55th Air Refueling Squadron

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55th Air Refueling Squadron
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
55th Air Refueling Squadron emblem[b][1]
Patch with 755th Bombardment Squadron emblem[c][2]
World War II fuselage code[3]J3

The 55th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It formerly operated both the combat crew training school and central flight instructor course for Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

The

V-E Day, the squadron returned to the United States, where it began training with Boeing B-29 Superfortresses
, but was inactivated in October 1945.

The 55th Air Refueling Squadron was activated in 1950 as a

55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing
. It was again inactivated in 1963. The squadron was activated in the training role at Altus in 1994, continuing its mission until inactivating in 2009.

History

World War II

Training in the United States

The

Orlando Army Air Base, where they spent the next two months participating in specialized tactical training. In September 1943, the air and ground echelons of the squadron were united at Kearns Army Air Base, Utah before proceeding to Wendover to begin the first phase of training with the Consolidated B-24 Liberator.[1][4]

At Wendover, most of the initial combat crews were assigned to the squadron.

Tonopah Army Air Field, Nevada, for the port of embarkation on 29 December 1943, sailing for England on the USS Florence Nightingale (AP-70). The air echelon assembled at Hamilton Field, then ferried its Liberators to England via the southern ferry route.[4][6]

Combat in Europe

Squadron B-24 Liberator taking off from RAF Horsham St Faith[d]

The squadron arrived at its combat station,

Dulmen, oil refineries near Hamburg, marshalling yards at Hamm, an aircraft engine manufacturing factory at Magdeburg, the shipping canal at Minden, aircraft factories at Oschersleben and the industrial area of Saarbrücken.[5]

The squadron was occasionally diverted from the strategic bombing campaign to conduct

Third Army, which had outrun its supply lines (called Operation Truckin'). These supply flights were not considered combat missions.[7] The squadron flew its last combat mission on 24 April 1945.[5]

The 755th also had the distinction of being the test squadron for the

Army Air Forces' first guided bomb project.[8] In May 1944, ten modified B-24s capable of launching Azon bombs were delivered to the 458th Group. On 31 May 1944, the squadron conducted a raid against several bridges in Normandy, the first use of the Azon bombs in combat.[9]

Return and inactivation

During May 1945, the squadron flew "Trolley" missions. These missions transported ground personnel of the unit over target areas on the continent to permit them to see the results of their contributions to the squadron mission.

Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota in July.[1] At Sioux Falls, all personnel who had not been discharged were transferred to other units.[11]

The squadron reformed at

March Field, California in August, once the group had achieved 20% manning. At March, it trained with the Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bomber, but never approached authorized manning. It was inactivated there in October 1945.[2][5][11]

Air refueling operations

Initial activation

Boeing KB-29 as flown by the squadron

The squadron's second predecessor, the 55th Air Refueling Squadron, was activated on 1 November 1950. It was originally equipped with

98th Air Refueling Squadron
, which was simultaneously activated.

KC-97 era

Boeing KC-97s as flown by the squadron

The 55th Air Refueling Squadron was again activated on 1 October 1955, and assigned to the 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing at Forbes Air Force Base. It was equipped with Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter aircraft. First introduced into the Air Force inventory in 1951, the tanker could fly fast enough to refuel the Boeing B-47 Stratojet bomber, thus providing the Air Force with an intercontinental strike capability.[8]

The squadron deployed to

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for the period July 1956 to November 1957. During the 1959 Strategic Air Command bombing competition, the largest held to date, the 55th again demonstrated its combat readiness by winning the Saunders Trophy as the best air refueling unit in Strategic Air Command. The squadron was inactivated again in 1963.[8]

Tanker training

On 28 October 1994, the 55th was activated as part of the

Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker flying training squadrons. Both squadrons provided KC-135R initial and advanced flight qualification.[8] On 1 April 2009, the 55th Air Refueling Squadron was inactivated, leaving the 54th as the lone remaining KC-135 training unit.[12]

Lineage

755th Bombardment Squadron
  • Constituted as the 755th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 May 1943
Activated on 1 July 1943.
Redesignated 755th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 20 August 1943
Redesignated 755th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 5 August 1945
Inactivated on 17 Oct 1945
55th Air Refueling Squadron
  • Constituted as the 55th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium on 22 November 1950
Activated on 1 November 1950
Inactivated on 18 February 1954
  • Activated on 1 October 1955
Discontinued and inactivated on 15 March 1963
  • Consolidated with the 755th Bombasrdment Squadron and redesignated 55th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 19 September 1985
  • Redesignated 55th Air Refueling Squadron on 31 May 1994
Activated on 28 October 1994[1]
Inactivated 1 April 2009[12]

Assignments

  • 458th Bombardment Group, 1 July 1943 – 17 October 1945
  • 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Group, 1 November 1950 (attached to 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing after 8 January 1951)
  • 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 16 June 1952 – 18 February 1954
  • 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 1 October 1955 – 15 March 1963 (attached to Eighth Air Force, 31 October–27 December 1956)
  • 97th Operations Group, 28 Oct 1994 – 1 April 2009[1][13]

Stations

Aircraft

  • Consolidated B-24 Liberator (1943–1945)
  • Boeing B-29 Superfortress (1945)
  • Boeing KB-29 Superfortress (1950–1954)
  • Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter (1955–1963)
  • Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (1994–2009)[1][12]

Awards and campaigns

Award streamer Award Dates Notes
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
 July 1956-November 1957 55th Air Refueling Squadron[1]
Campaign Streamer Campaign Dates Notes
Air Offensive, Europe 1 February 1944 – 5 June 1944 755th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Air Combat, EAME Theater 1 February 1944 – 11 May 1945 755th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Normandy 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 755th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Northern France 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 755th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Rhineland 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 755th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Ardennes-Alsace 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 755th Bombardment Squadron[2]
Central Europe 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 755th Bombardment Squadron[2]

References

Notes

Explanatory notes
  1. ^ Aircraft is Boeing KC-135A-BN, serial 60-0351, converted to KC-135R-BN. Baugher, Joe (11 June 2023). "1960 USAF Serial Numbers". Joe Baugher. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  2. ^ Approved 13 April 1995.
  3. ^ Approved 20 March 1945. Description: On a light turquoise blue disc, within a border of six segments, alternative red and white, a caricatured, nonchalant, camouflaged, B-24 aircraft standing affronte, on a white cloud formation in base and resting right wing tip on nose of upturned, red aerial bomb.
  4. Prisoners of War and one was killed. Baugher, Joe (18 April 2023). "1941 USAF Serial Numbers"
    . Joe Baugher. Retrieved 20 June 2023. Missing Air Crew Report 3555.
Citations
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Factsheet 55 Air Refueling Squadron". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 737-738
  3. ^ Watkins, pp. 101-102
  4. ^ a b c "Operations: Training, July - December 1943". 458th Bombardment Group. Retrieved 4 June 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d Maurer, Combat Groups, p. 333
  6. ^ a b c Freeman, p. 259
  7. ^ "Operations: Truckin'". 458th Bombardment Group. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  8. ^ a b c d e f "Library: Fact Sheet 55th Air Refueling Squadron". 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs. 29 July 2008. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
  9. ^ Freeman, p. 146
  10. ^ "Operations: Trolley Missions". 458th Bombardment Group. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Operations: Group History June-September 1945". 458th Bombardment Group. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  12. ^ a b c d See Robertson, AFHRA Factsheet 97 Operations Group (dates of assignment to 97th Group).
  13. ^ Robertson, Patsy (19 July 2010). "Factsheet 97 Operations Group (AETC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  14. ^ Station number in Anderson).

Bibliography

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

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