| 126th Air Refueling Squadron | |
|---|---|
 126th Air Refueling Squadron – KC-135R 63-8029 | |
| Active | 1940–1942; 1943–1945; 1947–1952; 1952–present |
| Country |  United States |
| Allegiance |  Wisconsin |
| Branch |  Air National Guard |
| Type | Squadron |
| Role | Aerial refueling |
| Part of | Wisconsin Air National Guard |
| Garrison/HQ | General Mitchell Air National Guard Base, Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Engagements | Antisubmarine CampaignEuropean Theater of Operations |
| Insignia | |
| 126th Air Refueling Squadron emblem(Approved 3 April 1954)[1] |  |
| 34th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron emblem |  |
| Tail Stripe | Red with "Wisconsin" in white letters |
The126th Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the128th Air Refueling Wing of theWisconsin Air National Guard stationed atGeneral Mitchell Air National Guard Base, Wisconsin. The 126th is equipped with theKC-135R Stratotanker.
The squadron was first organized in theWisconsin National Guard as the126th Observation Squadron in 1940. It is one of 29 National Guard Observation Squadrons formed beforeWorld War II.
Thesquadron was first organized as the126th Observation Squadron in November 1940 as part of the build-up of the United States military after theFall of France. The 126th trained forreconnaissance with theWisconsin National Guard. The squadron was called to active service in June 1941 and moved toHyannis Army Air Field, Massachusetts. After theJapanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron performedantisubmarine patrols off theNew England coast, using a variety of single engine observation aircraft. In October 1942, as two and four enginebombers took over more of the antisubmarine mission, the squadron moved toBirmingham Army Air Field, Alabama, where it was inactivated and its personnel dispersed to other units.[1]
The squadron was reactivated atFort Myers Army Air Field, Florida as part ofThird Air Force in March 1943 and initially trained, as the126th Reconnaissance Squadron to be a tactical reconnaissance squadron. In August, its mission changed to photographic reconnaissance and it was redesignated the34th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron and converted to theLockheed P-38 Lightning high speed reconnaissance aircraft.[1] The unit deployed to theEuropean Theater of Operations, where it became part ofNinth Air Force in England. The squadron performed aerial reconnaissance of enemy-held territory in Occupied Europe prior to the Normandy Invasion. It supportedOperation Overlord, the Normandy invasion in June 1944 by performing visual and photographic reconnaissance of bridges, artillery, road and railway junctions, traffic centers, airfields, and other targets.
The squadron moved to France in August 1944, aiding theUnited States Third Army and other Allied organizations in the liberation of France and the battle to breach theSiegfried Line by flying reconnaissance missions in the combat zone. It flew reconnaissance missions over Germany from January 1945 toV-E Day, assisting the advance of Third Army across the Rhine, to Czechoslovakia and into Austria. It had moved forward toFürth Airfield, Germany by the time hostilities ended. It then became part of theUnited States Air Forces in Europe and part of theoccupation forces in Germany and was inactivated at Fürth in November 1945.[1]
The wartime 34th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron was redesignated the126th Fighter Squadron and allotted to theNational Guard on 24 May 1946. It was organized atGeneral Mitchell Field, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and extended federal recognition on 25 June 1947. The squadron was assigned to the newly formed128th Fighter Group and equipped withNorth American F-51D Mustangs.
The squadron upgraded toLockheed F-80A Shooting Star jet aircraft in 1949. The squadron was federalized during theKorean War on 1 March 1951 and Was redesignated the126th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron the following day. The 126th moved toTruax Field, Madison where it flewair defense missions. In February 1952. As part of a majorAir Defense Command (ADC) reorganization that replaced its fighter wings with regional air defense wings, responding to ADC's difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying fighter squadrons to best advantage, the squadron's parent 128th Fighter-Interceptor Group was inactivated and the squadron was reassigned to the31st Air Division.[2] In April, the unit converted toNorth American F-86 Sabres and flew them until it was released from active duty and inactivated on 1 December 1952.[3]
The squadron was activated in theWisconsin Air National Guard the same day and began to equip with the earlier F-86A model of the Sabre. It continued its air defense mission though the 1950s, being upgraded toradar equippedNorthrop F-89 Scorpion interceptors in 1954. Its initial equipment was the 20mm cannon armed F-89C, but in 1960 it upgraded to the F-89J, which was armed with theAIR-2 Genie and equipped withdata link or interception control through theSemi-Automatic Ground Environment system.
The squadron was designated the126th Air Refueling Squadron and, along with its parent group, equipped withBoeing KC-97 Stratofreighters. The 126th was the first Air National Guard tanker unit to become fully operational. This occurred in December 1963. The squadron participated in a historic operation in a foreign land, when on 2 June 1967, members of the squadron and its support units deployed for a sustained period of time without being mustered into federal service. The 126th, along with four other Air National Guard refueling units, stationed a contingent of KC-97s atRhein-Main Air Base, West Germany. European deployments, designated Operation Creek Party, were destined to last for 10 years.
In 1976, the squadron began conversion to theBoeing KC-135 Stratotankers, a newer and faster jet tanker. On 4 October 1976, the 126th completed its first mission with the new aircraft and became fully operational with the KC-135 on 2 December 1977. In January 1979 the unit began a 24-hour-per-dayStrategic Air Command (SAC) alert commitment. This commitment would be maintained for the next 12 years until PresidentBush ended the SAC alert in 1991.
In 1982 the unit converted to a newer model of the Stratotanke, the KC-135E, with more fuel efficient turbofan engines. In April 1983 the 126th Air Refueling Squadron was involved in the Pacific Tanker Task Force, with flights toGuam,South Korea and Australia. In the spring of 1984 the unit participated in Operation Coronet Giant, an exercise which entailed a direct flight from the United States to West Germany by 12Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II attack fighters, refueled along the way by three squadron KC-135s. The route spanned 3600 miles, and was the largest mission of this type undertaken by a National Guard force to date. On 21 March 1986 a unit aircraft departedFargo, North Dakota, with 40 civilian VIP's on board forTempelhof Central Airport inWest Berlin. This was the first Air National Guard flight transporting civilians outside the Continental United States, and was also the first KC-135 authorized to fly into West Berlin through theBerlin Corridors.
DuringOperation Desert Shield, the squadron was partially activated on 20 December 1990. All aircraft, aircrews and a number of support personnel were dispatched toCairo West Air Base, Egypt between 27 and 29 December 1990. They became the basis for the 1706th Air Refueling Wing (Provisional). Other unit personnel were mobilized to replace troops sent forward or for other overseas destinations.
Three aircraft and 47 volunteer guard members departed forMoron Air Base, Spain on 28 December 1992 in support ofOperation Restore Hope, a humanitarian mission to restore order and provide food and medical supplies toSomalia. At Moron the planes became part of the Moron Tanker Task Force. Over 16 million pounds of fuel were unloaded during the deployment.
During a 24 February 1994 trip to theAzores the unit performed its first "roller mission." Steel rollers were placed on the floor of squadron aircraft making to facilitate loading and unloading cargo. The KC-135 always had a dual mission; refueling and transport, but this modification improved the KC-135's cargo handling capability. On this flight squadron aircraft refueled aNorthrop Grumman B-2 Spirit stealth bomber and aBoeing C-17 Globemaster III for the first time.
During July 1996 squadron members deployed toPisa Airport, Italy forOperation Decisive Endeavor, the American contribution to theUnited Nations peace enforcement force in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Over 5,500 personnel from 13 NATO countries formed the Implementation Force (IFOR) air component. Unit members performed deployment rotations from 1 July to 3 August 1996. The 126th had the opportunity to work with tanker units from Mississippi and Nebraska, along with theItalian Air Force.
On 30 April 1999, the 126th Squadron was called to active duty due to the crisis inKosovo. PresidentClinton authorized the call for 33,000 reserve personnel to be placed on active duty for up to 270 days. The squadron and elements of the117th Air Refueling Wing of the Alabama Air National Guard deployed together to Europe to supportOperation Allied Force, theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization military operation against Serbian forces in Kosovo.
Following the terrorist attacks on the United States the squadron was tasked to provide air refueling support for fightercombat air patrols over major U.S. cities. DubbedOperation Noble Eagle (ONE), the 126th flew its first ONE mission on 12 September 2001. From September to December 2001, the squadron flew 64 sorties and offloaded over 100,000 pounds of fuel to 156 aircraft. The highest sortie rate occurred in November when fighter combat air patrols occurred every four hours over most of the major U.S. cities. In addition to supporting ONE, the 126th also provided support forOperation Enduring Freedom, deploying aircraft and personnel to Spain to support combat air operations from late September 2001 until the spring of 2002. In 2004, it deployed eight aircraft and 204 personnel toIstres-Le Tubé Air Base, France in support ofOperation Joint Forge, aimed at maintaining stability in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
KC-135
57-1431(E) (Jul'92); 59-1461(R) (Nov'14/Feb'16); 59-1516(R) (Feb'16); 61-0298(R) (Nov'14)
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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