page_title: 311th Air Division
section_title: Post war operations
hierarchical_section_title: 311th Air Division / History / Post war operations
caption_attribution_description: English: Crossroads Able nuclear test.
context_page_description: The 311th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, where it was inactivated on 1 November 1949. The division was first activated in 1944 as the 311th Photographic Wing. Although it was stationed in the United States, throughout its existence, the unit was responsible for the control of long range reconnaissance units in multiple theaters.
context_section_description: Upon this reorganization, the wing became SAC's primary reconnaissance organization.  Although postwar reductions had resulted in the inactivation or reassignment of a number of the wing's original squadrons, the wing briefly assumed responsibility for the Army Air Forces' weather reconnaissance units.  This began with the transfer of the 1st and 3d Weather Reconnaissance Squadrons at Grenier Field in February 1945.  The 1st was inactivated in late 1945, but at that time the wing added the 54th and 55th Reconnaissance Squadrons, Very Long Range, Weather on Guam from Twentieth Air Force and the 59th Reconnaissance Squadron, Long Range, Weather from Third Air Force.  By March 1946, however, it was decided to assigned responsibility for weather reconnaissance to Air Weather Service and these units were transferred to it.
  Two former B-29 bombardment squadrons assigned to SAC bombardment groups, the 6th and 10th Reconnaissance Squadrons, were transferred to the wing in March 1946, but both were inactivated at the end of the month.
  In 1947, the wing was assigned groups for the first time since the 1st and 11th Groups were disbanded in 1944.  In February, the 55th Reconnaissance Group was activated at MacDill and assigned to the wing.  In October, the 91st Reconnaissance Group, which had been recently activated at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey was also assigned.  The 55th Group focused on mapping operations, particularly for SHORAN and HIRAN navigation systems.
caption: Aerial photography of nuclear test
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