67TH TACTICAL RECON GROUP

CHAPTER 9

THEY WERE ASSIGNED TO SUPPORT TWO OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL AIR UNITS IN NORMANDY HISTORY, AS WELL AS WORLD WAR II HISTORY IN GENERAL.

Now let’s get into some of the most fascinating information that I have discovered and into some of the history that I really love. I have always been fascinated by the Fighter and Bomber groups of World War II. To find out that Larry’s Dad, Doc Payne, and my grandfather, Paul Guiton, were part of the 2487th Quartermaster Truck Company (Aviation) and that they were both assigned to different air units was amazing. They were assigned to support two of the most influential air units in Normandy history, as well as World War II history in general. From the Normandy invasion, to sweeping across Europe, to the Battle of the Bulge, and to fending off the Germans during Operation Bodenplatte, the air units of the 67th Tactical Recon Group and the 366th Fighter Group were vital in the victory against Germany. Each of these air units has quite the history. Let’s review each of them individually, starting with my grandfather’s assigned air unit, the 67th Tactical Recon Group. Keep in mind that wherever the air units traveled, the 2487th Quartermaster Truck Company had to follow. The research on these two different air units helped to confirm my grandfather’s and Larry’s dad’s locations, destinations, experienced events, and put into perspective what life must have been like for them throughout Normandy and beyond.

The 67th Tactical Recon Group was part of the 8th and 9th USAAF. Their insignia and patch was most remembered as having a picture of a blue sky with a blazing sun, four stars in a unique formation, and everything divided by a lightning bolt. I was able to find a photo of the insignia and patch made after 1947. I believe I also found the original design, that had an arrow instead of the lightning bolt, which was used during World War II. Both photos are attached to this chapter.

The 67th Tactical Recon Group had multiple squadrons including the 12th, 15th, 30th, 33rd, 107th, 109th, 153rd, and 161st Recon Squadrons. They were also usually paired with the Headquarters (HQ) Squadron. Fun fact: they are the oldest in the American Air Force dating back to 1917. Although formally with the 8th Air Force, the Group flew Spitfires and Bostons

(Havocs) with the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and trained on detachment at various stations until they were assigned to the 9th Air Force for combat operations in November of 1943. They trained in England at Membury for more than a year before beginning operations. From there they went to Middle Wallop, Hampshire and flew adapted Mustangs in reconnaissance missions over northern France until July of 1944. The 67th Tactical Recon Group also used P-38s, P-51s, and F-5s to fly artillery-adjustadjustment, photographic-reconnaissance, and visualreconnaissance missions. They received a Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) for operations along the coast of France when the group flew at low altitude in the face of intense flak to obtain photographs that aided in the invasion of the Continent between the dates February 15 to March 20, 1944 (see awesome painting at end of chapter). They also flew weather missions, made visual reconnaissance for ground forces, and photographed enemy positions to support the Normandy campaign and later assist First Army and other Allied Forces in the drive to Germany. They took part in the offensive against the Siegfried Line (September - December 1944) and in the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944 - January 1945). The 67th Tactical Recon Group also photographed dams on the Roer River in preparation for the ground offensive to cross the river, and aided in the Allied assault across the Rhine and into Germany (January - May 1945). They returned to the United States (July - September 1945) and were inactivated on March 31, 1946. In 1947, they were reactivated and were a part of various missions in Korea and Japan.

Some fun facts about the World War II aircraft listed in the previous paragraph if you know nothing about them: Spitfires were the primary fighter planes of the British Royal Air Force (RAF), however the designer of the Spitfire (R.J. Mitchell) wanted the aircraft to be called the “Shrew” or the “Scarab”. It was Robert McLean, head of Vickers Aviation, who preferred the name “Spitfire” because it was a name he used to call his daughter Annie, describing her as “a little spitfire”. Spitfires were the best fighter planes used until the British and the North American Aviation designed and produced various versions of the P-51 Mustang for the RAF and later adopted by the USAAF. The “P” in P-51 stood for “Pursuit” because these new fighter planes were meant to escort the Bomber units. The P-51 Mustang had a twin called the P-51 “Apache” that was mainly made for ground attacks and dive bombing. With various prototypes and testing with different version engines, the P-51s became the faster fighter planes in comparison to the Spitfires. The P-38s, if you ever saw a picture of them, were a very odd looking fighter and fighter-bomber plane nicknamed the “Lightning”. The P-38 Lightning was also called the “Fork-tailed Devil” by the Germans. They were made by Lockheed Martin and became one of the first high-altitude interceptor and heavy armament aircraft with a high rate of climb. They could even travel longer distances than the Spitfires and Mustangs. The F-5s were basically P-38 Lightnings but the F-5s were strictly designated for photographic reconnaissance. Since the “P” was already used for “Pursuit” aircraft, they were designated “F” for “foto”, which is as close as you can get to “photo”. Interesting right? Now if you ever see any pictures of