The 301st Air Refueling Wing is an inactive unit of the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
being last assigned to the
Strategic Air Command at
Malmstrom Air Force Base
Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place (CDP) in Cascade County, Montana, United States, adjacent to the city of Great Falls. It was named in honor of World War II POW Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom. ...
, Montana, where it was inactivated on 1 June 1992.
History
: ''See the
301st Operations Group for related history and lineage.''
Activated 5 November 1947. Assigned to
Strategic Air Command. Equipped with
B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 F ...
es. Conducted strategic bombardment training, 1947–1948, and aerial gunnery training for other SAC organizations, November 1947 – January 1948.
Reassigned to Barksdale AFB, Louisiana in 1949, the 301st was one of the first units to conduct aerial refueling operations with the
KB-29
The Boeing KB-29 was a modified Boeing B-29 Superfortress for air refueling needs by the USAF. Two primary versions were developed and produced: KB-29M and KB-29P.
The 509th and 43d Air Refueling Squadrons (Walker AFB, NM and Davis-Montha ...
tanker version of the Superfortress. Replaced the propeller-driven B-29s with new
B-47E Stratojet
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long- range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...
swept-wing medium bombers in 1953, capable of flying at high subsonic speeds and primarily designed for penetrating the airspace of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. Also upgraded its KB-29 tankers to the dedicated
Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter
The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.
Design and developm ...
. The mission of the 301st was to train for strategic bombing missions and to conduct aerial refueling. The wing deployed to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in 1953 and to
French Morocco in 1954.
It was reassigned to
Lockbourne AFB
Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Ohio Air National Guard installation located near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie Rickenbacker. It is the home of t ...
, Ohio on 15 April 1958 where it became an Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) unit and was engaged in various clandestine intelligence missions. Although equipped with the B-47E Stratojet, the 301st added electronic countermeasure activities to other missions in 1958 with the addition of the RB-47E and later EB-47E. With these aircraft, the wing soon devoted most of its activity to ECM work. The RB-47 carried out many ferret missions around the periphery of Soviet territory, and sometimes inside. In the early 1960s, the B-47 was considered to be reaching obsolescence, and was being phased out of SAC's strategic arsenal. Began sending its stratojets to
Davis-Monthan AFB in late 1963, the last EB-47E going to storage in 1964.
Became an air refueling wing in April 1964, discontinuing all previous missions. In addition, participated in the post attack command and control system from 3 March 1965 to 30 June 1966.
From around 9 June to 8 October 1972, most of the wing headquarters staff, all tactical aircraft and crews, and most of the maintenance personnel, plus support personnel in
various categories, deployed in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
(
U-Tapao RTNAF), attached to other SAC organizations. A reduced wing headquarters remained in the United States to administer activities of the combat support group and hospital at
Lockbourne AFB
Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base is an Ohio Air National Guard installation located near Lockbourne in southern Franklin County. The base was named for the famous early aviator and Columbus native Eddie Rickenbacker. It is the home of t ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
.
From 19 December 1972 to 18 January 1973, the wing repeated previous deployed condition on a smaller scale, with deployed resources forming a provisional air refueling squadron at
Clark AB
Clark Air Base is a Philippine Air Force base on Luzon Island in the Philippines, located west of Angeles City, about northwest of Metro Manila. Clark Air Base was previously a United States military facility, operated by the U.S. Air Forc ...
in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
The 301st ARW was inactivated on 30 November 1979 in conjunction with SAC turning over Rickenbacker to the
Air National Guard. Its KC-135As were sent to various Air National Guard units.
The Wing was reactivated on 8 January 1988 at Malmstrom AFB, MT, and assigned to
4th Air Division, Strategic Air Command. It was equipped with KC-135s. It was inactivated on 1 June 1992.
Lineage
![301st-bombwing-patch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/301st-bombwing-patch.png)
* Established as 301st Bombardment Wing, Very Heavy, on 15 October 1947
: Organized on 5 November 1947
: Discontinued on 1 August 1948.
* Re-designated: 301st Bombardment Wing, Medium, and activated on 1 August 1948
:: 301st Bombardment Group, Medium, assigned as subordinate unit
:: Group element inactivated 16 June 1952
: Re-designated: 301st Air Refueling Wing, Heavy on 15 June 1964
: Inactivated on: 30 November 1979
* Activated on: 8 January 1988
:: Group element re-designated as 301st Operations Group, 29 August 1991
: Re-designated: 301st Air Refueling Wing on 1 September 1991
:: Group element re-activated and assigned as group element
: Inactivated on: 1 June 1992
Assignments
*
Fifteenth Air Force, 5 November 1947 – 1 August 1948; 1 August 1948
*
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defende ...
, 1 April 1950
*
4th Air Division, 10 February 1951
: Attached to:
7th Air Division
The 7th Air Division (7 AD) served the United States Air Force with distinction from early 1944 through early 1992, earning an outstanding unit decoration and a service streamer along the way.
History
Hawaii
As the 7th Fighter Wing, the divis ...
, 3 December 1952–c. 4 March 1953
: Attached to:
5th Air Division
The 5th Air Division (5th AD) is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, based at Sidi Slimane Air Base, Morocco. It was inactivated on 15 July 1958.
The unit's origins begin with its predec ...
, c. 10 February–c. 17 April 1954
*
801st Air Division, 15 April 1958
*
817th Air Division, 15 March 1965
*
57th Air Division
The 57th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Fifteenth Air Force, based at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. It was inactivated on 24 June 1991.
History
"Established as the 8th Pursuit W ...
, 15 November 1965
*
40th Air Division, 2 July 1966
*
42d Air Division
The 42nd Air Division was a unit of the United States Air Force. It was established as the 42 Bombardment Wing (Dive) on 8 February 1943. The wing first saw combat in September 1943. It was inactivated in 1991.
History
Activated in 1943 as the 4 ...
, 31 March 1970
*
40th Air Division, 1 July 1973
*
42d Air Division
The 42nd Air Division was a unit of the United States Air Force. It was established as the 42 Bombardment Wing (Dive) on 8 February 1943. The wing first saw combat in September 1943. It was inactivated in 1991.
History
Activated in 1943 as the 4 ...
, 1 July 1975 – 30 November 1979
*
Fifteenth Air Force, 8 January 1988
*
40th Air Division, 7 July 1989
*
Fifteenth Air Force, 1 September 1991 – 1 June 1992
Stations
*
Smoky Hill AAF (AFB),
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
, 5 November 1947 – 1 August 1948; 1 August 1948
*
Barksdale AFB
Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in northwest Louisiana, United States, in Bossier Parish. It is contiguous to Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwestern edge. Barksdale AFB ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, 7 November 1949
*
RAF Lakenheath
Royal Air Force Lakenheath or RAF Lakenheath is a Royal Air Force station near the village of Lakenheath in Suffolk, England, UK, north-east of Mildenhall and west of Thetford. The base also sits close to Brandon.
Despite being an RAF sta ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, May–December 1950
*
Lockbourne (later, Rickenbacker) AFB,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, 15 April 1958 – 30 November 1979
*
Malmstrom AFB
Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place (CDP) in Cascade County, Montana, United States, adjacent to the city of Great Falls. It was named in honor of World War II POW Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom. ...
,
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columb ...
, 8 January 1988 – 1 June 1992
Components
Wings
*
22d Bombardment Wing: attached 1 August 1948 – 9 May 1949 (not operational)
*
97th Bombardment Wing: attached 17 March–16 May 1948
Groups
*
22d Bombardment Group
D, or d, is the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''dee'' (pronounced ), plural ''dees''.
History
Th ...
: attached 18 May–1 August 1948; attached 1 August–15 November 1948; attached February–9 May 1949
*
301st Bombardment (later Operations) Group: 5 November 1947 – 1 August 1948 (detached July 1948); 1 August 1948 – 16 June 1952 (detached 1 August 1948 – January 1949, 15 May–30 November 1950; not operational, 10 February 1951 – 16 June 1952), 1 September 1991 – 1 June 1992
Squadrons
*
32d Bombardment (later Air Refueling) Squadron: attached 10 February 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 8 June 1964; assigned 15 March 1965 (not operational, c. 9 June–8 October 1972)
*
91st Air Refueling Squadron
The 91st Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling missions.
The squadron was first activated in January 1941 ...
: attached 4 May–14 June 1964, assigned 15 June 1964 – 1 July 1971
*
301st Air Refueling Squadron
The 301st Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force (USAF) unit. It was last assigned to the 301st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air Force Base, Ohio, where it was inactivated on 31 December 1975. In 1985 the 301st was c ...
: assigned to 301st Bomb Wing March 1949, TDY Lakenheath UK May–December 1950, attached 10 February 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 15 April 1958 (detached 20–26 June 1955, 10 July–18 September 1955, 27 April–27 June 1956, 15 November–6 December 1956, 27 December 1956 – 28 February 1957); assigned 30 September 1973 – 31 December 1975
*
321st Air Refueling Squadron
The 321st Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 301st Bombardment Wing at Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, where it was inactivated on 15 March 1965.
The squadron was first active dur ...
: 15 April 1958 – 15 March 1965 (detached 11 April–13 July 1960, 3 October 1961 – January 1962)
*
352d Bombardment Squadron: attached 10 February–20 September 1951; attached 20 December 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 8 June 1964
*
353d Bombardment Squadron: attached 10 February 1951 – 15 June 1952, assigned 16 June 1952 – 8 June 1964
*
376th Air Refueling Squadron
The 376th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 4081st Strategic Wing at Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland, where it was inactivated in June 1966.
History
World War II
Establ ...
: attached 1 December 1957 – 15 April 1958
*
419th Bombardment Squadron: 1 December 1958 – 1 January 1962
* 4363d Post Attack Command and Control: attached 15–25 March 1965.
Aircraft flown
*
B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 F ...
, 1947–1953
*
Boeing KB-29
The Boeing KB-29 was a modified Boeing B-29 Superfortress for air refueling needs by the USAF. Two primary versions were developed and produced: KB-29M and KB-29P.
The 509th and 43d Air Refueling Squadrons (Walker AFB, NM and Davis-Montha ...
, 1949–1953
*
B-47 Stratojet
The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long-range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft. ...
, 1953–1961, 1963–1964, RB-47 1958, EB-47 1961–1965
*
KC-97 Stratofreighter
The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.
Design and developm ...
, 1953–1961, 1962–1963
*
Boeing EC-135
The Boeing EC-135 is a retired family of command and control aircraft derived from the Boeing C-135 Stratolifter. During the Cold War, the EC-135 was best known for being modified to perform the Looking Glass mission where one EC-135 was always ...
,1964–1966
*
KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It is the predominant variant of the C-135 Stratolifter family of trans ...
, 1963–1979
See also
*
List of B-29 Superfortress operators
This is a list of B-29 Superfortress units consisting of nations, their air forces, and the unit assignments that used the B-29 during World War II, Korean War, and post war periods, including variants and other historical information
Delivery ...
*
List of B-47 units of the United States Air Force
References
; Notes
Bibliography
* Muirhead, John. ''Those Who Fall''. New York: Random House, 1986.
*
*
* Werrell, Kenneth P. ''Who Fears: The 301st in War and Peace, 1942–1979''. Dallas, Texas: Taylor Publishing Company, 1991.
* Commemorating the Tour of duty of the 301st Bombardment Wing in the United Kingdom, May–December 1950, Album published by West Suffolk Newspapers Ltd. Bury St. St. Edmunds, Suffolk, UK on behalf of 301st BW Public Information Office
External links
301st Bomb Group Website
{{USAF air refueling units
Units and formations of Strategic Air Command
Military units and formations established in 1947
0301
1947 establishments in Kansas
1992 disestablishments in Montana