 1919
  • Redesignated 95th Pursuit Squadron and activated, on 1 June 1928
  • Redesignated 95th Bombardment Squadron, Light on 29 April 1947
  • Redesignated 95th Bombardment Squadron, Light, Night Intruder on 8 May 1952
  • Redesignated 95th Reconnaissance Squadron on 20 January 1982
  • Activated on 1 July 1994

Assignments

Stations

Aircraft