page_title: 512th Rescue Squadron
section_title: Weather reconnaissance
hierarchical_section_title: 512th Rescue Squadron / History / Weather reconnaissance
caption_attribution_description: English: Boeing WB-29A of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron
context_page_description: The 512th Rescue Squadron is part of the 58th Special Operations Wing based at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. It operates Bell UH-1N Twin Huey and Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters training aircrew conducting search and rescue missions.
  The squadron was formed as the 512th Bombardment Squadron in the Middle East in 1942 to reinforce the Royal Air Force in North Africa with personnel and aircraft diverted from delivery to the China Burma India Theater. The squadron moved forward, eventually being stationed in Italy, where it participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany, and was awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations for its combat actions. Following V-E Day, the squadron returned to the United States, where it converted to Boeing B-29 Superfortress bombers, but was inactivated in March 1946.
  The squadron was redesignated the 512th Reconnaissance Squadron and activated in 1947 as a weather reconnaissance unit. Except for a brief period of inactivation in the winter of 1948–1949, it continued the reconnaissance mission until February 1951, when it was inactivated and its assets transferred to another squadron.
context_section_description: The squadron was redesignated the 512th Reconnaissance Squadron and activated at Gravelly Point, Virginia in May 1947.  Although the squadron was reassigned to Air Weather Service in September, and to the 308th Reconnaissance Group in October, it was not manned before inactivating on 20 September 1948.
  The squadron was reactivated at Fairfield-Suisun Air Force Base, California in February 1949.  After drawing its cadre and training with the 2078th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron on various models of the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the squadron moved to Yokota Air Base, Japan in January 1950. Air Weather Service reorganized its weather reconnaissance assets at this time, inactivating the 308th Reconnaissance Group, and reassigning its squadrons to its regional headquarters.  This resulted in the assignment of the squadron to the 2143d Air Weather Wing.
  The squadron was located at Yokota when the Korean War began in June. It began to perform daily weather reconnaissance missions over the combat zone.  It conducted shipping surveillance and visual reconnaissance, and also performed electronic countermeasures reconnaissance. In the early days of the conflict, the squadron also dropped leaflets. Initially unarmed, and later only lightly armed with two .50-caliber machine guns in the tail turret, unit WB-29s flew daily missions over enemy-held territory.
  From 27 June through 27 December 1950, the squadron flew over 200 combat missions, making over 5,000 weather observations. These missions were "exceptionally hazardous" because of varying weather conditions and exposure to attack over enemy territory. One of the squadron's WB-29s served as an aerial command post and weather station, giving on-the-spot weather data and directions to incoming bombers on the first B-29 strike against North Korean installations. On this and several later such missions, the WB-29 carried Major General Emmett O'Donnell, Jr., Commander of Far East Air Forces Bomber Command.  These actions earned the squadron one of the first Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards awarded. The squadron was inactivated and replaced by the 56th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron in February 1951.
caption: Boeing WB-29A
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