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| 43rd Air Refueling Squadron (later 43rd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron) | |
|---|---|
 43d Air Refueling Squadron KB-29M Superfortresses refueling48th Fighter WingF-84G Thunderjets over the Philippines, 1953. | |
| Active | 1942–1943; 1948–1995 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Aerial refueling |
| Motto | First Global Refuelers |
| Insignia | |
| Patch with 43d Air Refueling Squadron emblem |  |
| Patch with early 43rd Air Refueling Squadron emblem |  |
The43d Air Refueling Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the92nd Bombardment Wing, stationed atFairchild AFB,Washington. It was inactivated in 1995.
Activated on 17 August 1942, the43d Ferrying Squadron did not become operational atAccra Airport, British Gold Coast (now Ghana), Africa, until 4 December. As a unit of the 12th Ferrying Group, originally associated with theAir Corps Ferrying Command and the South Atlantic Ferry Route, the 43d delivered combat and transport aircraft to British forces in the Middle East and later to U.S. forces in North Africa, but its major task was the transport of high priority cargo and personnel within the theater and as far east asKarachi, India (now Pakistan). Redesignated43d Transport Squadron in March 1943, it disbanded on 30 September 1943 during a reorganization ofAir Transport Command units in North Africa.
One of two refueling squadrons that theStrategic Air Command (SAC) activated on 12 July 1948, the43d Air Refueling Squadron, Medium, was the USAF's firstair refueling unit.
Thesquadron began operations in January 1949, flyingKB-29M Superfortress tanker aircraft fromDavis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The squadron refueled B-50s using the looped method developed by the British. In February 1949 supported the circumnavigation flight of the "Lucky Lady II", the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world. During theKorean War, the 43d sent aircrews toFar East Air Forces to refuel fighter aircraft, at that time an experimental procedure. Deployed 21 March-5 June 1953 toRAF Lakenheath,England. In 1953, the 43d AREFS completed transition to new aircraft, theBoeing KC-97 Stratofreighter, equipped with the recently developed Boeing flying boom. Deployed 18 September-9 December 1954 toRAF Fairford, England.
While the 43d was still at Davis-Monthan, a new wing was being organized atLarson Air Force Base, Washington. Headquarters,4170th Strategic Wing was organized and established at Larson on 1 July 1959 under the command of Lt Colonel Robert R. Johnston. Assisted by one master sergeant, the colonel's job was to pave the way for SAC's assumption of command of the base on 1 January 1960. The 4170th Wing was activated on 1 January 1960, with maintenance, support and medical units. Also on this date command of Larson was taken fromMilitary Air Transport Service's62nd Troop Carrier Wing. The 4170th Strategic Wing was a heavy bombardment organization to be equipped withBoeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers,Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker jet tankers and theHGM-25A Titan Iintercontinental ballistic missiles at a later date. On 8 April 1960, Colonel Everett W. Best assumed command of the Wing. Under the command of Colonel Best, the 4170th SW became a functional unit of the Strategic Air Command on 13 July 1960 upon assignment of the327th Bombardment Squadron's crews and aircraft. The 43d Air Refueling Squadron was assigned to the 4170th on 15 November 1960 and changed its suffix from "Medium" to "Heavy" in preparation for transition to the KC-135A. The 43d flew its last KC-97 mission in October 1960. The first crews of the 43d arrived on 19 March 1961 from Davis-Monthan, and the first of the KC-135's arrived on 24 March 1961.
With this new aircraft, 43d aircrews over the next few years refueled aircraft virtually everywhere in the world. Aircraft and crews deployed temporarily toGuam, Alaska, Greenland, Spain, England, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. Colonel David A. Tate assumed command of the 4170th Strategic Wing in November 1961 and, on 1 February 1963, when the wing was redesignated the462nd Strategic Aerospace Wing, Colonel Tate became the commander of the newly designated unit. The redesignation of the wing was part of the Air Force's program to honor former units with outstanding combat records. In August 1964, 43d aircrews deployed toClark Air Base, Philippines, to begin supporting combat inSoutheast Asia. Before terminating this refueling support in December 1975, the 43d AREFS dedicated substantial resources to theVietnam War.
Colonel Alex W. Talmant assumed command of the 462nd Strategic Aerospace Wing upon the retirement of Colonel Tate on 31 July 1965. Under his command Larson was scheduled to be closed on 30 June 1966, with wing phase out scheduled to be complete by 25 June 1966.
On 2 April 1966, the 43d moved from Larson toFairchild Air Force Base, Washington. In May–June 1980, the explosive volcanic eruption ofMount St. Helens forced the suspension of operations from Fairchild for a month, but the 43d operated four tankers each fromBeale andTravis Air Force Bases, California. Once again, from 7 May to 8 August 1983, the squadron left Fairchild, deploying to Grant County Airport (the former Larson Air Force Base), while the Fairchild runway was repaired.
It was inactivated in 1995 as part of phasedown of USAF after the end of theCold War.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency| Leadership |  | ||||||||||
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