The 1st Weather Reconnaissance Squadron is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. It saw service between April 1943 and May 1945. On 21 December the squadron was inactivated at Grenier Field, New Hampshire.This unit is not related to the 1st Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (Special), which was organized by Military Air Transport Service on 1 June 1948 at Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base, California and assigned to the 308th Reconnaissance Group, redesignated 2078th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (Special) on 1 October 1948, moved to Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma on 10 November 1949, where it was discontinued on 20 March 1950. That squadron used the emblem approved for the 1st Weather Reconnaissance Squadron as well. Markus, p. 152.
During World War II the United States had to move large numbers of aircraft to the European and Mediterranean Theaters via the North Atlantic ferry route, a series of short flights between Newfoundland, Labrador, Greenland, Iceland and the UK. Weather conditions in winter closed the route and made crossing perilous at any time. The amount of time the route was open could be increased and the losses en route decreased by accurate weather forecasting. Land based weather stations left large gaps; the solution was the development of airborne meteorology.
The 1st Weather Reconnaissance Squadron was formed to gather weather data for the North Atlantic ferry routes, particularly the segments over the ocean. This data was used to provide forecasts for the safe passage of aircraft flying between North America and Britain. It became operational in April 1943 and operated throughout the North Atlantic region.
History Background During World War II, the United States had to move large numbers of aircraft to the European and Mediterranean Theaters.Army Air Forces Statistical Digest, 183.47,649 airplanes out of 76,076 total deployed to all theaters overseas, from 1 December 1941 to 1 September 1945. Nearly 15,000 were sent across the North Atlantic to Britain before being dispersed to their areas of operations.Fuller, Thor's Legions, 63. Even before the US entered the war, the British were buying thousands of US planes to build up the Royal Air Force and replace aircraft lost in the Battles of France and Britain.Engel, "Half of Everything," 472. While larger, four engine planes could be flown directly, one and two engine planes did not have the necessary range.Bates, America's Weather Warriors, 1814–1985, 65. At first, these smaller planes were partially disassembled and carried across on cargo ships but that was inefficient, slow, and the ships were often attacked by German submarines.Hague, The Allied Convoy System, 19, 126–129, 134–135.Convoys between Halifax, Nova Scotia and Liverpool, England took about two weeks. Loading and unloading took additional time, as did waiting for the convoy to form and waiting for docking at the destination.uboat.net.Sixteen ships carrying airplanes recorded sunk in the North Atlantic between 22 February 1940 and 4 August 1942.
Work started in 1940 on an alternative, the North Atlantic ferry route, a series of shorter flights across Newfoundland, Labrador, Greenland and Iceland to the UK.Heck, The North Atlantic Route, 93. The necessary airfields and resources were in place by summer of 1942 for the first large scale flights by the Eighth Air Force.Goldberg, "Establishment of the Eighth Air Force in the United Kingdom," 641. Large numbers of aircraft were ferried during the summer but weather conditions in the winter closed the route and made any crossing more perilous.Goldberg, "Establishment of the Eighth Air Force in the United Kingdom", 644–645.882 planes reached Britain over the North Atlantic route from 23 June 1942 to 1 January 1943. Most of the planes, a mix of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, Lockheed P-38 Lightnings and Douglas C-47 Skytrains, were part of Operation Bolero as the Eighth Air Force relocated to Britain.
The stormy and erratic weather in the North Atlantic region presented the same problem faced by ships sailing between North America and Britain, and required the same solution: accurate weather forecasting.Price, "The Coast Guard and the North Atlantic Campaign," 7, 9. With the defeat of France, and Germany's aerial attacks on Britain in midyear 1940, it was clear that the Army Air Forces' (AAF) weather services would soon be inadequate to the need.Jonasson, "The AAF Weather Service," 314. Facilities and personnel were rapidly produced to provide weather stations, weather observers and weather forecasters.Jonasson, "The AAF Weather Service," 316.By 7 December 1941, the weather services had 4,300 officers and men.
Importantly, the AAF's weather services were fundamental for the growth of air transport services and the ferrying of aircraft.Jonasson, "The AAF Weather Service," 312. Weather stations for the North Atlantic ferry route were developed from Eastern Canada north to the Arctic Circle and east to Iceland.Jonasson, "The AAF Weather Service," 321–322. In addition to readings collected by land stations, data was also available from United States Coast Guard ships on weather patrol in the North Atlantic.Willoughby, The U.S. Coast Guard in World War II, 128.Bates, America's Weather Warriors, 1814–1985, 60. On 13 August 1941, a detachment of weather officers and men was activated at Gander Airport, Newfoundland, to coordinate and extend the network of facilities and provide forecasts for the area. However, these facilities were still sparse considering the immense region to cover and forecasts were necessary limited.Jonasson, "The AAF Weather Service," 322. Data was unavailable for large sections of land and large stretches of the ocean where storm systems could hide. The problem was how to cover this expanse with the scarce resources at hand. The solution was the flying meteorologist.Rand, "Atlantic Weather Report (Patrol)," 30.
Mission The squadron’s mission was to gather weather data over the North Atlantic ferry routes, particularly from the segments over the ocean. This data was used to provide forecasts for the safe passage of aircraft flying between North America and Britain. There were three routes used for this. Two routes had short flights from Canada to Greenland to Iceland and to Scotland. Airplanes could also fly directly from Canada to Scotland.Heck, The North Atlantic Route, 92–93.Fuller, Thor's Legions, 57.
Organization Shortly before the US declared war on the Axis powers in 1941, there were discussions at AAF headquarters about organizing several weather reconnaissance squadrons.Jonasson, The AAF Weather Service 332. As a result, the Army Air Forces Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (Test) Number One was constituted in August 1942. It was assigned to the 2d Weather Squadron and stationed at Patterson Field in Ohio.Markus, Air Weather Service, 140. It was tasked with finding the types of equipment, personnel, and procedures necessary for gathering and reporting weather data during flight. The results of this research were supposed to be the basis for forming operational squadrons. But the program lacked support and languished until the next spring.Jonasson, "The AAF Weather Service," 332.
In April 1943, the squadron was made operational and assigned to Flight Control Command. It moved to Truax Field in Madison, Wisconsin for training.Army Air Forces Weather Unit Histories. In June, its headquarters moved to Presque Isle Army Air Field, Maine under command of Lt. Col. Clark L. Hosmer. In July, it was assigned to the recently activated Army Air Forces Weather Wing.Fuller, Thor's Legions, 42.
Hosmer was an important personality in AAF weather circles. He was a pilot, a graduate of West Point and trained in meteorology at the California Institute of Technology.Fuller, Thor's Legions, 56. In August 1941, he was assigned command of the small weather detachment at Gander Airport in Newfoundland, working alongside the Canadian weather unit until their own facilities were ready. Under Hosmer, the detachment developed weather facilities stretching across the North Atlantic Region from Canada to Iceland, and eventually became the 8th Weather Squadron.Jonasson, "The AAF Weather Service," 321.The joint American & Canadian facilities at Gander were critical for air operations in the North Atlantic region and became increasingly more important as the war continued. Gander Airport, along with the field at Goose Bay, Labrador, was the western terminus for the cargo, passenger and combat aircraft crossing the North Atlantic Route. Gander was also the operational center of a weather net stretching from the US to Britain and the largest forecast station at the western edge of the Atlantic. When Eighth Air Force moved to Britain in 1942, he stationed his most experienced forecasters along the route. He also persuaded Eighth Air Force commanders to scout the legs of the route ahead of the fighter aircraft with B-17 bombers. As a result, the accident ratio was 5.2%, about half of what was expected. When the Army Air Forces Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (Test) Number One went operational, his knowledge of weather and advocacy of weather reconnaissance made him a natural fit as its commander.Fuller, Thor's Legion, 43, 44n, 62, 63.Hosmer was chief of operations of the AAF Weather Wing under Lt. Col. W.O. Senter when he was assigned. Hosmer served for 14 months before he was reassigned to Headquarters AAF. During that time, he and 58 of his aircrew were awarded medals for their performance.Fuller, Thor's Legion, 63.
In December 1943, the squadron was redesignated the 30th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, Air Route, Medium and assigned to Air Transport Command (ATC). ATC grew out of the Air Corps Ferrying Command that started in 1941 when America was still nominally neutral. The Ferrying Command's sole duty was flying Lend-Lease aircraft from the manufacturers on the West Coast of the US to points in Canada and the East Coast. From there the planes were sent to Britain, either by ship or flown by British pilots. Starting in 1942, the ATC became a worldwide delivery system, carrying cargo and passengers, and flying replacement aircraft, to all theatres. ATC served the material needs of all the services in the war, not just the AAF.Carter, "The Air Transport Command," 4–7. Notably, ATC operated the North Atlantic ferry route,Fuller, Thor's Legion, 55. and the reassignment was in line with their preference for unified commands.Bates, America's Weather Warriors, 1814–1985, 300.Operational control of the 30th WRS remained with the 8th Weather Squadron.
Hosmer was replaced by Maj. Karl T. Rauk in August 1944 and the squadron redesignated the 1st Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. In September, the squadron headquarters moved to Grenier Field near Manchester, New Hampshire.
With the failure of the last German offensive at the Battle of the Bulge in early 1945, German forces were fatally damaged and the effects were felt on the ferry routes to the European Theater. The monthly averages for aircraft arriving in Europe fell from 1551 in 1944 to 681 in 1945.Army Air Forces Statistical Digest: World War II, 183. With the end of the war in sight, the squadron was reorganized in February. Rauk was promoted to Lt. Col. and assigned command of the 3d Reconnaissance Squadron, Weather, Heavy(3d RS).Markus, Air Weather Service, 140, 142. The 3d also received the 1st Squadron's RB-17 flight and its mission.Fuller, Thor's Legions, 238. Rauk was replaced by Capt. Sidney C. Bruce and the 1st Squadron was reassigned to the 311th Photographic Wing, Mapping and Charting. By September, the squadron was operating only a single flight. The squadron was inactivated in December.
Equipment Aircraft