World War I

The squadron was first organized at Kelly Field, Texas in the summer of 1917 as the 97th Aero Squadron. After little more than a month of training, the squadron moved to the concentration center at Garden City, New York for shipment to France. The squadron arrived in November and maintained and repaired aircraft until the end of World War I in 1918. The squadron returned to the United States in early 1919 and was demobilized a few days later.^[2]

Interwar years

Curtiss O-39 Falcon

North American O-47A

The second incarnation of the unit began in 1935, when the Air Corps activated the 97th Observation Squadron at Mitchell Field, New York. The squadron was equipped with Curtiss Falcon airplanes, but flew a variety of other two seat Curtiss and Douglas biplane observation planes. Little more than a year later, the new squadron was consolidated with the World War I unit.^[2] The unit was assigned directly to Second Corps Area, although mobilization plans called for it to be combined with National Guard and Organized Reserve squadrons in an Observation Group in the event of war.^[4]

The squadron began to fly more modern metal monoplanes when it re-equipped with the North American O-47 in 1938. In the fall of 1940 the squadron was assigned to IV Corps and moved to Lawson Field, Georgia. At Lawson, one flight of the squadron was attached to the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning.^[2] This flight began to experiment with light aircraft, including the Stinson O-49 (later L-1) Vigilant, the Taylorcraft O-57 (Later L-2) Grasshopper and the Piper L-4 Grasshopper for cooperation with infantry units. Shortly before the United States entered World War II, the 97th was assigned to the 66th Observation Group.^[2]

World War II

Bell P-39 Airacobra

One week after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the bulk of the squadron moved to Miami's 36th Street Airport, where, along with other units of I Air Support Command, it began to engage in antisubmarine patrols beginning on 18 December 1941.^[2][5] After May 1942, the squadron operated under the control of the Gulf Task Force.^[6] It continued these operations until September 1942, when the focus of German submarine attacks shifted away from the coast of the United States toward the Caribbean.^[2][7]

In early September 1942, the squadron left the Gulf Coast. It trained personnel for aerial reconnaissance and artillery spotting. It also supported ground forces on the Carolina maneuvers of 1942, the Tennessee maneuvers of 1942 and 1943 and the Second Army maneuvers of 1943–1944.^[8] In September 1943, the squadron moved to Thermal Army Air Field and participated in exercises in the Desert Training Center.^[9] However, the Army Air Forces found that standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization, were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, it adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit,^[10] while existing groups and squadrons were disbanded or inactivated.^[11] This resulted in the 97th, along with other units at Thermal, being disbanded in the spring of 1944^[2] and being replaced by AAF Base Unit, which assumed the squadron's mission, personnel, and equipment.^[11]

From 1979

In March 1979, the United States Air Force Security Service (USAFSS) activated the 6949th Security Squadron at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. The squadron provided intelligence information to Strategic Air Command. When USAFSS became Electronic Security Command, the squadron became the 6949th Electronic Security Squadron.^[1]

In January 1980, the 6949th was expanded to a group and assigned the 6985th Electronic Security Squadron as a subordinate unit. Members of the 6985th flew aboard Cobra Ball RC-135 aircraft, collecting information on Soviet missile launches. On 15 March 1981, the Cobra Ball II aircraft crashed into a snowbank while attempting to land at Shemya Air Force Base, Alaska. Three members of the 6985th were killed in the crash.^[12] The group returned to squadron strength in August of that year.^[1]

The 6949th Electronic Security Squadron was consolidated with the 97th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron in October 1993.^[1]

Members of the 97th have flown aboard a number of reconnaissance aircraft in addition to Cobra Ball, including the hog-nosed RC-135M, RC-135V, and RC-135W Rivet Joint aircraft designed to provide near real-time battle management information and electronic warfare support to theater commanders and combat forces.^[13]

Crews from the 45th Reconnaissance Squadron and the 97th Intelligence Squadron currently operate RC-135U Combat Sent aircraft, a highly specialized reconnaissance plane equipped with communications gear designed to locate and identify foreign military radar signals. The only two planes are assigned to the 55th Wing at Offutt Air Force Base "Combat Sent" crews include two airborne systems engineers, at least 10 electronic warfare officers and six or more technical and other specialists. In April 2014, a Russian Su-27 fighter intercepted one of the RC-135Us over the Sea of Okhotsk and flew in front of it, passing within 100 feet.^[14]

Assignments

• Unknown, probably:

Field Headquarters, Kelly Field 20 August 1917

Aviation General Supply Depot & Concentration Camp, 11 October 1917 – 27 October 1917

• Seventh Aviation Instruction Center, November 1917– December 1918
• Unknown: probably

Intermediate Section, Services of Supply, December 1918 – 10 January 1919

Air Service Depot, 20 January 1919 – 3 February 1919

• Second Corps Area, 1 March 1935^{[note 2]}
• Third Corps Area, 17 July 1937^[16]
• IV Corps, 2 October 1940 (flight attached to Infantry School)
• 66th Observation Group (later 66th Reconnaissance Group, 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Group), 1 September 1941 (flight attached to Infantry School to 6 April 1942)
• 76th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 23 August 1943 – 15 April 1944^[15]
• USAF Security Service (later Electronic Security Command), 1 March 1979
• Electronic Security, Strategic, 1 August 1981
• 694th Electronic Security Wing, 15 July 1988
• Continental Electronic Security Division, 1 January 1991
• 693d Intelligence Wing, 1 October 1991
• 67th Intelligence Group (later 67th Information Operations Group), 1 October 1993
• 55th Operations Group, 30 June 1993 – present^[1]

Components

• 6985th Electronic Security Squadron: 1 January 1980 – 1 August 1981

Stations

Aircraft

Awards and campaigns

Award streamer	Award	Dates	Notes
	Air Force Meritorious Unit Award	1 October 2002 – 31 May 2004	97th Intelligence Squadron[1]
	Air Force Meritorious Unit Award	1 June 2004 – 31 May 2006	97th Intelligence Squadron[1]
	Air Force Meritorious Unit Award	1 June 2006 – 31 May 2007	97th Intelligence Squadron[1]
	Air Force Meritorious Unit Award	1 June 2007 – 31 May 2008	97th Intelligence Squadron[1]
	Air Force Meritorious Unit Award	1 June 2008 – 31 May 2009	97th Intelligence Squadron[1]
	Air Force Meritorious Unit Award	1 June 2009 – 31 May 2010	97th Intelligence Squadron[1]
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 July 1983 – 30 June 1985	6949th Electronic Security Squadron[1]
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 January 1990 – 31 December 1991	6949th Electronic Security Squadron[1]
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 October 1993 – 30 September 1994	97th Intelligence Squadron[1]
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 October 1994 – 30 September 1995	97th Intelligence Squadron[1]
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 October 1995 – 30 September 1997	97th Intelligence Squadron[1]
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 October 1997 – 30 September 1998	97th Intelligence Squadron[1]
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 October 1990 – 30 September 2000	97th Intelligence Squadron[1]
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 June 2001 – 31 May 2002	97th Intelligence Squadron[1]

Campaign Streamer	Campaign	Dates	Notes
	Theater of Operations	22 December 1918 – 10 January 1919	97th Aero Squadron[2]
	Antisubmarine	18 December 1941 – 9 September 1942	97th Observation Squadron[2]

Notes

Explanatory notes

Footnotes

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Clay, Steven E. (2011). US Army Order of Battle 1919–1941 (PDF). Vol. 3 The Services: Air Service, Engineers, and Special Troops 1919–1941. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute Press. ISBN 978-0-9841901-4-0. LCCN 2010022326. OCLC 637712205. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
• Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L, eds. (1955). "Introduction". The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. p. xxxvi. LCCN 48003657. OCLC 704158.
• Ferguson, Arthur B. (April 1945). "The Antisubmarine Command, USAF Historical Study No. 107" (PDF). Assistant Chief of Staff Intelligence, Historical Division. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
• Grimes, Bill (2014). The History of Big Safari. Bloomington, IN: Archway Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4808-0456-2.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). A Guide to Air Force Lineage and Honors (2d, Revised ed.). Maxwell AFB, AL: USAF Historical Research Center.