308th Air Refueling Squadron
Strategic Air CommandKC-97 Stratofreighters
Active	1942–1944, 1945–1946, 1953–1960
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Air refueling
Motto	Extendere Potentia (Latin for 'Extend Power')
Decorations	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
308th Air Refueling Squadron emblem
318th Bombardment Squadron emblem[a]

The308th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. It was stationed atHunter Air Force Base, Georgia, where it conductedair refueling operations from 1953 to 1960. It earned anAir Force Outstanding Unit Award for participating in a test ofground alert forStrategic Air Command.

The first predecessor of thesquadron was the318th Bombardment Squadron, which served as anOperational Training Unit and later as aReplacement Training Unit from 1942 until 1944, when it was disbanded in a general reorganization ofArmy Air Forces training and support units in the United States. In 1945, the squadron's second predecessor, the8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was activated as a demonstration unit for air ground support exercises. It was inactivated the following year. In 1985, these squadrons were consolidated into a single unit.

The first predecessor of thesquadron was activated atSalt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah in July 1942 as the318th Bombardment Squadron, one of the four squadrons of the88th Bombardment Group.^[1][2] In September, the squadron moved toGeiger Field, Washington,^[1] where it began to receive its initial manning andBoeing B-17 Flying Fortresses.^[2] The following month, it moved toRapid City Army Air Field, South Dakota, where it began operating as anOperational Training Unit (OTU).^[1] The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to providecadres to "satellite groups"^[3] The OTU program was patterned after the unit training system of theRoyal Air Force. The parent unit assumed responsibility for satellite unit training and oversaw their expansion with graduates ofArmy Air Forces Training Command schools to become effective combat units.^[4][5] Phase I training concentrated on individual training increwmember specialties. Phase II training emphasized the coordination for the crew to act as a team. The final phase concentrated on operation as a unit.^[6]

The squadron's time as an OTU was brief, for in November it moved toWalla Walla Army Air Field, Washington, where it became aReplacement Training Unit (RTU). Like OTUs, RTUs were oversized units, but their mission was to train individualpilots oraircrews.^[3] In November 1943, as Second Air Force prepared to concentrate onBoeing B-29 Superfortress training, the squadron moved toAvon Park Army Air Field, Florida,^[1] where it became part ofThird Air Force.^[2] However, standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving not well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, theArmy Air Forces adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.^[7] In this reorganization the 318th was replaced along with other units at Avon Park by the 325th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training, Bombardment, Heavy) and was inactivated.^[1][8][9]

This unit is not the same unit as the8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, which is currently active as the 8th Flying Training Squadron.

Shortly before the end ofWorld War II, in July 1945, the squadron's second predecessor, the8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was activated atStuttgart Army Air Field, Arkansas and assigned to the74th Tactical Reconnaissance Group. The squadron was equipped withCurtiss P-40 Warhawks and both theNorth American P-51 and F-6 models of the Mustang, It served as a demonstrationunit forair ground support exercises in the early postwar era.^[10] In November 1945, the 74th Group was inactivated^[11] and the squadron was reassigned to the69th Reconnaissance Group, which moved to Stuttgart on paper and absorbed the 74th's resources.^[10][12] The squadron moved toBrooks Field with the 69th Group^[12] in December and was inactivated there in February 1946. It was disbanded in October 1948.^[10]

The308th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium was activated in July 1953 atHunter Air Force Base, Georgia to provideair refueling, primarily for theBoeing B-47 Stratojet aircraft of its parent308th Bombardment Wing usingBoeing KC-97 Stratofreighters.^[13] In 1954, the squadron refueled wing B-47s on a nonstop simulated attack on a target in Europe from its home base. For this operation, the 308th Wing was awarded theMacKay Trophy.^[14]

The squadron conducted several deployments in the early 1950s, deploying detachments toSidi Slimane andBen Guerir Air Bases, Morocco,^[15] and as a unit to Sidi Slimane from August to September 1956. Between 1 June and 24 June 1954, it deployed toGoose Air Base, Newfoundland to augment the40th Air Refueling Squadron.^[16] It also gave air refueling support to otherStrategic Air Command wings deploying to overseas bases.^[17]

Concerned by the threat of a surprise attack by the Soviet Union,Strategic Air Command conducted Operation Try Out at Hunter starting in November 1956 and continuing through March 1957.^[18] In this test ofalert operations, the squadron maintained one third of its aircraft on alert.^[19] The squadron earned anAir Force Outstanding Unit Award for its performance in this test.^[20] Following the operation's success, the squadron began maintaining aircraft on alert starting in October 1957.^[18] In 1959 the 308th was reassigned to the2d Bombardment Wing at Hunter when the308th Bombardment Wing became non-operational.^[19] It was discontinued in March 1960.^[21]

The three units were consolidated in 1985 as the308th Air Refueling Squadron but have not been active since.^[21]

318th Bombardment Squadron

• Constituted as the318th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942

Activated on 15 June 1942

Inactivated on 1 May 1944^[22]

• Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and308th Air Refueling Squadron as308th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy^[21] (remained inactive)

8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron

• Constituted as the8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on 30 June 1945

Activated on 15 July 1945

Inactivated on 3 February 1946

• Disbanded on 8 October 1948^[23]
• Reconstituted on 19 September 1985 and consolidated with308th Air Refueling Squadron and318th Bombardment Squadron as308th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy^[21] (remained inactive)

308th Air Refueling Squadron

• Constituted as the308th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium on 15 April 1953^[24]

Activated on 8 July 1953^[13]

Inactivated on 1 March 1960^[21]

• Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron and318th Bombardment Squadron as308th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy^[21] (remained inactive)

• 88th Bombardment Group, 15 July 1942 – 1 May 1944^[1]
• 74th Tactical Reconnaissance Group, 15 July 1945^[10]
• 69th Reconnaissance Group, 7 November 1945 – 3 February 1946^[10]
• 308th Bombardment Wing, 8 July 1953 (detached 1–21 June 1954, 5 January – 4 March 1956, 2 April – 2 July 1958)^[19]
• 38th Air Division, 15 June 1959^{[citation needed]}
• 2d Bombardment Wing, 1 July 1959 – 1 March 1960^[25]

Award streamer	Award	Dates	Notes
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 November 1956 – 1 February 1957	308th Air Refueling Squadron[20]

Campaign Streamer	Campaign	Dates	Notes
	American Theater without inscription	15 June 1942 – 1 May 1944	318th Bombardment Squadron[1]

• List of United States Air Force air refueling squadrons
• B-17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces

Explanatory notes

Citations

 This article incorporatespublic 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. Retrieved17 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. Retrieved17 December 2016.
  • Greer, Thomas H. (1955). "Recruitment and Training, Chapter 18 Combat Crew and Unit Training". 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. Retrieved17 December 2016.
• 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. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 15 January 2021.
• 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. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 20 December 2016.
• Narducci, Henry M. (1988).Strategic Air Command and the Alert Program: A Brief History. Offutt AFB, NE: Office of the Historian, Strategic Air Command. Retrieved18 February 2018.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984).Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947–1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History.ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
• "AF Pamphlet 900-2, Unit Decorations, Awards and Campaign Participation Credits"(PDF). Washington, DC: Department of the Air Force Index. 15 June 1971. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 4 August 2015. Retrieved17 July 2024. (renumbered AF Pamphlet 36-2801, Vol. I)

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• Military units and formations established in 1953
• Units and formations of Strategic Air Command

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