As the air war raged over Europe, men became legendary for their courage and self-sacrifice. Schweinfurt, Ploesti, and the dams along the Ruhr are some of the places synonymous with their bravery, courage and sheer determination in the face of brutal resistance by the Luftwaffe. While individual fighter pilots received praise from the American press, and bomb groups were lauded for their bravery over the targets; working quietly in the background, alone and unarmed, were the "Photo Joes", the photo reconnaissance squadrons.

Although photo reconnaissance as a whole was generally unheard of in the ranks, military planners knew all too well the critical role of aerial surveillance. This key importance has been quantified by many, but none perhaps nearly as eloquent as Col. Karl L. Polifka (USAF), "The average fighter pilot, if he's lucky, knocks down ten enemy planes before his flying career is over. The average photo reconnaissance pilot at the end of fifty missions will have photographed a thousand targets which is a hell of a lot more important."

Armed only with cameras, the photo reconnaissance squadrons were the eyes of the allied armies in every theater and over every battlefield. Without the dedicated and selfless devotion of these proud men, many more brave sons would have lost their lives on the battlefields of Europe and the Pacific. Without them, even the simplest campaign would have been impossible.

This website dedicated to those men. Thank you for all that you did -- we owe our world in no small part to you.