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Lt. Von Tempsky returns to Chalgrove in 304 after mission over France. (Charlie Hoy)
14-June, 1944 - Lt. Robert Von Tempsky returns to Chalgrove in his F-5E-2-LO (s/n 43-28304) after his first mission over occupied France. Equipped with split vertical Fairchild K-17 cameras, this day Von Tempsky flew top cover and visual reconnaissance for Capt. Jim Frakes over the bridges from Nantes to Angers. Flown at 25,000 feet, they left Chalgrove at 0639, with Von Tempsky returning at 0927 and Frakes returning at 0937. (Charlie Hoy)

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 shear 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 Joe's...the photo reconnaissance squadrons.

Armed only with a camera, the photo reconnaissance squadrons were the eyes of the allied armies. 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.

P.S. Thanks Pop...you're my hero.
We would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to all of our kind contributors and supporters for helping us bring this story to the world wide web.

Thanks to the gracious contributions of the squadron members, their families, members of our sister squadrons, fellow aviation authors and historians and individual supporters...you have helped make the 34th PRS Online the best source for education and preservation of the vital role our eyes of the Allies played in the Second World War.

All submissions and donations will be fully credited when featured as part of this website and future projects. Contact us for more information on how to make monetary, photo or physical contributions and donations to our organization!

 Proud Recipient of the U.S. Wings Gold Site Award!
Proud Recipient of the U.S. Wings Gold Site Award!
Celebrating over 25-years online and counting!
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The 34th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron Online is a private,
non-commercial website founded by Thom Myers and Rich Faulkner;
inspired by Rhymer Myers and maintained in memory of all of the
squadron members for their friends and families. This site stands
as a testimony to their pioneering work in aerial photographic
reconnaissance through the preservation of their history and
the telling of their timeless story.

"Thanks Pop...you're my hero." (Thom Myers)