The 506th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air 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 of the United States Army Signal ...

unit. It was last assigned to the 42d Air Division at

Bergstrom Air Force Base Bergstrom Air Force Base (1942–1993) was located seven miles southeast of Austin, Texas. In its later years it was a major base for the U.S. Air Force's RF-4C reconnaissance fighter fleet. History Bergstrom was originally activated on 1 ...

, Texas where it was inactivated on 1 July 1957 and its personnel and equipment transferred to the

92d Air Refueling Squadron The 92nd Air Refueling Squadron, sometimes written as 92d Air Refueling Squadron, is a squadron of the 92nd Air Refueling Wing's 92nd Operations Group, stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It was first activated shortly before the ...

. The Squadron was first activated as the 406th Fighter Squadron in 1943, one of the original squadrons of the 371st Fighter Group. The squadron saw combat in the

European theater of World War II The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

before being inactivated in 1945, earning a

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed enem ...

for its attacks in March 1945 that contributed to the defeat of

Axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

forces in southern Germany. The 506th Air Refueling Squadron was established in 1953 by

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile ...

(SAC) at

Dow Air Force Base Bangor Air National Guard Base is a United States Air National Guard base. Created in 1927 as the commercial Godfrey Field, the airfield was taken over by the U.S. Army just before World War II and renamed Godfrey Army Airfield and later Dow Ar ...

, Maine and equipped with rigid flying boom

KB-29P Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined Propeller (aeronautics), 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 p ...

tankers. The squadron mission was to provide

in-flight refueling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft ...

for its parent wing and other USAF units. It moved to Bergstrom in 1955 and was inactivated there when SAC transferred its fighter force to

Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. It was inactivated on 1 J ...

History

World War II

The 406th Fighter Squadron was activated ar

Richmond Army Air Base Richmond International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in Sandston, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community (in Henrico County, Virginia, Henrico County). The airport is about 7 miles (11 km) southeast of downtown ...

, Virginia in the summer of 1943Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons''pp. 497–498 as one of the three original squadrons of the 371st Fighter Group. The

squadron Squadron may refer to: * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, ...

trained in the northeastern United States with

Republic P-47 Thunderbolt The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...

s under

First Air Force The First Air Force (Air Forces Northern; 1 AF-AFNORTH) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida. Its primary mission is the air defense of the Co ...

before moving overseas in the spring of 1944.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 257–258 Upon arriving in England, the squadron became an element of

Ninth Air Force The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...

at Bisterne Close, England. The squadron's first combat operation was a fighter sweep over Occupied France. Prior to

Operation Overlord Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allies of World War II, Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Front (World War II), Western Europe during World War II. The operat ...

, the invasion of Normandy, the 406th flew fighter sweeps,

dive bombing A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact throughou ...

and escort missions. On

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as D ...

the 406th patrolled the beachhead. attacking railroads, trains, vehicles. gun emplacements and other targets. Soon after the invasion, the squadron moved to France and participated in the

air interdiction Air interdiction (AI), also known as deep air support (DAS), is the use of preventive tactical bombing and strafing by combat aircraft against enemy targets that are not an immediate threat, to delay, disrupt or hinder later enemy engagement of fr ...

that preceded the Allied breakout at

St Lo ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

in late July and supported the following drive across northern France. It continued to operate in northeastern France and southwestern Germany through the winter of 1945, attacking storage dumps,

marshalling yard A classification yard (American and Canadian English (Canadian National Railway use)), marshalling yard (British, Hong Kong, Indian, Australian, and Canadian English (Canadian Pacific Railway use)) or shunting yard (Central Europe) is a railway ya ...

, factories, bridges, roads, and vehicles. In December 1944 it provided

close air support In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and moveme ...

for ground forces engaged in the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

. The squadron was awarded a

for its attacks between 15 and 21 March 1945 that contributed to the defeat of Axis forces in southern Germany. It continued combat operations until the

Surrender of Germany The German Instrument of Surrender (german: Bedingungslose Kapitulation der Wehrmacht, lit=Unconditional Capitulation of the "Wehrmacht"; russian: Акт о капитуляции Германии, Akt o kapitulyatsii Germanii, lit=Act of capit ...

in May. The squadron remained with the

occupation Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

forces in Germany until October 1945 when it returned to the United States and was inactivated.

Cold War

The 506th Air Refueling Squadron was established on 25 September 1953 by

(SAC) at Dow AFB and initially equipped with rigid flying boom

tankers. Its mission was to provide

to the

Republic F-84 Thunderjet The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 first flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thu ...

strategic fighters of its parent wing. The squadron also supported other USAF units as directed. In 1954 the squadron deployed to

Kindley Air Force Base Kindley Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base in Bermuda from 1948–1970, having been operated from 1943 to 1948 by the United States Army Air Forces as ''Kindley Field''. History World War II Prior to American entry into th ...

, Bermuda to support SAC fighters of the 508th Strategic Fighter Wing. In 1955 SAC concentrated its strategic fighter units, and the 506th's parent 506th Strategic Fighter Wing moved to

Tinker Air Force Base Tinker Air Force Base is a major United States Air Force base, with tenant U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense missions, located in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, surrounded by Del City, Oklahoma City, and Midwest City. The base, origina ...

, Oklahoma in March. The squadron remained at Dow and was reassigned to the 4060th Air Refueling Wing until August, when it moved to

, Texas,Mueller, p. 32 where it was assigned to the 42d Air Division,Abstract, History 42 Air Division May–Jul 1957
(retrieved 13 October 2013) the parent of the 12th Strategic Fighter Wing, to which the squadron was attached.Ravenstein, p. 27 The 506th was inactivated at Bergstrom on 1 July 1957 and its mission, personnel, and equipment were transferred to the

, which was activated that same day to assume SAC resources at Bergstrom as the 42d Air Division and SAC fighter organizations were transferred to

. The 406th Fighter Squadron and the 506th Air Refueling Squadron were consolidated in 1985, but the consolidated unit has not been active.Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 662q, 19 September 85, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Tactical Squadrons

Lineage

406th Fighter Squadron * Constituted as the 406th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 15 May 1943 : Activated on 15 July 1943 : Inactivated on 10 November 1945Lineage and stations through 1945 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 497–498 * Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 506th Air Refueling Squadron as the 506th Air Refueling Squadron 506th Air Refueling Squadron * Constituted as the 506th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium and activated on 25 September 1953 : Inactivated on 1 July 1957 * Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 406th Fighter Squadron as the 506th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy (remained inactive) * Redeignated 506th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron and converted to provisional status on 12 June 2002DAF/XPM Letter 303s, 12 June 2002, Subject: Air Mobility Command Expeditionary Units

Assignments

* 371st Fighter Group: 15 July 1943 – 10 November 1945 * 506th Strategic Fighter Wing: 25 September 1953 * 4060th Air Refueling Wing: 1 March 1955 * 42d Air Division: 15 August 1955 – 1 July 1957 (attached to 12th Strategic Fighter Wing) *

Air Mobility Command Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri. Air Mobility Command was established on 1 June 1992, and was formed from elements ...

to activate or inactivate as needed, 12 June 2002

Stations

* Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia, 15 July 1943 *

Camp Springs Army Air Field Andrews Air Force Base (Andrews AFB, AAFB) is the airfield portion of Joint Base Andrews, which is under the jurisdiction of the United States Air Force. In 2009, Andrews Air Force Base merged with Naval Air Facility Washington to form Joint Bas ...

, 2 October 1943 *

Millville Army Air Field Millville Executive Airport is in Millville, New Jersey, Millville, in Cumberland County, New Jersey, Cumberland County, New Jersey. The airport, southwest of the Millville city center, is owned by the Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) a ...

, 17 November 1943 * Camp Springs Army Air Field, 12 December 1943 * Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia, 20 January 1944 – 14 February 1944 * Bisterne Close, England, (Station 415),Station number in Anderson 7 March 1944 *

Beuzeville Airfield Beuzeville/Ste Mère Eglise (Beuzeville) Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield, which is located near the commune of Beuzeville-au-Plain in the Normandy region of northern France. Located just outside Beuzeville-au-Plain, the ...

, France (A-6),Station number in Johnson ''ca''. 17 June 1944 * Perthes Airfield, France (A-65), ''ca''. 20 September 1944 * Dôle-Tavaux Airfield, France (Y-7), 1 October 1944 *

Tantonville Airfield Tantonville Airfield is an abandoned World War II United States Army Air Forces military airfield in France, which was located in the Département de Meurthe-et-Moselle approximately north of Mirecourt and south-southeast of Neuves-Maisons. His ...

, France (Y-1), 29 December 1944 * Metz-Frescaty Airfield, France (Y-34), 15 February 1945 * Frankfurt-Eschborn Airfield, Germany (Y-74), ''ca''. 3 May 1945 * Fürth-Atzendorf Airfield, Germany (R-28), ''ca'' 5 April 1945 * Hörsching Airfield, Austria (R-87), 16 August 1945 *

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

, Germany, ''ca''. 13 September 1945 – October 1945 *

Camp Shanks Camp Shanks was a United States Army installation in the Orangetown, New York area. Named after Major General David C. Shanks, it was situated near the juncture of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River. The camp was the largest U.S. Army embarka ...

, New York, 9 November 1945 – 10 November 1945 *

, Maine 25 September 1953 *

, Texas, 15 August 1955 – 1 July 1957

Aircraft

* Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943–1945 * Boeing KB-29 Superfortress, 1953-unknown * Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker, unknown-1957

Awards and campaigns

* 406th Fighter Squadron cited in the Order of the Day, Belgian Army for the period 6 June 1944 – 30 September 1944

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{USAAF 1st Air Force World War II Air refueling squadrons of the United States Air Force