| 42d Air Refueling Squadron | |
|---|---|
.jpg) SquadronKC-135A Stratotanker | |
| Active | 1942–1944; 1955–1994 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Aerial refueling |
| Mottos | Ready Willing (&) Able |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 42d Air Refueling Squadron emblem[a][1] |  |
| Patch with 42d Air Refueling Squadron emblem(early) |  |
The42d Air Refueling Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the42d Bombardment Wing atLoring Air Force Base, Maine, where it was inactivated on 30 April 1994.
Thesquadron's earliest predecessor was the542d Bombardment Squadron, which served as aheavy bomber training unit duringWorld War II and was inactivated in a general reorganization ofArmy Air Forces training units in 1944.
The42d Air Refueling Squadron was activated in 1955 at Loring. Although initially equipped withBoeing KC-97 Stratofreighters, it soon reequipped withBoeing KC-135 Stratotankers. It provided worldwide refueling until inactivated in 1994 as Loring was closed.
The first predecessor of the squadron was the542d Bombardment Squadron, which was activated atSalt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah as one of the four original squadrons of the383d Bombardment Group. Itscadre moved toRapid City Army Air Base a little over a week later, where it began to equip as aBoeing B-17 Flying FortressOperational 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 toPeterson Field, Colorado, where it flewConsolidated B-24 Liberator and changed its mission to become aReplacement Training Unit (RTU). Like OTUs, RTUs were oversized units, but their mission was to train individualaircrews.[4] However, the AAF was finding that standard military units like the 542d, which were based on relatively inflexibletables 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.
The42d Air Refueling Squadron was activated atLimestone Air Force Base on 18 January 1955 and assigned to the42d Bombardment Wing. Although designated as a heavy squadron, it was equipped withBoeing KC-97 Stratofreighters. The squadron received its first KC-97 in February and was fully equipped by the end of the following month. When it was activated, its parentwing was equipped with theConvair B-36 Peacemaker, which did not have anair refueling capability, so it focused on providing refueling support for otherStrategic Air Command (SAC) units. SAC had begun to include refueling in its war plans,[6] and the squadron frequently deployed its tankers to forward locations, or deployed as a squadron , placing it ahead of the fasterBoeing B-47 Stratojets it would refuel, and on their programmed route.[7] It deployed toThule Air Base, Greenland;Sidi Slimane Air Base, French Morocco; andErnest Harmon andGoose Air Bases, Labrador.[1]
In August 1957, the squadron became nonoperational, as it began transferring its KC-97s to other units. The arrival of replacementBoeing KC-135 Stratotankers, originally scheduled for August was delayed. The first of the new planes did not arrive until October, and the squadron did not reach full strength until April 1958 and did not become combat ready until May.[1] Thebomber squadrons of the 42d Wing had begun to equip withBoeing B-52 Stratofortress aircraft, and the KC-135 could deliver twice the amount of fuel to the B-52 without the fuel consumption caused by the descent and climb required to refuel with the KC-97.[8] In June 1958, squadron planes began standingalert.[1] The percentage of SAC planes on alert gradually grew over the next two years.[9] Starting in 1960, one third of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen minute alert, fully fueled to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962.[10]
Soon after detection of Soviet missiles in Cuba, On 22 October 1962, 1/8 of SAC's B-52s were placed on airborne alert. SAC placed additional KC-135s on alert to replace KC-135s devoted to maintaining the B-52 bomber force on airborne alert. On 24 October SAC went toDEFCON 2, placing all aircraft on alert.[11] Forward tankers at Loring were organized as a tanker task force. Tanker crews from the 42d flew 214 air refueling missions during the crisis.[1] As tensions eased, on 21 November, SAC returned to normal airborne alert posture and went to DEFCON 3. Dispersed tankers were recalled on 24 November. On 27 November SAC returned to normal alert posture.[12]
In 1965, the squadron began to deploy aircraft and aircrew support forOperation Young Tiger operations in Southeast Asia. This support for other units refueling combat operations in Southeast Asia continued until 1975.[1][13]
On 5 September 1983, members of the 42d escorted a flight ofMcDonnell F-4E Phantom IIs deploying across the Atlantic to a base in Germany. One of the Phantoms experienced failure of one engine, and its second engine began to overheat. It was diverted toGander Airport, Newfoundland, but could not maintain level flight. Crew E-113 managed to connect its boom to the Phantom's refueling receptacle and literally tow the fighter back up to 10,000 feet above sea level. The refueling was further complicated by the partial loss of hydraulics by the fighter, which caused it to fly whileyawing. The tanker refueled the fighter four times at speeds one hundred knots slower than normal refueling speed, with both planes near their stalling speed.[14][15] For its actions, crew E-113 received theMackay Trophy from theNational Aeronautic Association for the most meritorious flight of the year,[16] and the Kalberer Trophy for the "Most Outstanding Single Feat of Military Airmanship" by a SAC crew.[1]
In 1989, the squadron provided crews and tankers to supportOperation Just Cause, the incursion into Panama to replaceManuel Noriega's government. The squadron provided this support while converting from the KC-135A to the KC-135R. The first "R" model KC-135 arrived in May 1989, but the full conversion took around 12 months.[1]
DuringDesert Shield and Desert Storm, the squadron deployed aircrew and tankers toLajes Air Base, Azores, where it provided all aircrew and aircraft for the first three weeks of the operation. It also deployed personnel to France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Diego Garcia.[1]
In September 1991, SAC implemented the Air Force's Objective Wing organization and the squadron was assigned to the newly-formed 42d Operations Group. This assignment would last less than two years. After SAC was disestablished in 1992,Air Mobility Command assumed air refueling operations and the squadron was reassigned to the380th Operations Group. However, the1991 Base Realignment and Closure Commission had recommended the closure of Loring. The last KC-135R left Loring on 2 March 1994,[1] and the squadron inactivated on 30 April.
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 July 1986-30 June 1988[17] | 42d Air Refueling Squadron |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
.png) | American Theater without inscription | 3 November 1942 – 1 April 1944 | 542d Bombardment Squadron[2] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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