HISTORY:
Constituted as 7th Photographic Group on 5 Feb 1943. Activated on 1 May 1943. Redesignated 7th Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping Group in May 1943, 7th Photographic Group (Reconnaissance) in Nov 1943, and 7th Reconnaissance Group in Jun 1945. Transferred, without personnel and equipment, to England on 7 Jul 1943 and assigned to Eighth AF. Used Spitfires and L-5's to obtain information about bombardment targets and damage inflicted by bombardment operations; provide mapping service for air and ground units; observe and report on enemy transportation, installations, and positions; and obtain data on weather conditions. Prior to Jun 1944, photographed airfields, cities, industrial establishments, and ports in France, the Low Countries, and Germany. Received a DUC for operations during the period, 31 May-30 Jun 1944, when its coverage of bridges, marshalling yards, canals, highways, rivers, and other targets contributed much to the success of the Normandy campaign. Covered missile sites in France during Jul, and in Aug carried out photographic mapping missions for ground forces advancing across France. Provided reconnaissance support for the airborne attack on Holland in Sep and for the Battle of the Bulge, Dec 1944-Jan 1945. Used P-51's to escort its own reconnaissance planes during the last months of the war as the group supported the Allied drive across the Rhine and into Germany. Took part in the final bomb-damage assessment following V-E Day. Inactivated in England on 21 Nov 1945. Disbanded on 6 Mar 1947.

Squadrons:

13th: 1943-1945.
14th: 1943-1945.
22d: 1943-1945.
27th: 1943-1945.
28th: 1943.
29th: 1943.
30th: 1943.

Stations:

Peterson Field, Colo, 1 May-7 Jul 1943
Mount Farm, England, 7 Jul 1943
Chalgrove, England, Mar 1945
Hitcham, England, Oct-21 Nov 1945.

Commanders:

Col James G Hall, 7 Jul 1943
Col Homer L Saunders, Sep 1943
Col Paul T Cullen, 1 Jan 1944
Lt Col George A Lawson, 17 Feb 1944
Lt Col Norris E Hartwell, 7 May 1944
Lt Col Clarence A Shoap, 9 Aug 1944
Col George W Humbrecht, Oct 1944
Maj Hubert M Childress, 18 Jun 1945-unkn.

Campaigns:

Air Offensive, Europe; Normandy; Northern France; Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe.

Decorations:

Distinguished Unit Citation: France, 31 May-30 Jun 1944. French Croix de Guerre With Palm: 1944.

"None was armed and most were painted in various shades of blue. Initially this consisted of a specially developed paint resulting from much research and experiment called, rather charmingly, ?Haze?. Difficult to apply and prone to simply flaking off it was replaced by a different, bluer, paint called ?Synthetic haze? which did just fine until the USAAF decided that its aircraft were no longer to be painted at all. This did not go down well with the F-5 pilots who were required to fly an unarmed aircraft alone through hostile skies for many hours and might be forgiven for wishing their aircraft to blend in as much as possible with their surroundings rather than shine and shimmer in the sunlight like chromium. As a result the last F-5Es, all of which were converted from P-38Js, were painted with British PRU blue upon their arrival in England."
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Regards Duggy

Awesome, great pics Alan

Neat to see the progression of paint schemes.