908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron
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The 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is a provisional
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 ...
(USAF) unit. It is assigned to the 378th Expeditionary Operations Group as part of the
378th Air Expeditionary Wing The 378th Air Expeditionary Wing (378 AEW) is a provisional United States Air Forces Central Command unit assigned to Air Combat Command. As a provisional unit, it may be activated or inactivated at any time. The 378th Bombardment Group was an i ...
at
Prince Sultan Air Base Prince Sultan Air Base ( ar, قاعدة الأمير سلطان الجوية) (PSAB) is a military air base located in the closed-city of Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia. History There was formerly a large United States presence there during Opera ...
in
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
. It has supported combat operations in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
,
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
, and Syria from its previous location of
Al Dhafra Air Base Al Dhafra Air Base ( ar, قاعدة الظفرة الجوية) is a military installation in the United Arab Emirates. The base is located approximately south of Abu Dhabi and is operated by the United Arab Emirates Air Force. Facilities The a ...
in the
United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia ( The Middle East). It is located at t ...
. The squadron has a varied background, having been formed by a series of consolidations of no fewer than five distinct units. The squadron is one of the oldest in the USAF. Its origins date to 16 June 1917, when the 18th Aero Squadron was organized at
Rockwell Field Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California. This airfield ...
, San Diego, California. This unit served as a pilot training squadron during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
until it was demobilized in 1919. A second predecessor was also active under the same name at Rockwell for nine months in the early 1920s. The third predecessor of the squadron was the 18th Headquarters Squadron, which served as the host Air Corps unit at
Bolling Field The origins of the surname Bolling: English: from a nickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling "pollard", or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling "excessive drinking". German (Bölling): from ...
, District of Columbia from 1922 until 1928. The fourth predecessor of the squadron was the 18th Reconnaissance Squadron, which was activated at
Langley Field Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfo ...
, Virginia in 1936. The squadron saw combat during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
as the 408th Bombardment Squadron in the
South West Pacific Theater of World War II The South West Pacific theatre, during World War II, was a major theatre of the war between the Allies and the Axis. It included the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies (except for Sumatra), Borneo, Australia and its mandate Territory ...
, where it earned two Distinguished Unit Citations and a
Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation The Philippine Presidential Unit citation BadgeThe AFP Adjutant General, ''Awards and Decorations Handbook'', 1997, OTAG, p. 65. is a unit decoration of the Republic of the Philippines. It has been awarded to certain units of the United States mil ...
. Elements of the squadron also participated in the
Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under ...
. It was inactivated 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 ...
in 1946. The 408th Bombardment Squadron was again activated at
March Air Force Base March Air Reserve Base (March ARB), previously known as March Air Force Base (March AFB) is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Perris. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's ...
, California in 1958 as part of Strategic Air Command (SAC) during the expansion of
Boeing 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 ...
wings during the Cold War. It was inactivated as the B-47 was being replaced by the longer-ranged Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. The unit's fifth predecessor was also part of SAC as the 908th Air Refueling Squadron, stationed at
Kincheloe Air Force Base Kincheloe Air Force Base was a United States Air Force (USAF) base during the Cold War. Built in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 1943 during World War II, the base was in service The base was known by various names, including Kinross Munic ...
, Michigan equipped with Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers. It stood alert at Kincheloe and deployed aircrews and aircraft to support combat operations in
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...
until it was inactivated when the Air Force closed the base. The squadron was converted to provisional status in March 2002 as part of the
War on Terror The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...
. It has served as a
McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is an American aerial refueling tanker aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). A military version of the three-engine DC-10 airliner, the KC-10 was developed from the Advanced Tanker Cargo A ...
squadron in Southwest Asia since then, with KC-135 aircraft added in late 2003 until an undetermined time.


History


World War I

The first predecessor of the squadron was established in the summer of 1917 as the Air Service 18th Aero Squadron,Another 18th Aero Squadron had been activated at Kelly Field, Texas in June 1917. It was redesignated as the 23d Aero Squadron (Repair) in June 1917. Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 121–122 training aviation students during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
at
Rockwell Field Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California. This airfield ...
in southern California. The squadron apparently operated
Curtiss JN-4 The Curtiss JN "Jenny" was a series of biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for th ...
and improved
Curtiss JN-6 The Curtiss JN "Jenny" was a series of biplanes built by the Curtiss Aeroplane Company of Hammondsport, New York, later the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. Although the Curtiss JN series was originally produced as a training aircraft for ...
"Jenny" two-seat trainers and
Thomas-Morse S-4 The Thomas-Morse S-4 Scout was an American biplane advanced trainer, operated by the United States Army and the United States Navy. Dubbed the "Tommy" by pilots who flew it, the aircraft became the favorite single-seat training airplane produced ...
single-seat advanced trainers.Maurer, pp. 499–500 In July 1918, it was redesignated as Squadron B, Rockwell Field. It was demobilized in late 1918 when the training squadrons at Rockwell were combined into a single flying school detachment.


Interwar period

The second predecessor of the squadron was established at Rockwell in 1921 as the 18th Squadron (Observation). Its mission as an observation squadron was to fly aerial photographic missions and to act as an airborne observation post during maneuvers, but it is not certain that the squadron was manned or equipped. It was inactivated nine months after its activation. The third predecessor of the squadron was organized in 1922 as the Headquarters Detachment,
Bolling Field The origins of the surname Bolling: English: from a nickname for someone with close-cropped hair or a large head, Middle English bolling "pollard", or for a heavy drinker, from Middle English bolling "excessive drinking". German (Bölling): from ...
, District of Columbia. It replaced the 99th Squadron (Observation) as the Air Service host unit at Bolling responsible for station administration.Mueller, pp. 39–48 In 1924 the detachment was expanded to a squadron and the following year, it was redesignated the 18th Headquarters Squadron and consolidated with the two previous 18th squadrons. The squadron operated various aircraft at Bolling. It was inactivated in 1928 and was replaced as the Air Corps host by the Air Corps Detachment, Bolling Field. The fourth predecessor of the squadron was established in 1935 as the 18th Observation Squadron and activated in 1936 at
Mitchel Field Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territor ...
on Long Island, New York. It was assigned to the 2d Wing of
General Headquarters Air Force The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
and equipped with
Martin B-10 The Martin B-10 was the first all-metal monoplane bomber to be regularly used by the United States Army Air Corps, entering service in June 1934.Jackson 2003, p. 246. It was also the first mass-produced bomber whose performance was superior to ...
bombers. The squadron flew reconnaissance and coastal patrol flights over Long Island Sound and southern New England. The squadron received
Douglas B-18 Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American heavy bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company ...
s in 1937 along with a mixture of obsolete attack and light observation aircraft in the build-up before
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
The unit received early model
Martin B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in t ...
s while retaining its B-18s.


World War II

After the
Pearl Harbor Attack The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, ...
, the squadron was transferred to the West Coast, flying
antisubmarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...
patrols from
Muroc Army Air Field Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is E ...
, California from December 1941 to the end of January 1942.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 71–73 It was then assigned to
Fifth Air Force The Fifth Air Force (5 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Pacific Air Forces (PACAF). It is headquartered at Yokota Air Base, Japan. It is the U.S. Air Force's oldest continuously serving Numbered Air Force. The organizat ...
. By the time the squadron arrived in the
Southwest Pacific Theater The South West Pacific theatre, during World War II, was a major theatre of the war between the Allies and the Axis. It included the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies (except for Sumatra), Borneo, Australia and its mandate Territory of ...
the situation on the Philippines was desperate, and the squadron was based in Australia, where it was redesignated as the 408th Bombardment Squadron. While the squadron was stationed at
Reid River Airfield Reid River Airfield is a World War II airfield located to the south of the Reid River in the locality of Reid River, Charters Towers Region, inland from Townsville, Queensland, Australia. Disused since the war as an airfield, the former base ...
, Australia, two of the squadron's aircraft were diverted from their flight to Australia and flew missions during the
Battle of Midway The Battle of Midway was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II that took place on 4–7 June 1942, six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor and one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea. The U.S. Navy under ...
between 29 May 1942 and 4 June 1942., pp. 116–119 These aircraft operated under the control of the
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
, whose Patrol Wing Two controlled both Army and Navy aircraft operating from Midway. They were armed with torpedoes and on 4 June, along with two B-26s of the 69th Bombardment Squadron of
VII Bomber Command The VII Bomber Command is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Seventh Air Force, based on Okinawa. It was inactivated on 31 March 1946. It engaged in patrol operations from Hawaii from January 1942. On the n ...
, attacked the enemy fleet. They met with heavy
antiaircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...
fire and opposition from enemy fighters. Two of the Marauders were shot down. Although the other two made successful attacks, both aircraft crash landed upon their return to Midway. From Australia, the 408th also attacked Japanese targets on
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
and New Britain. Its actions in New Guinea earned the squadron two Distinguished Unit Citations. In October 1943 the B-26 Marauders were joined by
North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in ...
s, and for the rest of the year the group continued to operate in support of Allied troops on New Guinea. While stationed at Nadzab Airfield in February 1944 the unit converted to Consolidated B-24 Liberators optimized for long range bombing missions. While transitioning, the squadron was attached to the
309th Bombardment Wing 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...
for operational control. With the new bombers came a designation as a heavy bomber unit. The squadron's Liberators attacked targets on
Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...
, Ceram and
Halmahera Halmahera, formerly known as Jilolo, Gilolo, or Jailolo, is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia, and Sofifi, the capital of the province, is located on the west coast of the island. Ha ...
, among them the crucial oil fields of the Dutch East Indies. In September 1944 the squadron moved its attention to the Philippines, attacking targets on
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...
. It moved to Leyte on 15 November 1944. From then until August 1945 it flew against targets on
Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
, as well as supporting the campaign on Borneo and even ranging as far as China. Its actions in the Philippines won it a
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation The Philippine Presidential Unit citation BadgeThe AFP Adjutant General, ''Awards and Decorations Handbook'', 1997, OTAG, p. 65. is a unit decoration of the Republic of the Philippines. It has been awarded to certain units of the United States mi ...
. Finally, in August 1945 the unit moved to
Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...
, from where it flew a number of
armed reconnaissance Armed (May, 1941–1964) was an American Thoroughbred gelding race horse who was the American Horse of the Year in 1947 and Champion Older Male Horse in both 1946 and 1947. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in ...
missions over southern Japan. The squadron moved on paper to the Philippines in November, leaving its personnel and equipment behind on Okinawa. It was inactivated at Fort William McKinley in early 1946.


Cold War

The 408th was activated at
March Air Force Base March Air Reserve Base (March ARB), previously known as March Air Force Base (March AFB) is located in Riverside County, California between the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Perris. It is the home to the Air Force Reserve Command's ...
, California in 1958 when Strategic Air Command (SAC) expanded its wings flying
Boeing 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 ...
s from three to four squadrons. In March 1961, President
John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
directed that the phaseout of the B-47 be accelerated. and the squadron was inactivated on 1 January 1962 as part of the drawdown of the USAF B-47 force. Two years later, the squadron was combined with the preceding units, but remained inactive. The 908th Air Refueling Squadron was activated on 1 July 1963 by SAC at
Kincheloe Air Force Base Kincheloe Air Force Base was a United States Air Force (USAF) base during the Cold War. Built in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 1943 during World War II, the base was in service The base was known by various names, including Kinross Munic ...
, Michigan''See'' Ravenstein, p. 245 and equipped with Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers. Its mission was to provide air refueling to the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers of its parent 449th Bombardment Wing and other USAF units as directed. This included taskings to provide
air 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
McDonnell F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bow ...
fighters and
Douglas RB-66 Destroyer The Douglas B-66 Destroyer is a light bomber that was designed and produced by the American aviation manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company. The B-66 was developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) and is heavily based upon the United S ...
reconnaissance aircraft deploying to Southeast Asia. The unit deployed individual aircraft and crews to the Western Pacific region between 1966 and 1975 to support combat operations of deployed SAC units and tactical aircraft over Southeast Asia during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...
, including participation in Operation Young Tiger.Ravenstein, p. 245 The squadron also deployed crews and aircraft to support the Torrejon, Eielson and Hickam Tanker Task Forces. In 1976 the squadron contributed to its parent 449th Bombardment Wing being awarded the Omaha Trophy as the best wing in SAC. It was inactivated on 30 September 1977 when Kincheloe closed. In September 1985, the 908th was consolidated with the 408th, but for the time, it remained inactive.


Expeditionary operations

The squadron was reactivated as the 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, a provisional squadron, in July 2002 as a part of the Global War on Terror and equipped with
McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is an American aerial refueling tanker aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). A military version of the three-engine DC-10 airliner, the KC-10 was developed from the Advanced Tanker Cargo A ...
s. Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers were added in late 2003 until an undetermined time. The squadron has been active as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom conducting combat air refueling. The squadron's KC-10s can refuel aircraft with either a boom or with a drogue, which makes it capable of refueling Air Force or
Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It in ...
aircraft, as well as aircraft from other coalition air forces. In 2010 the squadron flew the first combat mission with an all-female KC-10 crew.The crew consisted of Capt Lindsey Bauer, 1/Lt Jen Carter, SSG Sarah Lockley, and SSG Lindy Campbell. The crew jokingly referred to its KC-10 as an "unmanned aircraft" and designed a special patch to mark the occasion. While refueling strike aircraft in Afghanistan and Iraq, during 2011, the squadron supported an average of more than four "Troops in Contact" events daily and provided about a third of the airborne fuel used to protect ground forces. As of 2017 it was supporting the
Military intervention against ISIL In response to rapid territorial gains made by the so-called Islamic State during the first half of 2014, and its universally condemned executions, reported human rights abuses and the fear of further spillovers of the Syrian Civil War, many s ...
in Iraq and Syria.


Lineage

; 18th Aero Squadron' * Organized as the 18th Aero Squadron on 20 August 1917 : Redesignated 18th Aero Squadron (Training) c. 30 September 1917 : Redesignated Squadron B, Rockwell Field on 23 July 1918 * Demobilized on 23 November 1918 * Reconstituted on 17 March 1925 and consolidated with the 18th Observation Squadron and Headquarters Squadron, Bolling Field as the 18th Headquarters SquadronLineage, including assignments, stations, aircraft through 1964 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 499–500 18th Observation Squadron * Authorized as the 18th Squadron (Observation) on 30 August 1921 : Organized on 1 October 1921 * Inactivated on 23 July 1922 : Redesignated 18th Observation Squadron on 25 January 1923 (remained inactive) * Disbanded on 18 February 1925 * Reconstituted on 17 March 1925 and consolidated with Squadron B, Rockwell Field and Headquarters Squadron, Bolling Field as the 18th Headquarters Squadron 18th Headquarters Squadron * Organized as Headquarters Detachment, Bolling Field on 11 July 1922 : Redesignated Headquarters Squadron, Bolling Field on 6 October 1924 * Consolidated on 17 March 1925 with Squadron B, Rockwell Field and the 18th Observation Squadron and redesignated 18th Headquarters Squadron : Inactivated on 31 March 1928 * Disbanded on 1 October 1933 * Reconstituted and consolidated in 1964Per Maurer. Bailey states the consolidation did not occur until 27 March 2002. with 408th Bombardment Squadron as the 408th Bombardment Squadron 408th Bombardment Squadron * Constituted as the 18th Observation Squadron (Long Range, Light Bombardment) on 1 March 1935 : Redesignated 18th Reconnaissance Squadron and activated on 1 September 1936 : Redesignated 18th Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium Range) on 6 December 1939 : Redesignated 18th Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium) on 20 November 1940 : Redesignated 408th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 22 April 1942 : Redesignated 408th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 3 February 1944 : Inactivated on 29 April 1946 * Redesignated 408th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 6 October 1958 : Activated on 1 January 1959 : Discontinued and inactivated on 1 January 1962 * Consolidated in 1964 with the 18th Headquarters Squadron * Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 908th Air Refueling Squadron as the 908th Air Refueling Squadron 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron * Constituted as the 908th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 20 March 1963 and activated (not organized) : Organized on 1 July 1963 : Inactivated 30 September 1977 * Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 408th Bombardment Squadron (remained inactive) * Redesignated 908th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron and converted to provisional status on 27 March 2002 : Activated 6 July 2002


Assignments

* Air Service, Western Department, 20 August 1917 * Unknown, 23 July 2018 – 23 November 1918Probably Post Headquarters, Rockwell Field *
Ninth Corps Area A Corps area was a geographically-based organizational structure (military district) of the United States Army used to accomplish administrative, training and tactical tasks from 1920 to 1942. Each corps area included divisions of the Regular Army ...
, 1 October 1921 – 23 July 1922 * District of Washington, 11 July 1922 *
Third Corps Area Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...
, October 1927 – 31 March 1928 * 2d Wing, 1 September 1936 (attached to
9th Bombardment Group 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...
until 1 February 1940, then to
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 ...
) * 22d Bombardment Group, 24 April 1942 – 29 April 1946 *
22d Bombardment Wing The 22d Air Refueling Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force. It is stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas and also functions as the host wing for McConnell. Its primary missio ...
, 1 January 1959 – 1 January 1962 * 449th Bombardment Wing, 1 July 1963 – 30 September 1977 * Air Combat Command to assign as needed, 27 March 2002 ::
380th Expeditionary Operations Group The 380th Expeditionary Operations Group) is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 380th Air Expeditionary Wing. It is a provisional unit stationed at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, and is assigned to the ...
, 6 July 2002 – March 2022 :: 378th Expeditionary Operations Group, March 2022 - present


Stations

*
Rockwell Field Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California. This airfield ...
, California, 20 August 1917 – 23 November 1918 * Rockwell Field, California, 1 October 1921 – 23 July 1922 * Bolling Field, District of Columbia, 11 July 1922 – 31 March 1928 * Mitchel Field, New York, 1 September 1936 *
Langley Field Langley may refer to: People * Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name * Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer * Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfo ...
, Virginia, 15 November 1940 * Muroc Army Air Field, California, 9 December 1941 – 29 January 1942 * Archerfield Airport (Brisbane), Australia, 25 February 1942 *
RAAF Base Townsville RAAF Base Townsville (formerly RAAF Base Garbutt) is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) air base located in , west of Townsville in Queensland, Australia. It is the headquarters for No. 1 Wing Australian Air Force Cadets and, along with L ...
, Australia, 7 April 1942 * Reid River Airfield, Australia, 12 April 1942 *
Dobodura Airfield Girua Airport is an airport serving Popondetta, a city in the Oro (or Northern) province in Papua New Guinea. History Girua Airport is located near Dobodura, to the north-east of the Embi Lakes, north-east of Inonda. To the south is Mt. Laming ...
, New Guinea, 15 October 1943 * Nadzab Airfield, New Guinea, 22 December 1943 * Owi Airfield,
Schouten Islands The Schouten Islands ( id, Kepulauan Biak, also Biak Islands or Geelvink Islands) are an island group of Papua province, eastern Indonesia in the Cenderawasih Bay (or Geelvink Bay) 50 km off the north-western coast of the island of New ...
, Netherlands East Indies, 26 July 1944 * Dulag,
Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...
, Philippines, c. 9 November 1944 * Angaur Airfield,
Palau Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the ...
, c. 1 December 1944 *
Guiuan Airfield Guiuan ( giˌwan; war, Bungto han Guiuan, fil, Bayan ng Guiuan), officially the Municipality of Guiuan, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Eastern Samar, Philippines. It constitutes the southeastern extremity of Samar Island and ...
,
Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...
, Philippines, 14 January 1945 * Clark Field,
Luzon Luzon (; ) is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the Philippines archipelago, it is the economic and political center of the nation, being home to the country's capital city, Manila, as ...
, Philippines, 13 March 1945 *
Motobu Airfield Motobu Airfield is a World War II airfield on the Motobu Peninsula of Okinawa, near the East China Sea coast. The airfield was deactivated after 1945. History The airfield was built in April 1945 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers and ...
,
Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...
, c. 21 August 1945 * Fort William McKinley, Luzon, Philippines, 23 November 1945 – 29 April 1946 * March Air Force Base, California, 1 January 1959 – 1 January 1962 * Kincheloe Air Force Base, Michigan, 1 July 1963 – 30 September 1977 * Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, 2002 – March 2022 * Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, March 2022 -


Aircraft

* Curtiss JN-4, 1917–1918 * Curtiss JN-6, 1917–1918 * Thomas-Morse S-4, 1917–1918 * Unknown, 1921–1922 *
DeHavilland DH-4 DeHavilland Information Services Ltd is a British media company that provides political monitoring services for public affairs professionals. The company was founded in 1998 by Conservative MP Adam Afriyie. History DeHavilland Global Knowl ...
during the period 1922–1928 *
Ryan M-1 The Ryan M-1 was a mail plane produced in the United States in the 1920s, the first original design built by Ryan.Taylor 1989, p. 774. It was a conventional gear parasol-wing monoplane with two open cockpits in tandem and fixed, tailskid undercar ...
during the period 1922–1928 *
Douglas O-2 The Douglas O-2 was a 1920s American observation aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Development The important family of Douglas observation aircraft sprang from two XO-2 prototypes, the first of which was powered by the 420 hp ...
during the period 1922–1928 *
Boeing PW-9 The Boeing Model 15 was a United States single-seat open-cockpit biplane fighter aircraft of the 1920s, manufactured by the Boeing company. The Model 15 saw service with the United States Army Air Service (as the PW-9 series) and with the United ...
during the period 1922–1928 *
Curtiss P-1 Hawk The P-1 Hawk (Curtiss Model 34) was a 1920s open-cockpit biplane fighter aircraft of the United States Army Air Corps. An earlier variant of the same aircraft had been designated PW-8 prior to 1925."US Military Aircraft Designations & Serials 19 ...
during the period 1922–1928 * Curtiss 0-1 Falcon evidently during the period 1922–1928 * Martin B-10, 1936–1937 * Douglas B-18 Bolo, 1937–1941 *
Northrop A-17 The Northrop A-17, a development of the Northrop Gamma 2F model, was a two-seat, single-engine, monoplane, attack bomber built in 1935 by the Northrop Corporation for the United States Army Air Corps. When in British Commonwealth service during W ...
, during period 1936–1940 * Fairchild C-8, during period 1936–1940 * Douglas OA-4 Dolphin, during period 1936–1940 * Sikorsky OA-8, during period 1936–1940 * North American B-25 Mitchell, 1941 * Martin B-26 Marauder, 1941–1943 * Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1944–1945 * Boeing B-47 Stratojet, 1959–1961 * Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 1963–1977 * McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender, 2002–present * Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 2003–undetermined


Awards and campaigns


See also

*
List of United States Air Force air refueling squadrons This is a list of United States Air Force air refueling squadrons. Air refueling squadrons See also *List of United States Air Force squadrons {{DEFAULTSORT:List Of United States Air Force Air Refueling Squadrons Air Refueling Aerial ...
*
List of American Aero Squadrons This is a partial list of original Air Service, United States Army "Aero Squadrons" before and during World War I. Units formed after 1 January 1919, are not listed. Aero Squadrons were the designation of the first United States Army aviatio ...
*
List of Martin B-26 Marauder operators This is a list of Martin B-26 Marauder operators. The main user of the Martin B-26 Marauder was the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF). During this period the Martin Marauder was also operated by the US Navy, Free French Air Force, the South Af ...
*
United States Army Air Forces in Australia During World War II, the United States Army Air Forces established a series of airfields in Australia for the collective defense of the country, as well as for conducting offensive operations against the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy. From thes ...
* List of B-47 units of the United States Air Force


References


Notes

Explanatory Notes Footnotes


Bibliography

* * * * *


Further reading

* * * * (Markings of unit B-24, B-25 and B-26 aircraft during World War II)


External links

* {{USAAF 4th Air Force World War II Air refueling squadrons of the United States Air Force