[researcher111]

Stig

Once gain ,I am not keen to get into operational org of the recon groups
rather concentrate on area of interest, having said that here is what I would
like to add :

The first recon unit of the 15th AF was 15th CMS , which covered targets
outside of Northern Italy ,once 15th AF reached full combat strenght
in spring of 1944 the 15th CMS no longer could meet increasing target
information demand .The MAPRW supplied additional coverage in the
month of June 1944 mainly and foremost by their Mosquitoes which were
dispatched for target coverage in Silesia and Western Poland.

The 3rd PRG also intially part of MAPRW supplied coverage in Northern Italy
but when it joined the 12th AF upon disolution of MAPRW in Oct '44 the 15th
raised the 5 PRG . The 5th PRG it included also the 15th CMS now redesignated
as 15th PRS which along with two other RSQ's covered the area of Ops of 15th AF .

The Med Allied Photo Intel Center formed in Feb 1944 processed most of the
photo recon from 15th AF supplemented by intel from German targets received
from UK .This Center prepared photos interpretation using photos received after
bombing raids but the accuracy of their estimates on damages inflicted on targets
varied . Post war studies determined that assessments of damage to refinieries
in Romania, Austria, Hungaria and Germany were much more accurate than those
pertinent to the aircraft factories.

Now that we are through with this, the puzzle of our F-5C dispatched to two
Balkan and 6 Romanian targets is not yet solved . The aircraft flew before as
Denver Doll assigned to an other pilot who completed his tour then Hardwick
took over and runned out of luck on Aug 30 while having renamed his
bird as "R & R Express " . Is still not clear who was running the
recon show on that doomed day 15th or 12th AF !

This F-5C must have been with 15th quite a while neither Hardwick nor
previous pilot were with 12th AF

Hope that this will work out for you mate

Alex K

PS : Information picked from N.Twining memories
and scores of 15th AF history books on my library