Library Fact Sheets 5TH RECONNAISSANCE SQUADRON| Printable Fact
Sheet The need for aerial reconnaissance was perhaps first
realized when the Duke of Wellington, Napoleon's adversary at
Waterloo, once remarked "the most difficult part of warfare was
seeing what was on the other side of the next hill." Early in
the 20th Century Gen. Werner von Fritsch, commander-in-chief of
the German Army in World War I, predicted, "The nation with the
best aerial reconnaissance facilities will win the next war."
Thus, the world powers soon found themselves in a race for the
ultimate means of obtaining aerial reconnaissance. By 1952, the
U.S. government had used existing aircraft and balloons for
photo reconnaissance. In 1953, the government sought ideas on a
new reconnaissance aircraft from civilian contractors. Clarence
L. (Kelly) Johnson, designer at the Skunk Works Division of
Lockheed, submitted his proposal for a high altitude
reconnaissance aircraft in March 1954. He took an F-104 and made
major modifications to the str