VIII Air Support Command PHOTO RECCE

28 March 1943

Description

The 13th Phtoto Reconnaisance Squadron despatches 1 F-5A ( actually a P-38 with nose guns removed and replaced by cameras)from their base at Mount Farm, UK to perform a photo recce mission of the area near Dieppe, France. Prior to this mission photo recce has been a task for the RAF. This is the first of 4,593 PR sorties to be flown by the 13th PRS. The aircraft is flown by Maj James G. Hall, the Squadron Commanding Officer. As it happened, Dieppe was obsucred by clouds so Maj Hall filmed a strip of the coast just north east of Dieppe. The flim revealed a large concentration of vehicles and rolling stock at the marshalling yards at Le Treport, France. This information was shared with RAF Bomber Command which mounted an attack the next day.

Mission Details

LE TREPORT / Dieppe, France

Description: PHOTOGRAPHIC RECONNAISSANCE MISSION

Aircraft Type: F-5 Lightning

Notes: A single F-5A (P-38) from 13th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron is dispatched on the first Photo Reconnaissance mission flown by 8th Air Force. Flown by MAJ James G. Hall the Squadron CO. He couldn't photograph Dieppe because of clouds so he photographed a strip of the enemy coast. The film revealed a build-up of German rail cars and trucks at the Le Treport marshalling yards. The information was used to mount and RAF attack the next day. This is the first of 4,593 sorties that will be flown from MOUNT FARM.

Mission Statistics

  • Aircraft sent: 1

Revisions

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 27-Dec-2014 . Added Map location od original objective at Dieppe, France.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 27-Dec-2014. Correction of typo in description.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham27-Dec-2014. Descritpion based on "The Mighty Eighth War Diary" Roger A. Freeman.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham, 8th Air Force missions research database / Stan Bishop's 'Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces', the Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces and the work of Roger Freeman including the 'Mighty Eighth War Diary'.