Military unit
The
40th Air Refueling Squadron
is an inactive
United States Air Force
unit. It was last assigned to the
310th Strategic Aerospace Wing
at
Schilling Air Force Base
, Kansas, where it was inactivated on 15 March 1963. The
squadron
's first predecessor is the
540th Bombardment Squadron
, which served as a
heavy bomber
training unit during
World War II
until inactivating in a 1944 reorganization of
Army Air Forces
training units. The 40th Squadron was activated at Schilling in 1952 and performed worldwide refueling missions until inactivated.
History
[
edit
]
World War II bomber training
[
edit
]
The first predecessor of the squadron was the
540th Bombardment Squadron
, which was activated at
Salt Lake City Army Air Base
, Utah as one of the four original squadrons of the
383d Bombardment Group
. Its
cadre
moved to
Rapid City Army Air Base
a little over a week later, where it began to equip as a
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Operational Training Unit
(OTU) the following year.
[2]
[3]
OTUs were oversized parent units that provided cadres to "satellite groups"
[4]
In October 1943, the squadron moved to
Peterson Field
, Colorado, where it flew
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
and changed its mission to become a
Replacement Training Unit
(RTU). Like OTUs, RTUs were oversized units, but their mission was to train individual
aircrews
.
[4]
However, the AAF was finding that standard military units like the 540th, which were based on relatively inflexible
tables of organization
were not well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, it adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit, which was manned and equipped for the specific training mission.
[5]
As a result, the 383d Group, its elements and supporting units were inactivated or disbanded
[2]
[3]
and replaced by the 214th AAF Base Unit (Combat Crew Training School, Heavy), which was simultaneously organized at Peterson.
Air refueling operations
[
edit
]
The squadron's second predecessor was activated in July 1952 at
Smoky Hill Air Force Base
and assigned to the
40th Bombardment Wing
.
[6]
The squadron remained a paper unit and did not become operational until 8 September 1952. Because its parent
wing
remained unmanned, the squadron was attached to the
310th Bombardment Wing
until 30 April 1953.
[7]
[8]
SAC had begun to include refueling in its war plans,
[9]
and the squadron made frequent deployments with its KC-97s to forward locations, placing it ahead of the faster Boeing B-47 Stratojets it would refuel, and on their programmed route,
[10]
as part of
Operation Reflex
. Reflex placed
Boeing B-47 Stratojets
and KC-97s at bases closer to the Soviet Union for 90-day periods, although individuals rotated back to home bases during unit Reflex deployments
[11]
During Operation Reflex deployments with the wing, the squadron's aircraft also served as transports, carrying extra air crew, support personnel, and spare parts.
[12]
The percentage of
Strategic Air Command
(SAC) planes on alert gradually grew over the next three years to reach its goal of 1/3 of SAC's force on alert by 1960.
[13]
In 1960, the 40th Wing moved to
Forbes Air Force Base
, Kansas. The squadron remained behind and was reassigned to the 310th Bombardment Wing. During the
Cuban Missile Crisis
, on 24 October SAC went to
DEFCON
2, placing all its aircraft on alert.
[14]
On 29 October, additional KC-97s were dispersed to forward locations to provide refueling for B-47s on increased alert status.
[15]
Dispersed B-47s and supporting tankers were recalled to their home bases on 24 November and on 27 November, SAC returned to normal alert posture.
[16]
The squadron became nonoperational on 1 January 1963 and was inactivated in March 1963 as part of the phaseout of the KC-97 from SAC.
[6]
[8]
Consolidation
[
edit
]
On 19 September 1985, the
40th Air Refueling Squadron
was consolidated with the
540th Bombardment Squadron
, but the consolidated unit has not been active.
[6]
Lineage
[
edit
]
- 540th Bombardment Squadron
- Constituted as the
540th Bombardment Squadron
(Heavy) on 28 October 1942
- Activated on 3 November 1942
- Inactivated on 1 April 1944
[17]
- Consolidated with the
40th Air Refueling Squadron
as the
40th Air Refueling Squadron
on 19 September 1985
[6]
- 40th Air Refueling Squadron
- Constituted as the
40th Air Refueling Squadron
, Medium on 18 June 1952
- Activated on 8 July 1952
- Discontinued on 15 March 1963
- Consolidated with the
540th Bombardment Squadron
on 19 September 1985
[6]
Assignments
[
edit
]
- 383d Bombardment Group, 3 November 1942 ? 1 April 1944
[17]
- 40th Bombardment Wing, 8 July 1952 (attached to 310th Bombardment Wing, 8 September 1952 ? 30 April 1953, detached 1?10 March 1954, 4 May?27 June 1954, 25 June?5 September 1956, c. 1 July?c. 1 October 1957, c. 1 October 1958 ? 10 January 1959)
[7]
[8]
- 310th Bombardment Wing (later 310th Strategic Aerospace Wing), 1 June 1960 ? 15 March 1963
[6]
Stations
[
edit
]
- Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah, 3 November 1942
- Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota, 12 November 1942
- Ainsworth Army Air Field
, Nebraska, 13 December 1942
- Rapid City Army Air Base, South Dakota, 26 April 1943
- Geiger Field
, Washington, 20 June 1943
- Peterson Field, Colorado, c. 26 October 1943 ? 1 April 1944
- Smoky Hill Air Force Base (later Schilling Air Force Base), Kansas, 8 July 1952 ? 15 March 1963
[6]
Aircraft
[
edit
]
- Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1943
- Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943?1944
[17]
- Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, 1953?1964
[7]
Campaigns
[
edit
]
Campaign Streamer
|
Campaign
|
Dates
|
Notes
|
|
American Theater without inscription
|
3 November 1942 ? 1 April 1944
|
540th Bombardment Squadron
[2]
|
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Aircraft was the last C-97 built, originally as Boeing KC-97G-29-BO Stratofreighter, serial 53-3816, upgraded to KC-97G-145-BO. This Aircraft was retired to
Military Aircraft Storage and Disposition Center
on 17 December 1965. It was converted to KC-97L configuration and returned to service in the
Arizona Air National Guard
on 26 March 1970. It was later on the Mexican civil registry as XA-PII operated by
Aero Pacifico
under contract for
Grupo Bimbo
. It was later purchased by the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation to provide spares for its display KC-97 and scrapped.
Baugher, Joe (2 April 2023).
"1953 USAF Serial Numbers"
. Joe Baugher
. Retrieved
23 April
2023
.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Air Force FOIA Electronic Reading Room: 40th Air Refueling Squadron emblem
(search)
- ^
a
b
c
Maurer,
Combat Squadrons
, p. 646
- ^
a
b
Maurer,
Combat Units
, p. 270
- ^
a
b
Craven & Cate, Introduction, p. xxxvi
- ^
Goss, p. 75
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Robertson, Patsy (17 July 2008).
"Draft Lineage and Honors Statement of the 40th Air Refueling Squadron"
. Air Force Historical Research Agency
. Retrieved
29 February
2020
.
(Search)
- ^
a
b
c
Ravenstein, pp. 68?69
- ^
a
b
c
Ravenstein, p. 158-159
- ^
Smith, p. 31
- ^
See
Smith, p. 39
- ^
Narducci, p. 2
- ^
Smith, p. 39
- ^
Narducci, p. 3
- ^
Kipp,
et al
., p. 35
- ^
Kipp.
et al
., p. 52
- ^
Kipp,
et al
., p. 61
- ^
a
b
c
Lineage through 1944 in Maurer,
Combat Squadrons
, p. 646
Bibliography
[
edit
]
This article incorporates
public domain material
from the
Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L, eds. (1955).
The Army Air Forces in World War II
(PDF)
. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
LCCN
48003657
.
OCLC
704158
. Retrieved
17 December
2016
.
- Goss, William A. (1955). "The Organization and its Responsibilities, Chapter 2 The AAF". In Craven, Wesley F.; Cate, James L. (eds.).
The Army Air Forces in World War II
(PDF)
. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
LCCN
48003657
.
OCLC
704158
. Retrieved
17 December
2016
.
- Kipp, Robert; Peake, Lynn; Wolk, Herman.
"Strategic Air Command Operations in the Cuban Crisis of 1962, SAC Historical Study No. 90 (Top Secret NOFORN, FRD, redacted and declassified)"
. Strategic Air Command
. Retrieved
21 November
2014
.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961].
Air Force Combat Units of World War II
(PDF)
(reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
ISBN
0-912799-02-1
.
LCCN
61060979
. Retrieved
17 December
2016
.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969].
Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II
(PDF)
(reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
ISBN
0-405-12194-6
.
LCCN
70605402
.
OCLC
72556
.
- Narducci, Henry M. (1988).
Strategic Air Command and the Alert Program: A Brief History
. Offutt AFB, NE: Office of the Historian, Strategic Air Command
. Retrieved
18 February
2018
.
- Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984).
Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947?1977
(PDF)
. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.
ISBN
0-912799-12-9
. Retrieved
17 December
2016
.
- Smith, Richard K. (1998).
Seventy-Five Years of Inflight Refueling: Highlights, 1923?1998
(PDF)
. Air Force History and Museums Program. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office
. Retrieved
17 December
2016
.
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