| 68th Air Refueling Squadron | |
|---|---|
 KC-135A Stratotanker in Strategic Air Command markings | |
| Active | 1942–1944; 1952; 1953–1965 |
| Country |  United States |
| Branch |  United States Air Force |
| Role | Aerial refueling |
| Motto | Around the World Around the Clock |
| Insignia | |
| Patch with 68th Air Refueling Squadron emblem |  |
The68th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactiveUnited States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the305th Bombardment Wing atBunker Hill Air Force Base, Indiana, where it was inactivated on 25 March 1965.
The earliest predecessor of the squadron was the468th Bombardment Squadron, which served as aheavy bomber training unit until it was inactivated in a reorganization ofUnited States Army Air Forces units in the United States designed to conserve manpower needed in the overseas theaters.
The68th Air Refueling Squadron served withStrategic Air Command to extend the range of bombers assigned to the command as needed to perform their worldwide mission. It was discontinued in 1965 and its mission, personnel and equipment were transferred to the305th Air Refueling Squadron. In 1985 the squadron was consolidated with the468th Bombardment Squadron, but has not been active since then.
The468th Bombardment Squadron was activated on 15 July 1942 atSalt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah as one of the four original squadrons of the333d Bombardment Group.[1][2][3][a] In August, it began operating as anOperational Training Unit (OTU) forConsolidated B-24 Liberator units atTopeka Army Air Base. The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to providecadres to "satellite groups"[4] The OTU program was patterned after the unit training system of theRoyal Air Force. The parent assumed responsibility for satellite unit training and oversaw their expansion with graduates ofArmy Air Forces Training Command schools to become effective combat units.[5][6] 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.[7]
In February 1943, the squadron moved toDalhart Army Air Field, Texas. However, many of theArmy Air Forces' (AAF) bomber units had been activated. With the exception of special programs, like formingBoeing B-29 Superfortress units, training “fillers” for existing units became more important than unit training.[8] The squadron mission changed to becoming aReplacement Training Unit (RTU). RTUs were also oversized units, but their mission was to train individualpilots oraircrews.[9] It continued this mission through November 1943.[1]
The AAF was finding that standard military units like the 468th, whose manning was based on relatively inflexibletables of organization were proving not well adapted to the training mission, even more so to the replacement mission. Accordingly, theArmy Air Forces adopted a more functional system in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit.[10] The 467th and its parent group were inactivated in 1944 and replaced by the232d Army Air Forces Base Unit (Development, Heavy) asDalhart Army Air Field prepared to transition toBoeing B-29 Superfortress training.[11]
The68th Air Refueling Squadron was activated briefly in 1952 as aStrategic Air Command (SAC)air refueling squadron, but was apparently not manned before being inactivated seven weeks later.[12] It was reactivated toward the end of 1953 atLake Charles Air Force Base and equipped withBoeing KC-97 Stratofreighter aircraft to support theBoeing B-47 Stratojetmedium bombers of the68th Bombardment Wing. In September 1957, the squadron moved toBunker Hill Air Force Base when SAC assumed responsibility for the base fromTactical Air Command. It was the first operational SAC unit at Bunker Hill.[13]
In 1959 the squadron upgraded to the jetBoeing KC-135 Stratotanker in anticipation of the arrival of the305th Bombardment Wing at Bunker Hill and the wing's conversion from B-47s to theConvair B-58 Hustler.[14] The squadron was inactivated in 1965 and replaced by the305th Air Refueling Squadron, which assumed its mission, personnel, and equipment.[15]
On 19 September 1985 the68th Air Refueling Squadron was consolidated with the468th Bombardment Squadron. The consolidated unit retains the designation of68th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy.[16]
468th Bombardment Squadron
68th Air Refueling Squadron
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
.png) | American Theater without inscription | 15 July 1942–1 April 1944 | [1] |
This article incorporatespublic domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
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