Original U.S. WWII 10th Photo Reconnaissance Group Pilot Grouping – Credited Stuka Kill

Description

Original Items: One-of-a-kind Set. Lieutenant Maxwell Chambers ASN (O-2059737) was pilot in the 10th Photo Reconnaissance Group and flew in Europe as a pilot of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning during World War Two. Even though he was only a reconnaissance pilot he was credit with a Stuka kill on April 27th, 1945 and later received the Air Medal for his actions that day. The story of his downing of the Stuka is recounted in the book Aerial Reconnaissance: The 10th Photo Recon Group in World War II by Tom Ive (pages 165-167) and is included in the set.

Whether soaring at 30,000 feet or ‘dicing’ on the deck, the 10th Photo Reconnaissance Group got the pictures Allied planners needed.

Compared with fighter jocks and bomber crews, pilots of the photo reconnaissance squadrons were among the unsung heroes of World War II. They flew below the radar, both literally and figuratively. One such American unit, the Ninth Air Force’s 10th Photo Reconnaissance Group, served as the “eyes of the Army” in Europe, flying some of the war’s most dangerous missions. My unit, the 34th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (PRS), was one of six squadrons in the group. In the spring of 1944 we were tasked with a particularly important mission: photographing the beaches of Normandy prior to the D-Day invasion.

The group’s mount of choice was the Lockheed F-5, a stripped-down…
Read More