913th Air Refueling Squadron | |
---|---|
Active | 1940–1946; 1958–1981 |
Country | United States |
Branch | United States Air Force |
Role | Air refueling |
Nickname(s) | The Thirsty Thirteenth (World War II) |
Engagements | Battle of Guadalcanal Battle of New Georgia Battle of Vella Lavella Battle of Bougainville South West Pacific Theater of World War II Philippines Campaign (1944-1945) |
Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Navy Unit Commendation Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation |
Insignia | |
913th Air Refueling Squadron Emblem | |
13th Troop Carrier Squadron patch |
The first predecessor of the squadron was organized in 1940 as the 13th Transport Squadron. During World War II, as the 13th Troop Carrier Squadron, the squadron served in the South West Pacific Theater of World War II, earning two Distinguished Unit Citations, a Navy Unit Commendation and a Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation for its wartime actions. Its last assignment was with the 403d Troop Carrier Group at Nichols Field, Luzon, Philippines, where it was inactivated on 15 October 1946.
The 913th Air Refueling Squadron was activated by the United States Air Force in 1958 at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, where it was last assigned to the 2d Bombardment Wing. The squadron responded to the Cuban Missile Crisis and provided Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and aircrews to support the Viet Nam War. It was inactivated on 1 November 1981 and replaced by a squadron flying McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extenders.
The two squadrons were consolidated in September 1985 but the consolidated squadron has not been active since.
The 13th Transport Squadron was activated in late 1940 [1] as one of the three original squadrons of the 61st Transport Group. [2] Personnel for the squadron were drawn from the 5th Transport Squadron, located at Patterson Field, Ohio. [3]
The headquarters and squadrons of the 61st were initially scattered at various depot bases, with the 13th at Patterson Field, [1] site of the Fairfield Air Depot. [4] The 61st was finally united with its component squadrons at Pope Field, North Carolina in May 1942. Shortly after this the group and squadrons were renamed Troop Carrier organizations. [1] [2] The squadron trained with the group in the southeast, using Douglas C-47 Skytrain and Douglas C-53 Skytrooper aircraft, [2] but in the fall of 1942 the 13th deployed by itself to the Pacific. [1]
Upon arrival in the theater, the squadron, operating from bases in New Caledonia, was attached to Marine Air Group 25 and began to transport vital ammunition and supplies to Guadalcanal and to evacuate wounded personnel on return trips. In November 1942 the squadron became part of the South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command (SCAT). For its actions during the Guadalcanal Campaign the squadron earned its first Distinguished Unit Citation. [5]
In August 1943 the squadron was assigned to the 403d Troop Carrier Group [6] and then moved to Espiritu Santo. [1] It supported the New Guinea and Philippines campaigns by transporting men and cargo to combat areas. The 13th evacuated casualties and dropped or airlanded supplies to guerrilla forces in the Philippines. On 23 February 1945 the squadron dropped paratroopers into Laguna de Bay, Luzon to free civilians held prisoner by the Japanese. The unit moved to the Philippines in 1945 and remained after the Japanese surrender as part of Far East Air Forces. It flew occupation troops to Japan, evacuated prisoners of war and flew cargo and personnel between Australia and Japan. [6] In early 1946 the squadron began to transition into Douglas C-54 Skymasters. [1]
In October 1946 the 403d Troop Carrier Group was replaced by the 374th Troop Carrier Group. As a result, the 13th was inactivated and its mission, personnel and equipment were transferred to the 22d Troop Carrier Squadron. [1] [7]
The 913th Air Refueling Squadron was activated in June 1958 by Strategic Air Command (SAC) at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The squadron was equipped with Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers and assigned to the 4238th Strategic Wing as part of SAC's plan to disperse its Boeing B-52 Stratofortress units to make it more difficult for the Soviet Union to destroy the entire fleet with a first strike. [8] The squadron mission was to provide air refueling to the B-52s of its parent wing and other USAF units as directed. Starting in 1960, one third of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962. [9] The squadron trained for this mission until inactivation except for periods when its aircraft and crews were deployed with other SAC organizations conducting combat operations. [10]
From October through November 1962 the squadron's training was interrupted as it assumed an increased alert posture during the Cuban Missile Crisis. After tensions eased, the unit resumed normal operations. [11] The 913th transferred to the 2d Bombardment Wing in 1963 when SAC replaced its parent wing [10] with an organization that had a more distinguished history and could continue its lineage. [lower-alpha 1]
In 1962, SAC established an airborne command post at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, nicknamed Looking Glass, to ensure continuity of command and control of SAC forces in the event of a nuclear attack. Looking Glass was soon augmented by auxiliary aircraft stationed with the headquarters of SAC's three Numbered Air Forces. The 913th received Boeing EC-135C aircraft to operate SAC's Central Auxiliary Command Post's airborne element. The 913th continued to operate PACCS aircraft until 1 April 1970, when SAC reorganized its airborne command post aircraft and withdrew them from vulnerable bases near the coasts like Barksdale and assigned them to the 2d, 3d, and 4th Airborne Command and Control Squadrons, stationed at bases closer to the heartland of North America. [12]
The 913th began supporting SAC operations in Southeast Asia in 1965, and increased its support of these operations over the following two years. From May to November 1972 all but four of the squadron's KC-135s and a handful of crews were on loan to other SAC units. Following the return of its assets, the squadron continued to support operations in Southeast Asia until 1975. [10] The 913th resumed its training and alert mission until it was inactivated in 1981 and replaced by the 32d Air Refueling Squadron when the 2d Bombardment Wing began to operate McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extenders. [13]
The 13th Troop Carrier Squadron was consolidated with the 913th Air Refueling Squadron in September 1985 but the consolidated squadron has not been active since. [14]
13th Troop Carrier Squadron
| 913th Air Refueling Squadron
|
|
|
Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Distinguished Unit Citation | 10 October 1942 – 9 December 1942 | 13th Troop Carrier Squadron [1] | |
Distinguished Unit Citation | 17 April 1945 – 30 June 1945 | 13th Troop Carrier Squadron [1] | |
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1965 – 1 December 1965 | 913th Air Refueling Squadron [17] | |
Navy Unit Commendation | 11 December 1942 – 15 July 1944 | 13th Troop Carrier Squadron [1] | |
Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation | 17 October 1944 – 4 July 1945 | 13th Troop Carrier Squadron [1] |
Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Guadalcanal | 10 October 1942 – 21 February 1943 | 13th Troop Carrier Squadron [1] | |
New Guinea | 24 January 1943 – 31 December 1944 | 13th Troop Carrier Squadron [1] | |
Northern Solomons | 23 February 1943 – 21 November 1944 | 13th Troop Carrier Squadron [1] | |
Bismarck Archipelago | 15 December 1943 – 27 November 1944 | 13th Troop Carrier Squadron [1] | |
Western Pacific | 17 April 1944 – 2 September 1945 | 13th Troop Carrier Squadron [1] | |
Leyte | 17 October 1944 – 1 July 1945 | 13th Troop Carrier Squadron [1] | |
Luzon | 15 December 1944 – 4 July 1945 | 13th Troop Carrier Squadron [1] | |
Southern Philippines | 27 February 1945 – 4 July 1945 | 13th Troop Carrier Squadron [1] |
The 2nd Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command and the Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The wing is also the host unit at Barksdale. The wing was assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command in February 2010 as part of the reassignment of Eighth Air Force.
The 456th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 14th Air Division of Strategic Air Command at Beale Air Force Base, California, where it was inactivated on 30 September 1975. The wing's predecessor was the 456th Bombardment Group, a World War II United States Army Air Forces combat organization that flew from Italy while assigned to Fifteenth Air Force. It earned two Distinguished Unit Citations for valor in combat and participated in the strategic bombing campaign against oil production targets including those near Ploiești, Romania, attacks that resulted in high bomber losses. The group also served as a troop carrier unit in the Air Force Reserve from 1947 to 1949 and as the flying element of the wing from 1952 to 1955.
The 927th Air Refueling Wing is a combat coded Air Reserve Component (ARC) wing of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force of Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) and is stationed at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida.
The 499th Air Refueling Wing is an inactive United States Air Force (USAF) unit that was last active at Westover AFB, Massachusetts in June 1966.
The 940th Air Refueling Wing is part of the Air Reserve Component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force of the Air Force Reserve Command, is operationally-gained by the Air Mobility Command, and is home stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California.
The 459th Air Refueling Wing is a wing of the Air Force Reserve Command of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force and stationed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. If mobilized, the wing would be gained by the Air Mobility Command. The wing flies and maintains Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers, providing air refueling.
The 914th Air Refueling Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, New York. Assigned to Air Force Reserve Command, it is operationally-gained by Air Mobility Command.
The 462d Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional unit of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to Air Mobility Command to activate or inactivate as needed to meet operational requirements. Its last assignment was at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, British Indian Ocean Territory.
The 454th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 42d Air Division of Strategic Air Command (SAC) at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi. It was inactivated on 25 July 1969.
The 465th Bombardment Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 57th Air Division of Strategic Air Command at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, where it was inactivated on 21 July 1968.
The 931st Air Refueling Wing is an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to the Fourth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas.
The 494th Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force group assigned to Air Mobility Command (AMC) to activate or inactivate as needed. The group was activated in the events surrounding Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 2003 United States invasion of Iraq. Now-Lieutenant General Stayce D. Harris is listed by the USAF as commanding the 494th AEG at Moron Air Base, Spain, from July to October 2003. In addition, a patch published at USAF Patches.com implies that the group was active in Spain during "Iraqi Freedom."
The 18th Air Refueling Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 931st Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. It operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling missions. If mobilized the squadron would be gained by Air Mobility Command.
The 63rd Air Refueling Squadron, sometimes written as 63d Air Refueling Squadron, is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 927th Operations Group at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It is a reserve associate of the active duty 91st Air Refueling Squadron. The squadron operates the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling missions.
The 823d Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command (SAC)'s Second Air Force at McCoy Air Force Base, Florida, where it was inactivated on 30 June 1971.
The 336th Air Refueling Squadron is a United States Air Force Reserve squadron, assigned to the 452d Operations Group, stationed at March Joint Air Reserve Base, California. The squadron shares its aircraft and facility with the 912th Air Refueling Squadron, a USAF Associate Unit assigned to the 92d Air Refueling Wing.
The 41st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 380th Operations Group at Griffiss Air Force Base, New York, where it was inactivated on 15 February 1993.
The 44th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit that was assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. It was last known to be stationed at Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar, where it engaged in air refueling operations in support of United States Air Forces Central.
The 71st Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 458th Operations Group at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana where it was inactivated on 1 April 1994.
The 907th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 91st Bombardment Wing at Glasgow Air Force Base, Montana, and was inactivated on 25 June 1968. From 1963 to 1968 the squadron served as the air refueling element of its parent wing.
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency