{{about|the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base|other units with this designation|38th Reconnaissance Squadron (disambiguation)}} {{Multiple issues|{{more citations needed|date=August 2017}}{{lead too short|date=August 2017}}}} {{Use American English|date=June 2015}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}
{{Infobox military unit |unit_name= 38th Reconnaissance Squadron [[File:ACC Shield.svg|center|60px]] |image= Boeing RC-135V Rivet Joint 64-14846 Electronic Intelligence Aircraft.jpg |image_size=300 |caption=38th Reconnaissance Squadron [[RC-135V]] Rivet Joint electronic intelligence aircraft{{efn|Aircraft is Boeing RC-135V Rivet Joint serial 64-14846.}} |dates={{Hlist|1941–1946|1947–1949|1950–1970|1979–present}} |country={{USA}} |branch={{air force|USA}} |type= |role=[[Reconnaissance]] and [[Surveillance]] |size= |command_structure= [[Air Combat Command]] |current_commander= |garrison= [[Offutt Air Force Base]] |ceremonial_chief= |colonel_of_the_regiment= |nickname= |patron= |motto={{langnf|la|Ducimus Ceteri Sequuntur|We Lead, Others Follow}} (1957-1994)<ref name=Maurer38FS>Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 179–180</ref> |colors= |march= |mascot= |battles=[[European Theater of Operations]]<br/>[[Iraq War]]<ref name=38RSfacts>{{cite web |url= https://www.dafhistory.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/432028/38-reconnaissance-squadron-acc/ |last1=Dollman|first1=TSG David|title=Factsheet 38 Reconnaissance Squadron (ACC)|date=19 October 2016|publisher=Air Force Historical Research Agency|access-date=8 August 2017}}</ref><br/>Global [[war on terror]]ism{{cn|date=February 2025}} |notable_commanders= |anniversaries= |decorations=[[Distinguished Unit Citation]]<br/>[[Air Force Meritorious Unit Award]]<br/>[[Air Force Outstanding Unit Award]]<ref name=38RSfacts/> |battle_honours= <!-- Insignia --> |identification_symbol=[[File:38th_Reconnaissance_Squadron.png|150px]] |identification_symbol_label=38th Reconnaissance Squadron emblem{{efn|restored and modified 22 February 1994}}<ref name=38RSfacts/> |identification_symbol_2=[[File:38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron - SAC - Emblem.png|150px]] |identification_symbol_2_label=38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron emblem{{efn|Approved 24 May 1957. Description: On a white shield bordered red an A[ir] F[orce] blue lightning bolt in [[Bend (heraldry)#Bend sinister|bend sinister]] surmounted by a dragon's head issuing from [[dexter and sinister|sinister]] [[escutcheon (heraldry)|base]] A[ir] F[orce] blue, tongue, mouth, fire from mouth, nostrils, nose markings and pupils of the eyes of the second [color mentioned]. talons and iris of eyes A[ir] F[orce] yellow, eyeball and teeth white; heavy eyebrows and facial outlines black wearing earphones white, with black detail and head strap; carrying in his talons an electronic symbol of three black entwined orbits with three nuclei red, entwined around an electronic testing box white, instruments outlined black.}}<ref name=Maurer38FS/> |identification_symbol_3=[[File:38 Pursuit Sq emblem.png|150px]] |identification_symbol_3_label=38th Pursuit Squadron emblem{{efn|Approved 3 March 1942.}}<ref name=38RSfacts/> }}
The '''38th Reconnaissance Squadron''' is a [[United States Air Force]] unit. It is a part of the [[55th Wing]] at [[Offutt Air Force Base]], Nebraska. It operates the [[Boeing RC-135]] aircraft conducting reconnaissance missions.
==Mission== The mission of the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron is to provide RC-135 aircraft and personnel to conduct global reconnaissance for national intelligence agencies, key decision makers and warfighters.
==History== ===World War II=== Established in late 1942 as a [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]] fighter squadron, trained under [[Second Air Force]] in the Pacific northwest. Deployed to the [[European Theater of Operations]], assigned to [[VIII Fighter Command]] in England in late 1943. Squadron's mission was to provide long range fighter escort for [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]] and [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator]] heavy bombers on strategic bombing missions over [[Occupied Europe]] and [[Nazi Germany]]. In April 1944 received [[P-51D Mustang]] fighter aircraft and continuing its primary task of escorting B-17 and B-24 bombers that attacked such targets as industries and marshalling yards in Germany, and airfields and V-weapon sites in France.
The squadron flew air patrols over the [[English Channel]] and bombed bridges in the [[Tours]] area during the [[D-Day|Invasion of France]] in June 1944. In July the squadron attacked gun emplacements during the [[Saint-Lô]] breakthrough. The unit patrolled the [[Arnhem]] sector to support the [[Operation Market-Garden|Airborne invasion of the Netherlands]] in September 1944, and later in December, transportation facilities during the [[Battle of the Bulge]]. During the [[Western Allied invasion of Germany]], the squadron flew ground support missions by strafing trucks, locomotives, and oil depots near [[Wesel]] when the Allies crossed the Rhine in March 1945 and continued offensive operations until 21 April 1945. [[File:55fg-Nuthampstead.jpg|thumb|left|P-38Hs of the 38th Fighter Squadron.]] After the German Capitulation, became part of the [[United States Air Forces in Europe]] Army of Occupation, at AAF Station Kaufbeuren, then moved to [[AAF Station Giebelstadt]] in early 1946 where it received its first jet aircraft, the [[Lockheed P-80A Shooting Star]]. Inactivated in August 1946 when personnel were demobilized and aircraft were transferred to the [[31st Fighter Group]].
===Cold War reconnaissance=== The squadron was reactivated by [[Strategic Air Command]] in 1947 as a reconnaissance squadron, equipped with Boeing RB-17 Flying Fortress aircraft. It flew aerial photography, mapping, charting, and photo reconnaissance missions, some of which flew around borders of the [[Soviet Union]] and over the Soviet Occupation Zone of Germany. Little was known about the [[air defense]] capability of the Soviet Union at this time and the most effective way of determining their capability was to probe the borders and see whether they would respond. Gradually the RB-17s and other aircraft mapped the perimeter of the Soviet Air Defenses from the Baltic Sea to the Sea of Okhotsk, north of Japan.
The squadron was upgraded to [[Boeing RB-29 Superfortress]] aircraft in 1949 and continued its reconnaissance mission. However, it was again inactivated in 1949 due to budget reductions.
The squadron was again reactivated in 1950 at [[Ramey Air Force Base]], Puerto Rico, again flying RB-29s performing strategic reconnaissance, charting photography, precise electronic geodetic mapping, and electronic reconnaissance missions, upgrading to [[Boeing RB-50 Superfortress]]es in 1952.
In 1953, the squadron was equipped with [[Boeing RB-47E Stratojet]]s and conducted a variety of classified overflights of the Soviet Union during the 1950s. Some of these flights were mounted from [[Thule Air Base|Thule]] in Greenland and probed deep into the heart of the Soviet Union, taking a photographic and radar recording of the route attacking SAC bombers would follow to reach their targets. Flights which involved penetrating mainland Russia were termed SENSINT (Sensitive Intelligence) missions. One RB-47 even managed to fly 450 miles inland and photograph the city of [[Igarka]] in Siberia. Beginning in 1958, used 3 specially modified Stratojets, known as EB-47Es (Tell Two), in Operation Iron Work to monitor Soviet missile tests from [[Baikonur]], [[Tyuratam]] and [[Kapustin Yar]]. The early EB-47E 'Tell Two' was easily recognizable as the aircraft were equipped with 2 large telemetry pods attached to either side of the fuselage, just aft of the nose, which intercepted data from Soviet data from missile tests. A later version of the 'Tell Two' housed the telemetry pods internally and had a streamlined nose. The USAF long range radar site at Samsum in Turkey, on the south coast of the Black Sea, also assisted in this activity.
Missions flown on a reduced scale after February 1958 when events showed the vulnerability of the RB-47 to Soviet air defenses and the development of the U-2 aircraft.
When the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing relocated to [[Offutt Air Force Base]] on 16 August 1966, the 38th took over the [[Operation Looking Glass]] mission from the [[34th Air Refueling Squadron]] and operated [[Boeing EC-135C]] as well as operating 3 KC-135R Rivet Stand reconnaissance aircraft. On 1 April 1970 SAC reorganized the Post Attack Command and Control mission and the 38th inactivated and turned the mission over to the newly [[2d Airborne Command and Control Squadron]].
The squadron flew worldwide strategic reconnaissance including in support of the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]] in October 1962, [[Operation Urgent Fury]] in October 1983, [[Operation El Dorado Canyon]] in April 1986, [[Operation Just Cause]] in December 1989, and Operations [[Gulf War#Operation Desert Shield|Desert Shield]] and [[Operation Desert Storm|Desert Storm]] from January–February 1991.<ref name=38RSfacts/>
==Lineage== * Constituted as the '''38th Pursuit Squadron''' (Interceptor) on 20 November 1940 : Activated on 15 January 1941 : Redesignated '''38th Pursuit Squadron''' (Interceptor) (Twin Engine) on 31 January 1942 : Redesignated '''38th Fighter Squadron''' (Twin Engine) on 15 May 1942 : Redesignated '''38th Fighter Squadron''', Twin Engine on 20 August 1943 : Redesignated '''38th Fighter Squadron''', Single Engine on 5 September 1944 : Inactivated on 20 August 1946 : Redesignated '''38th Reconnaissance Squadron''', Very Long Range, Mapping on 3 February 1947 : Activated on 15 March 1947 : Redesignated '''38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron''', Photo-Mapping on 1 July 1949 : Inactivated on 14 October 1949 : Redesignated '''38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron''', Medium, Photo on 27 October 1950 : Activated on 1 November 1950 : Redesignated '''38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron''', Medium on 16 June 1952 : Redesignated '''38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron''' on 16 August 1966 : Inactivated on 1 April 1970 : Activated on 1 April 1979 : Redesignated '''38th Reconnaissance Squadron''' on 1 September 1991<ref name=38RSfacts/>
===Assignments=== * [[55th Pursuit Group]] (later 55th Fighter Group), 15 January 1941 – 20 August 1946 * [[5th Operations Group#Post/Cold War|5th Reconnaissance Group]], 15 March 1947 * [[311th Air Division]], 26 May 1949 (attached to [[9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing]]) * 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Group, 1 June–14 October 1949 * 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Group, 1 November 1950 (attached to [[91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing]] until 6 January 1951, then to [[55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing]]) :: Further attached to [[3d Air Division]], 15 January–28 May 1951, [[7th Air Division]] after 5 April 1952) * 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 16 June 1952 – 1 April 1970 (remained attached to [[7th Air Division]] to 9 August 1952) * 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 1 April 1979 * 55th Operations Group, 1 September 1991 – present<ref name=38RSfacts/>
===Stations=== {{Col-begin}} {{Col-break|width=50%}} * [[Hamilton Air Force Base|Hamilton Field]], California, 15 January 1941 * [[Portland Air National Guard Base|Columbia Airport]], Oregon, 21 May 1941 * [[McChord Field]], Washington, 14 December 1941 * [[Paine Field]], Washington, 9 September 1942 – 20 August 1943 * [[RAF Nuthampstead]] (Station 131),<ref name=Anderson>Station number in Anderson.</ref> England, 16 September 1943 * [[RAF Wormingford]] (Station 159),<ref name=Anderson/> England, 16 April 1944 * [[Kaufbeuren Airfield]] (R-70),<ref name=Johnson>Station number in Johnson.</ref> Germany, 20 July 1945 * AAF Station Giebelstadt (Y-90),<ref name=Johnson/> Germany, 4 April–20 August 1946 * [[Clark Field]] (later Clark Air Force Base), [[Luzon]], Philippines, 15 March 1947 – 6 May 1949 * [[Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base]], California, 26 May 1949 {{Col-break|width=50%}} * [[Topeka Air Force Base]] (later Forbes Air Force Base), Kansas, 1 June–14 October 1949 * [[Barksdale Air Force Base]], Louisiana, 1 November 1950 * Ramey Air Force Base, Puerto Rico, 6 January 1951 :: Deployed to [[RAF Bassingbourn]], England, 15 January–28 May 1951, [[RAF Sculthorpe]], England (5 April–15 May 1952, [[RAF Upper Heyford]], England, 15 May–9 August 1952) * Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, 9 October 1952 :: Deployed to [[Ben Guerir Air Base]], French Morocco, 30 May–6 August 1955 * Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, 16 August 1966 – 1 April 1970 * Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, 1 April 1979 – present<ref>Station information in Dollman, except as noted.</ref> {{Col-end}}
===Aircraft=== {{div col|colwidth=22em}} * [[Republic P-43 Lancer]] (1941) * Lockheed P-38 Lightning (1941–1944) * [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]] (1943) * [[North American P-51 Mustang]] (1944–1946) * Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star (1946) * [[Douglas A-26 Invader]] (1946) * Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (1947) * Boeing FB-17 (later RB-17) Flying Fortress (1947–1949) * [[Beechcraft RC-45 Expeditor]] (1948–1949) * [[Curtiss C-46 Commando]] (1948–1949) * [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain]] (1948–1949) * Boeing RB-29 Superfortress (1949) * Boeing RB-50 Superfortress (1950–1954) * Boeing RB-47 Stratojet (1954–1965) * Boeing EB-47 Stratojet (1957–1965) * Boeing EC-135 (1966–1970) * Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (1966 – c. 1968) * [[Boeing RC-135]] (1979–present)<ref name=38RSfacts/> {{div col end}}
==References== ; Notes {{Notelist}}
; Citations {{Reflist|30em}}
===Bibliography=== {{Air Force Historical Research Agency}} * {{cite book|last=Anderson|first=Capt. Barry|title= Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II|url=http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-081010-027.pdf |year=1985|publisher=Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center|location=Maxwell AFB, AL yes|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160123155923/http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-081010-027.pdf |archive-date=23 January 2016|access-date=28 June 2017}} * {{cite book|last=Johnson|first=1st Lt. David C.|title=U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO) D-Day to V-E Day|url= http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-081010-026.pdf |year=1988|publisher=Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center|location=Maxwell AFB, AL|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150929064443/http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-081010-026.pdf |archive-date=29 September 2015|access-date=26 June 2017}} * {{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Air Force Combat Units of World War II|orig-year= 1961|url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330256/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-044.pdf|archive-url= https://archive.today/20210115181723/https://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330256/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-044.pdf|url-status= dead|archive-date= 15 January 2021|access-date= 17 December 2016|edition=reprint|year=1983|publisher= Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-912799-02-1|lccn=61060979}} * {{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II|orig-year=1969|url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161220180455/http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 20 December 2016 |edition= reprint|access-date= 17 December 2016|year=1982|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-405-12194-6|oclc=72556|lccn=70605402}} * {{cite book|last=Ravenstein|first=Charles A.|title=Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977|url=https://archive.org/details/airforcecombatwi0000rave|access-date=17 December 2016|year=1984|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-912799-12-9|url-access=registration}}
==External links== *[http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/rso/squadrons_flights_pages/0038recos.html AFHRA 38th Reconnaissance Squadron History]{{dead link|date=March 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} * {{cite web |url= https://b-47.com/ |last1=|first1=|title=B-47 Stratojet Historical Website|date=|publisher=B-47 Association|access-date=14 May 2026}}
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[[Category:Reconnaissance squadrons of the United States Air Force|038]] [[Category:Military units and formations in Nebraska]]