912th Air Refueling Squadron

Add links
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

912th Air Refueling Squadron
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
912th Air Refueling Squadron emblem[a][2]
412th Bombardment Squadron emblem(World War II)[3]
World War II Squadron fuselage code[4][b]QW
World War II 95th group tail code[4]Square B
Aircraft flown
TankerBoeing KC-135 Stratotanker

The 912th Air Refueling Squadron is a

452d Operations Group
.

The squadron was first activated in June 1942 as the 412th Bombardment Squadron. It saw combat in the

Distinguished Unit Citations.[5]

The 912th Air Refueling Squadron was activated in late 1961 as the

alert
. It also supported airborne alert operations during the 1980s.

In 1985 the 412th Bombardment Squadron was consolidated with the 912th Air Refueling Squadron, making them a single unit. The consolidated squadron has supported contingency operations, including

Operation Just Cause
. It participated in combat in Southeast Asia from 1990 to 1991.

Overview

The

452d Air Mobility Wing life support, intelligence, supply, command post, crew communications, medical and support staff.[1]

History

World War II

Training in the United States

The

Geiger Field, Washington,[5] where it was equipped with Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. The unit trained for combat operations until moving overseas starting in March.[8]

The air echelon processed at

Kearney Army Air Field, Nebraska and flew its Forts via the southern route, flying to Florida, Trinidad, the northern coast of Brazil, Dakar, Senegal, and Marrakesh, Morocco to RAF Alconbury in the United Kingdom. The ground echelon moved to Camp Kilmer, then sailed on the RMS Queen Elizabeth to Scotland, arriving in May. The squadron then reunited at RAF Framlingham.[5]

Combat with Eighth Air Force

95th Bombardment Group B-17 over Germany showing Square B tail marking

The squadron arrived in England equipped with late model B-17F aircraft equipped with "Tokyo Tanks", additional fuel cells located outboard in the wings that gave this model additional range.

airfield near Saint-Omer, France. For the next two months the squadron focused on attacking airfields and V-1 flying bomb launch sites in France.[8]

390th Bombardment Group.[8][12]

The 412th began strategic bombing operations in July and continued until flying its last operation on 20 April 1945. Its targets included

Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC) during an attack on an aircraft factory at Regensburg, Germany on 17 August 1943 when it maintained its defensive formation despite severe attacks by enemy interceptor aircraft.[8]

On 10 October, during an attack on marshalling yards at

482d Bombardment Group to determine the release point.[14] It received its third DUC for this operation.[8] This mission was the first time any unit from Eighth Air Force had bombed Berlin.[5]

The squadron was diverted to bombing priority tactical targets during the preparation for and execution of Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy in June 1944, attacking communications and coastal defenses. It hit enemy troop concentrations to facilitate the Allied breakout at Saint-Lô. The 412th attacked enemy troop concentrations during the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945 and bombed airfields to support Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine in March.[8]

One of the unit's more unusual missions was flown on 18 September 1944, when it led the

13th Combat Bombardment Wing[15] to Warsaw to drop ammunition, food and medical supplies to Polish Resistance forces fighting against German occupation forces.[8] The squadron had previously participated in shuttle missions to the Soviet Union.[16]

The unit flew its last mission on 20 April 1945, when it attacked marshalling yards near

Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, where it was inactivated on 28 August 1945.[8]

Air Force Reserve

The 412th Bombardment Squadron was reactivated as a reserve unit under

Air Defense Command (ADC) at Knoxville Municipal Airport, Tennessee in July 1947[7] as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress unit. It is not clear whether or not the squadron was fully staffed or equipped. In 1948 Continental Air Command assumed responsibility for managing reserve units from ADC.[18] The 412th was inactivated when Continental Air Command reorganized its reserve units under the wing base organization system in June 1949 and ended its reserve flying operations at Knoxville.[7]

Strategic Air Command

The 912th Air Refueling Squadron was activated in December 1961 at

air refueling missions.[2]

In February 1963, The newly activated 465th Bombardment Wing assumed the aircraft, personnel and equipment of the discontinued 4137th wing. The 4137th was a Major Command controlled (MAJCON) wing, which could not carry a permanent history or lineage,[21] and SAC wanted to replace it with a permanent unit. The 912th was reassigned to the 465th wing.[2][22] As the need for refueling support of tactical aircraft in Southeast Asia increased, the squadron deployed crews and aircraft to support Operation Young Tiger in Thailand.[23]

A little over five years later, when SAC terminated operations at

19th Bombardment Wing on paper to Robins, where it took over the assets of the 465th wing[22] and became the 912th's new parent.[25]

The 912th provided crews and planes to support the Alaskan, European and Pacific Tanker Task Forces.

Operation Urgent Fury, the restoration of the government of Grenada on 23 and 24 October 1983. The unit also flew EC–135 airborne command post missions from 1984 to 1989 for United States Central Command.[2][28] These missions included deployed missions flown in the Middle East.[29] In September 1985 the 912th Air Refueling Squadron was consolidated with the 412th Bombardment Squadron.[2]

Starting in 1986 the squadron began to replace the KC-135A aircraft it had been flying for 25 years with re-engined KC-135Rs.

Southwest Asia from August 1990 until March 1991, where its crews and tankers operated primarily as part of the 1701st Air Refueling Wing, Provisional.[2][30]

Air Mobility Command

With the inactivation of SAC in June 1992, most of its air refueling assets, including the 912th, were transferred to

319th Air Refueling Wing, which was being transformed into a "super tanker wing."[32]

With the 319th the squadron deployed KC-135Rs and crews to support tanker activities in Operation Deny Flight, the United Nations no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina; Operation Uphold Democracy, the United Nations action to remove the military junta and restore the elected president of Haiti; and Operation Constant Vigil from Howard Air Force Base in Panama. In 1995 the squadron deployed to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to support Operation Southern Watch the Southwest Asia Task Force operation to monitor and control airspace in southern Iraq. From June through August 2000 the squadron moved its operations to MacDill Air Force Base, Florida while the runways at Grand Forks were being repaired.[33]

After the 11 September 2001 attacks, the 912th contributed personnel and aircraft to the 319th Air Expeditionary Group in support of homeland defense.[2]

The squadron was reduced to cadre status on 20 March 2009 pursuant to

RQ-4 Global Hawk.[34]

An advance party arrived at

92d Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington.[1]

Lineage

412th Bombardment Squadron

  • Constituted as the 22d Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942
Redesignated 412th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 April 1942
  • Activated on 15 June 1942
Redesignated 412th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 20 August 1943
  • Inactivated on 28 August 1945
Redesignated 412th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 9 July 1947

912th Air Refueling Squadron

  • Constituted as the 912th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 3 August 1961 and activated (not organized)
  • Organized on 1 December 1961
  • Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 412th Bombardment Squadron
Redesignated 912th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 September 1991[36]

Assignments

  • 95th Bombardment Group, 15 June 1942 – 28 August 1945
  • 95th Bombardment Group, 16 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
  • Strategic Air Command, 3 August 1961 (not organized)
  • 4137th Strategic Wing, 1 December 1961
  • 465th Bombardment Wing, 1 February 1963
  • 19th Bombardment Wing
    (later 19th Air Refueling) Wing]], 25 July 1968
  • 19th Operations Group, 1 September 1991
  • 319th Operations Group, 1 April 1994
  • 92d Operations Group, 1 October 2010 – Present[36]

Stations

Aircraft

Awards and campaigns

Award streamer Award Dates Notes
Distinguished Unit Citation
, Regensburg, Germany		 17 August 1943 412th Bombardment Squadron[7]
Distinguished Unit Citation, Münster, Germany 10 October 1943 412th Bombardment Squadron[7]
Distinguished Unit Citation, Berlin, Germany 4 March 1944 412th Bombardment Squadron[7]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
 [1 December] 1961-31 March 1962 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 July 1976 – 30 June 1978 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 July 1982 – 30 June 1984 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 July 1984 – 30 June 1986 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 October 1993 – 30 June 1995 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 July 1995 – 30 June 1997 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 July 2000 – 30 June 2002 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 July 2002 – 30 June 2004 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 July 2004 – 30 June 2005 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 July 2005 – 30 June 2006 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 July 2006 – 30 June 2007 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 July 2007 – 20 March 2009 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 August 2011 – 31 August 2012 912th Air Refueling Squadron[38]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 September 2012 – 31 August 2013 912th Air Refueling Squadron[38]
Campaign Streamer Campaign Dates Notes
Air Offensive, Europe 11 May 1943 – 5 June 1944 412th Bombardment Squadron[7]
Normandy 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 412th Bombardment Squadron[7]
Northern France 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 412th Bombardment Squadron[7]
Rhineland 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 412th Bombardment Squadron[7]
Ardennes-Alsace 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 412th Bombardment Squadron[7]
Central Europe 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 412th Bombardment Squadron[7]
Air Combat, EAME Theater 11 May 1943 – 11 May 1945 412th Bombardment Squadron[7]
Defense of Saudi Arabia 2 August 1990 – 16 January 1991 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]
Liberation and Defense of Kuwait 17 January 1991 – 11 April 1991 912th Air Refueling Squadron[2]

See also

References

Notes

Explanatory notes
  1. palewise
    an Air Force Yellow refueling boom tip shaded Tangerine, all within a White band with a narrow Air Force Blue border. Endicott, p. 892.
  2. ^ After December 1944, squadrons of the 95th Bombardment Group no longer displayed their fuselage codes. Watkins, p. 42
Citations
  1. ^ a b c Stannard, SRA Natasha (15 December 2010). "912th Air Refueling Squadron reactivates [sic]". 452d Air Mobility Wing public affairs office. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Robertson, Patsy (26 April 2011). "Factsheet 912 Air Refueling Squadron (AMC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014.
  3. ^ "95th Bomb Group, Horham: Squadrons". 95th Bomb Group Heritage Association. 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  4. ^ a b Watkins, pp. 42–43
  5. ^ a b c d e Freeman, p. 245
  6. ^ Maurer (1987), p. 340
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 504
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 163–165
  9. ^ Freeman, p. 47
  10. ^ Freeman, p. 50
  11. ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 203–204
  12. ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 277–278
  13. ^ Freeman, p. 77
  14. ^ Freeman, p. 113
  15. ^ Freeman, pp. 175–176
  16. ^ Freeman, p. 174
  17. ^ Freeman, p. 230
  18. ^ "Abstract, Mission Project Closeup, Continental Air Command". Air Force History Index. 27 December 1961. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  19. ^ "Abstract (Unclassified), Vol 1, History of Strategic Air Command, Jan–Jun 1957 (Secret)". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  20. ^ "Abstract (Unclassified), History of the Strategic Bomber since 1945 (Top Secret, downgraded to Secret)". Air Force History Index. 1 April 1975. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  21. ^ Ravenstein, Guide to Air Force Lineage, p. 12
  22. ^ a b Ravenstein, Combat Wings, pp. 260–261
  23. ^ "Abstract, History 465 Bombardment Wing Oct–Dec 1967". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  24. ^ Mueller, p. 255
  25. ^ Ravenstein, pp. 36–38
  26. ^ "Abstract (Unclassified), Volume 1, History 19 Air Refueling Wing Jan–Jun 1988 (Secret)". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  27. ^ "Abstract (Unclassified), Volume 1, History 19 Air Refueling Wing Jan–Mar 1985 (Secret)". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  28. ^ a b "Abstract (Unclassified), Volume 1, History 19 Air Refueling Wing Jul 1991 – Jun 1992 (Secret)". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  29. ^ "Abstract (Unclassified), Volume 1, History 19 Air Refueling Wing Jan–Mar 1987 (Secret)". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  30. ^ "Abstract (Unclassified), History 19 Air Refueling Wing Sep–Oct 1990 (Secret)". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  31. ^ "Abstract, Volume 1, History 19 Air Refueling Wing Calendar Year 1994". Air Force History Index. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  32. ^ History of Grand Forks Air Force Base and the 319th Air Refueling Wing, p. 15
  33. ^ History of Grand Forks, pp. 20–22
  34. ^ "912th Air Refueling Squadron deactivates [sic]". 319th Air Refueling Wing public affairs office. 13 March 2009. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2014. This article refers to the squadron inactivating; however, it remained at Grand Forks until moving to March ARB in 2010.
  35. ^ "Active Duty Refueling Squadron Joins the March Team". 452d Air Mobility Wing public affairs office. 3 November 2010. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  36. ^ a b c d e Lineage, including assignments, stations and aircraft in Robertson, AFHRA Factsheet, except as noted
  37. ^ a b Station number in Anderson
  38. ^ a b "Air Force Recognition Programs". Air Force Personnel Center. Retrieved 10 April 2014. (search)

Bibliography

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

Further reading

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=912th_Air_Refueling_Squadron&oldid=1206814502"