27th Intelligence Squadron

The 27th Intelligence Squadron is an active squadron of the United States Air Force, stationed at Langley Air Force Base, part of Joint Base Langley-Eustis, near Hampton, Virginia. It is assigned to the 497th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group.

The squadron was first organized in February 1943 as the 27th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron. After training in the United States, the squadron moved to the European Theater of Operations, where it engaged in combat until V-E Day. It earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for its work during Operation Overlord, the invasion of France, in the spring of 1944. It remained in Europe until late fall of 1945, when it returned to the United States and was inactivated.

Mission The 27th Intelligence Squadron is currently assigned to the 497th Intelligence, Reconnaissance, and Surveillance Group at Langley AFB, Hampton, Virginia. Its mission is to provide full-spectrum intelligence analysis in support of various Air Force combatant commands' intelligence requirements. It currently employs approximately 200 active duty Air Force personnel, civilians, and contractors.

History World War II The squadron was activated as the 27th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron at Peterson Field, Colorado in February 1943 and equipped with Lockheed P-38 Lightnings and two reconnaissance models of the Lightning, the F-4 and the F-5. It was one of the original squadrons of the 6th Photographic Group. The squadron trained with the 6th Group until September 1943, when the 6th moved overseas to the Southwest Pacific Theater.Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 42–43 The 27th moved overseas in November, but to England, where it was attached to the 7th Photographic Group.

The squadron flew missions supporting Eighth Air Force's strategic bombing campaign by photographing potential targets and flying over recently struck areas to provide bomb damage assessment. It also provided information on enemy forces disposition and movements. In preparation for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, the unit concentrated on providing photographic information on airfields, cities, factories and seaports in France, Belgium and the Netherlands.Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 45–46 Pre-invasion coverage was extended to the Low Countries to mask the intended invasion location.Freeman, p. 199 Its reconnaissance of marshalling yards, canals, highways and other transportation routes contributed to the success of the Normandy campaign, earning the 27th a Distinguished Unit Citation.

In July 1944, the unit provided coverage of launch sites for V-1 flying bombs and V-2 rockets. From late August, the 27th provided coverage for advancing Allied forces. The squadron provided photo coverage for Operation Market Garden, the airborne attacks in the Netherlands. In November the squadron moved to France for closer cooperation with VIII Fighter Command,Freeman, p. 200 and flew missions supporting ground forces engaged in the Battle of the Bulge from Denain/Prouvy Airfield. In 1945, as losses mounted among reconnaissance aircraft operating over the Continent, it began to fly North American P-51 Mustangs to provide fighter cover for the 7th Group's unarmed Lightnings. The squadron also flew a few F-6 reconnaissance models of the Mustang. After V-E Day, the squadron participated in the final bomb damage assessment of Germany. Most, if not all, aircraft were disposed of to depots by September, and the squadron returned to the United States in December and was inactivated at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey in December.Freeman, p. 239

Intelligence operations The squadron was dormant until September 1990, when it was redesignated the 27th Tactical Intelligence Squadron and activated at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia as part of the 480th Tactical Intelligence Group of Tactical Air Command.Lent, pp. 28–29 In December 2003 the 480th Intelligence Wing was activated to manage the Distributed Common Ground System and the squadron was assigned to it.Lent, pp. 109–110 The Distributed Common Ground System disseminates intelligence information collected by Lockheed U-2 aircraft and General Atomics MQ-1 Predator, Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk and General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles to combat commanders, no matter what their location may be.

As Distributed Ground System stations became operational, the squadron worked to connect the new stations with the system. This included stations at Hickam Air Force Base in 2004, Langley Air Force Base in 2005, three Air National Guard operated stations in 2006 and a center at Beale Air Force Base in 2011.Lent, pp. 111, 113–114. 123 The squadron also participates in exercises on a regular basis.Lent, pp. 111–113, 120–123

In 2013, the squadron won the Lt. Gen. Harold W. Grant information dominance award as the best small communications and information unit in the Air Force. The award was made for the squadron's "sustained superior performance and professional excellence while managing core cyberspace and information dominance functions and for contributions that most improved Air Force Department of Defense operations and missions." This award was followed by earning the Chief Master Sgt. James C. Swindell award for having the best communications and information systems operation in Twenty-Fifth Air Force from 1 September 2013 through 31 August 2014.

Lineage Constituted as the 27th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 5 February 1943 Redesignated 27th Photographic Squadron (Light) on 5 February 1943 Activated on 9 February 1943 Redesignated 27th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 11 August 1943 Inactivated on 21 December 1945Lineage, including assignments, stations and aircraft through 1945 in Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 139–140, except as incicated. Redesignated 27th Tactical Intelligence Squadron on 1 September 1990 and activated Redesignated 27th Air Intelligence Squadron on 1 November 1991 Redesignated 27th Intelligence Squadron on 1 October 1993 Redesignated 27th Intelligence Support Squadron on 1 December 2003 Redesignated 27th Intelligence Squadron on 1 January 2009Lineage including assignments and stations after 1990 in Lent, pp. 28–29

Assignments 6th Photographic Group (later 6th Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping Group, 6th Photographic Reconnaissance Group), 9 February 1943 Third Air Force, 9 October 1943 III Reconnaissance Command, 12 October 1943 7th Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping Group (later 7th Photographic Group, 7th Reconnaissance Group), (attached c. 4 November 1943) 9 December 1943 – 21 November 1945 (attached to VIII Air Force Service Command 9 November 1944, VIII Air Force Fighter Command, 26 January – 22 April 1945) Unknown 21 November 1945 – 21 December 1945Neither Lent nor Maurer list an assignment for the squadron after the 7th Group was inactivated in November. Its probable assignments were VIII Fighter Command until leaving England, and Army Service Forces, Port of Embarkation upon arrival in the United States. 480th Tactical Intelligence Group (later 480th Air Intelligence Group, 480th Intelligence Group), 1 September 1990 480th Intelligence Wing (later 480th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing), 1 December 2003 – present

Stations Peterson Field, Colorado, 9 February 1943 RAF Mount Farm (Station 234),Station number in Anderson England, 4 November 1943 Denain/Prouvy Airfield (A-83),Station number in Johnson France, 9 November 1944 RAF Chalgrove (Station 465), England, 29 April 1945 Frankfurt-Eschborn Airfield 14 October 1945 Poix, France, 15 October 1945 – 26 November 1945 Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 20 – 21 December 1945 Langley Air Force Base (later Joint Base Langley-Eustis), 1 September 1990 – present

Aircraft

Lockheed F-4 Lightning, 1943 Lockheed F-5 Lightning, 1943–1945 North American F-6 Mustang, 1945 Lockheed P-38 Lightning, 1943–1945 North American P-51 Mustang, 1945

Awards and campaigns

Campaign Streamer Campaign Dates NotesAir Offensive, Europe4 November 1943 – 5 June 194427th Photographic Reconnaissance SquadronNormandy6 June 1944 – 24 July 194427th Photographic Reconnaissance SquadronNorthern France25 July 1944 – 14 September 194427th Photographic Reconnaissance SquadronRhineland15 September 1944 – 21 March 194527th Photographic Reconnaissance SquadronArdennes-Alsace16 December 1944 – 25 January 194527th Photographic Reconnaissance SquadronCentral Europe22 March 1944 – 21 May 194527th Photographic Reconnaissance SquadronAir Combat, EAME Theater4 November 1943 – 11 May 194527th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron

27th Intelligence Squadron

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