| Chronology |
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| Miscellaneous Events in the History of the 20th, 1942 - 2001 | |
| 23 Jul 42 | Activated: 20th Photographic Mapping Squadron (20th PMS) at Colorado Springs AAB, Colorado Springs, Colorado
Initial strength: two officers and one enlisted man: 2nd Lts. Bernard Smith and Harold Hefflinger, and Pvt. James Ford |
| Activated: 4th Photographic Group (4th PG) at Colorado Springs AAB. (The 20th PMS was subordinate to the 4th PG) | |
| 18 Nov 42 | Squadron received its first aircraft, a North American B-25C-1 Mitchell, s/n 41-13244, named "Dat's All Brother" |
| 13 Dec 42 | Colorado Springs AAB renamed Peterson AAB in honor of 1st. Lt. Edward J. Peterson, Operations Officer of 10th Photo Recon Squadron, who was killed in an F-4 take-off crash on 8 Aug 42 |
| 9 Feb 43 | Reorganized: from 20th Photographic Mapping Squadron to 20th Photographic Squadron (Heavy) (20th PS (H)) |
| 5 Mar 43 | Peterson AAB assigned to Third Air Force. New mission: heavy bomber (B-24) combat crew training by the 214th Combat Crew Training School |
| 15 Aug 43 | Reorganized: from 20th Photographic Squadron (Heavy) to 20th Combat Mapping Squadron (20th CMS) |
| 1 Sep 43 | Squadron strength: 62 officers, 3 flying officers (F/O), 1 Warrant Officer and 383 enlisted men |
| 7 Sep 43 | Squadron ground echelon separated from air echelon (which remained at Peterson), in preparation for tranfer overseas |
| 25 Sep 43 | Ground echelon departed Camp Stoneman, California for Australia aboard USS Westpoint |
| 1 Oct 43 | Ground echelon strength: 10 officers, 1 Warrant Officer, and 268 enlisted men |
| 2 Oct 43 | Air echelon reassigned from Peterson Field, Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Third Air Force. |
| 10 Oct 43 | Ground echelon arrived Sydney, Australia |
| 11 Oct 43 | Ground echelon arrived Warwick Farms, Australia |
| 22 Nov 43 | Ground echelon departed Warwick Farms, Australia |
| 23 Nov 43 | Ground echelon arrived Doomben, Queensland, Australia |
| 1 Dec 43 | Ground echelon departed Doomben, Australia for Port Moresby, New Guinea aboard USS White |
| 10 Dec 43 | Squadron ground echelon arrived APO 923. Temporarily quartered at Pleasant Valley, Port Moresby, New Guinea |
| This date marks the start of the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron's New Guinea Campaign | |
| 11 Dec 43 | 20th Combat Mapping Squadron released from 4th Photographic Group and attached to 6th Photographic Group |
| 15 Dec 43 | Ground echelon moved to squadron area at Port Moresby, New Guinea |
| 10 Jan 44 | Air echelon ordered to move from Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Hunter Field, Savannah, Georgia for staging to the Pacific. |
| 13 Feb 44 | Ground echelon departed Port Moresby, New Guinea and arrived at Nadzab, New Guinea, APO 713 |
| 23 Feb 44 | At 2300 hours, this date, first crew and aircraft (Lt. Wooten's in F-7A 42-64047) of the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron air echelon departed Fairfield, California for New Guinea |
| 16 Mar 44 | The first crew and aircraft (Lt. Wilson's in F-7A 42-64051) of the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron air echelon arrived Nadzab, New Guinea |
| 5 Apr 44 | First combat mission flown by the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron: Hollandia, New Guinea by Rives' crew in F-7A 42-64200 and JH Wooten's crew in F-7A 42-64047 |
| 25 Jul 44 | First combat mission flown in an F-7B (44-40199) by the 20th Combat Mapping Squadron: to Wewak area, Maj. Davis, pilot |
| 3 Sep 44 | Squadron operating from Biak Island |
| 15 Nov 44 | Ground echelon at Dulag, Leyte. Air echelon remained at Biak |
| 25 Jan 45 | Air echelon, based at Dulag, Leyte, but operating from Tacloban, Leyte |
| 24 Feb 45 | Air echelon operating from San Jose, Mindoro |
| 17 May 45 | 20th Combat Mapping Squadron operating from Clark Field, Luzon |
| 15 June 45 | Redesignated: 20th Combat Mapping Squadron as the 20th Reconnaissance Squadron, Long Range, Photographic-RCM (20th RS, LR, P-RCM) |
| Redesignated: 6th Photographic Group, Reconnaissance as the 6th Reconnaissance Group | |
| 4 Aug 45 | Squadron operating from Okinawa |
| 18 Aug 45 | Sgt. Anthony J. Marchione, 20th RS aerial gunner, killed by attacking Japanese fighters while flying reconnaissance over Tokyo with the 312th BG, 386th BS in B-32 s/n 42-108578
S/Sgt. Joseph M. Lacharite, 20th RS aerial photographer, also aboard 42-108578, was wounded |
| 31 Aug 45 | Last recorded combat mission for the squadron in WW II: Mission number 243Z-1, 14 hr 10 min to Tokyo area by F-7B 44-42028 (Lt. Eisele), F-7B 44-42031 (Lt. Warren), F-7B 44-42135 (Lt. French), F-7B 44-42239 (Lt. Leeder), #269 (sic) (Lt. Essig), and F-7B 44-42350 (Capt. Gessner) |
| 2 Sep 45 | V-J Day. Japanese sign the instrument of surrender aboard USS Missouri anchored in Tokyo bay |
| Post War | |
| Until Jun 46 | Photo-mapped Japan as part of the War Department's Post Hostilities Mapping Project |
| 20 Jun 46 | Deactivated: 20th Reconnaissance Squadron, Long Range, Photographic-RCM |
| 11 Mar 47 | Redesignated: 20th Reconnaissance Squadron (Night Photographic) |
| 25 Jul 47 | Activated in the reserve |
| 27 Jun 49 | Redesignated: 20th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (Photographic Mapping) |
| 1 May 51 | Ordered to active service |
| 16 May 51 | Inactivated: 20th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (Photographic Mapping). |
| 14 Jan 54 | Redesignated: 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (Photographic) |
| 18 Mar 54 | Activated: 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (Photographic)
Flew RF-101C's over Cuba during Cuban Missile Crisis in the fall of 1962 Flew RF-101C's over North Vietnam, 1965-1967 |
| 1967 | Inactivated: 20th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (Photographic) |
| 1992 | Reactivated and Redesignated: 20th Air Intelligence Squadron |
| 1993- | Redesignated: 20th Intelligence Squadron |
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