| 320th Refueling Squadron | |
|---|---|
 320th Air Refueling Squadron BoeingKC-97G Stratotanker 53–131 atThule AB, Greenland, 1953. | |
| Active | 1943–1945; 1952–1962 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Aerial refueling |
| Engagements | European theater of World War II |
| Decorations | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| Patch showing 320th Refueling Squadron Emblem |  |
The320th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the22d Bombardment Wing atMarch AFB, California, where it was inactivated on 15 September 1962.
Thesquadron had its roots duringWorld War II, when the320th Transport Squadron (Cargo & Mail) was activated as anairlift support unit forVIII Air Force Service Command in England. The squadron moved to the continent in the fall of 1944 and became an element of the302d Transport Wing, supporting combat and occupation forces until it was inactivated in the fall of 1945.
The320th Air Refueling Squadron was activated in the fall of 1952 to replace the inactivating106th Air Refueling Squadron at March AFB. It continued to provide refueling support throughout theBoeing B-47 Stratojet and the earlyBoeing B-52 Stratofortress era at March. It was inactivated whenStrategic Air Command dispersed its B-52s to make it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike. This reduced the need for tankers at March to a single squadron, the22d Air Refueling Squadron, and the 320th was inactivated.
The squadrons were consolidated in 1985, but have not been active since consolidation.
Thesquadron had its roots duringWorld War II, when the321st Transport Squadron was one of five squadrons activated in November 1943 and assigned to the27th Air Transport Group.[1] The 321st was anairlift support unit forVIII Air Force Service Command in England. It initially provided air transport andlogistics support within the British Isles.[2] The squadron moved to France in the fall of 1944 and became an element of the302d Transport Wing, supporting combat andoccupation forces until it was inactivated in the fall of 1945.[3]
The320th Air Refueling Squadron had its origins when the106th Air Refueling Squadron[a] was activated byStrategic Air Command (SAC) in 1952 atMarch Air Force Base, California. The 106th was constituted on 18 June and activated on 8 July to serve as theair refueling element of the106th Bombardment Wing. The 106th wing was alight bomber unit of theNew York Air National Guard that had been called to active duty because of theKorean War, but had been converted to aBoeing B-29 Superfortress wing and filled out by SAC with regular units.[4][b] The squadron was short-lived, for on 1 December the 106th wing and its102d and114th Bombardment Squadrons were relieved from active duty and replaced by the320th Bombardment Wing.[5] The remaining operational units of the 106th wing, including the 106th Air Refueling Squadron, were inactivated.[4]
The320th Air Refueling Squadron assumed the mission, personnel, andBoeing KC-97 Stratofreighter aircraft of the 106th. The following year the 320th Wing converted from B-29s toBoeing B-47 Stratojets. The squadron conducted multiple deployments from 1954 to 1958, including wing deployments toRAF Brize Norton in 1954 and toAnderson Air Force Base in 1956–1957.[5] In addition to wing deployments, the squadron deployed to forward locations likeThule Air Base, Greenland[6] andElmendorf[7] andEielson Air Force Bases, Alaska.[8] In 1958 the squadron won the Frank Ellis Trophy as the best air refueling squadron inFifteenth Air Force and also earned anAir Force Outstanding Unit Award.[9][10]
In June 1960 the 320th Bombardment Wing inactivated and the squadron was transferred to the22d Bombardment Wing at March.[11] By 1962 the 22d was preparing to transition from B-47s toBoeing B-52 Stratofortress aircraft. This eliminated the need for two refueling squadrons at March and the 320th was inactivated on 15 September 1962.
The320th Transport Squadron and the320th Air Refueling Squadron were consolidated in 1985 but have not been active since then.[12]
320th Transport Squadron
| 320th Air Refueling Squadron
|
| Award streamer | Award | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Air Force Outstanding Unit Award | 1 January 1958-15 January 1959 | 320th Air Refueling Squadron[10] |
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Service in EAME only | 1 November 1943 – 21 May 1945 | 320th Transport Squadron |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
| Leadership |  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure |
| ||||||||||
| Personnel and training | |||||||||||
| Uniforms and equipment | |||||||||||
| History and traditions |
| ||||||||||
