- Northwest African Photographic Reconnaissance Wing
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Northwest African Photographic Reconnaissance Wing Active 18 February 1943 – 10 December 1943 Role Reconnaisance Part of Northwest African Air Forces The Northwest African Photographic Reconnaissance Wing (NAPRW) was an Allied photo-reconnaissance wing which operated in North Africa during World War II until the end of 1943.
Contents
History
NAPRW was a sub-command of the Northwest African Air Forces which itself was a sub-command of the Mediterranean Air Command (MAC). These new Allied air force organizations were created at the Casablanca Conference in January 1943 to promote cooperation between the British Royal Air Force (RAF), the American United States Army Air Force (USAAF), and their respective ground and naval forces in North Africa and the Mediterranean Theater of Operations (MTO). Effective 18 February 1943, the NAPRW and other MAC commands existed until 10 December 1943 when MAC was disbanded and the Mediterranean Allied Air Forces (MAAF) were established. Colonel Elliott Roosevelt, the son of United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was the commander of NAPRW.[1][2]
The successor unit was the "Mediterranean Allied Photo Reconnaissance Wing"[3]
Order of battle
At the time of the Allied invasion of Sicily (Operation Husky) on 10 July 1943, the NAPRW consisted of:[4]
- 3rd Photographic Group[5] under Lieutenant Colonel Frank Dunn
- 5th Combat Mapping Squadron, P-38 Lightning
- 12th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, P-38 Lightning
- 12th Weather Detachment
- 15th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron, B-17 Fortress
- 13th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (Detachment) Photo Intelligence
- No. 60 Squadron SAAF Detachment, Mosquito PR.IV
- No. 540 Squadron RAF Detachment, Mosquito PR.IV/PR.XI[6]
- No. 680 Squadron RAF, Spitfire PR.IX/PR.XI[7]
- 2/33 Groupe (Free French Air Force), P-38 Lightning
Notable personnel
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the renowned French aviator and author of several aviation writings as well as The Little Prince, was a P-38 pilot in 2/33 Groupe de Reconnaissance. Saint-Exupéry failed to return to his base at Borgo, Corsica following a reconnaissance mission on 31 July 1944 and is believed to have died at that time.
References
- ^ Craven, Wesley F. and James L. Cate. The Army Air Forces in World War II, Volume 2, Chicago, Illinois: Chicago University Press, 1949 (Reprinted 1983, ISBN 0-912799-03-X).
- ^ Richards, D. and H. Saunders, The Royal Air Force 1939–1945 (Volume 2, HMSO, 1953).
- ^ Collection Description - Mediterranean Allied Photo Reconnaissance Wing (MAPRW)
- ^ Boyle, Robert Driscoll, History of Photo Reconnaissance in North Africa Including my Experiences with the 3rd Photo Group, Doctoral Dissertation, Department of History, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 1948.
- ^ "The 3rd Photographic Group, Reconnaissance – Squadron Index". Warwingsart.com. http://www.warwingsart.com/12thAirForce/3rdpg.html. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^ "Mosquito photo-reconnaissance units of World War 2". Books.google.co.uk. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Gx85T-eYPdQC&pg=PA91&lpg=PA91&dq=540+PRU+mosquito&source=bl&ots=Y-QWOOos_C&sig=Z0Ym2ADUlIuoJbsakTfchGCFHAc&hl=en&ei=tbavSqu7LeCZjAeXx9DTBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=540%20PRU%20mosquito&f=false. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
- ^ "Royal Air Force Recce Units". Airrecce.co.uk. http://www.airrecce.co.uk/WW2/units/RAF.html#680. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
External links
Categories:- Wings of the United States Army Air Forces in World War II
- Military units and formations of the Royal Air Force in World War II
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- 3rd Photographic Group[5] under Lieutenant Colonel Frank Dunn
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