314th_Air_Refueling_Squadron Knowpia

314th Air Refueling Squadron
314th Air Refueling Squadron
	KC-135R as flown by the squadron
Active	1943–1946 1949–1951 1952–2009; 2016–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Air refueling
Part of	Air Force Reserve Command
Garrison/HQ	Beale Air Force Base
Motto(s)	Strength and Persistence
Mascot(s)	Pegasus Burro ("PegBur")
Engagements	European Theater of Operations; Operation Noble Anvil; Desert Storm
Decorations	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award; Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm
Insignia
314th Air Refueling Squadron emblem (approved 28 September 1961)

The 314th Air Refueling Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit within the Air Force Reserve Command. It is currently assigned to the 940th Air Refueling Wing, based at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 1 July 2009 and reactivated on 1 June 2016.^[3]

Mission edit

It operates the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions.

History edit

World War II edit

Activated in late 1943 as a Douglas C-47 Skytrain troop carrier squadron, trained under I Troop Carrier Command in the United States. Was not deployed until the spring of 1945 to England, being assigned to the IX Troop Carrier Command. Was not used in combat operations, however did transport supplies and equipment to the front-line ground forces primarily into Germany and evacuated casualties to rear areas. Returned to the United States in September 1945 and was a transport squadron for Continental Air Forces until its inactivation in September 1946.

Reserve troop carrier operations edit

It trained in the reserve for troop carrier missions from, 1949–1951, for fighter-bomber missions from, 1952–1957, and resumed its current role as an airlift squadron in 1957 until 1976.^[2]

Reserve air refueling operations edit

The squadron has performed air refueling missions worldwide since 1977 and maintained an alert responsibility for Strategic Air Command until the command's inactivation in June 1992. It deployed aircraft and personnel to Saudi Arabia and European locations in support of the Gulf War and later contingency operations in Somalia and the Balkans.^[2]

The squadron was inactivated in 2009 pursuant to 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission action that eliminated the 940th Air Refueling Wing's KC-135 flying mission and redesignated it as the 940th Wing as an associate unit to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing in support of RQ-4 Global Hawk remotely piloted (e.g., unmanned) aircraft operations. In 2016, the wing returned to its former designation as an air refueling wing and reacquired its manned flying mission and KC-135R aircraft, with the reactivation of the squadron occurring the same year.^[2]

Lineage edit

Constituted as the 314th Troop Carrier Squadron on 23 October 1943

Activated on 1 November 1943

Inactivated on 31 July 1946

Redesignated '314th Troop Carrier Squadron'[, Medium on 10 May 1949

Activated in the reserve on 27 June 1949

Ordered to active service on 1 April 1951

Inactivated on 2 April 1951

Redesignated 314th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 26 May 1952

Activated in the reserve on 13 June 1952

Redesignated 314th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 1 September 1957

Ordered to active service on 28 October 1962

Released from active service on 28 November 1962

Redesignated 314th Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy on 1 April 1965

Redesignated 314th Air Transport Squadron, Heavy on 1 December 1965

Redesignated 314th Military Airlift Squadron on 1 January 1966

Redesignated 314th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 April 1972

Redesignated 314th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 1 January 1977

Redesignated 314th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 February 1992

Inactivated on 1 July 2009

Activated 29 April 2016^[2]

Assignments edit

349th Troop Carrier Group, 1 November 1943 – 31 July 1946
349th Troop Carrier Group, 27 June 1949 – 2 April 1951
349th Fighter-Bomber Group (later 349th Troop Carrier Group), 13 June 1952
349th Troop Carrier Wing, 14 April 1959
940th Troop Carrier Group (later 940th Air Transport Group, 940th Military Airlift Group, 940th Tactical Airlift Group, 940th Air Refueling Group), 11 February 1963
940th Operations Group, 1 August 1992 – 1 July 2009
940th Operations Group, 29 April 2016 – present^[2]

Stations edit

Sedalia Army Air Field, Missouri, 1 November 1943
Alliance Army Air Field, Nebraska, 20 January 1944
Pope Field, North Carolina, 11 March 1944
Baer Field, Indiana, 7–15 March 1945
RAF Barkston Heath (AAF-483), England, 30 March 1945
Roye-Amy Airfield (A-73), France, 18 April – 13 July 1945

Bergstrom Field, Texas, 17 September 1945 – 7 September 1946
Hamilton Air Force Base, California, 27 June 1949 – 2 Apr 1951
Hamilton Air Force Base, California, 13 June 1952
Hill Air Force Base, Utah, 14 October 1955
Mather Air Force Base, California, 1 January 1977
McClellan Air Force Base, California, 1 July 1993
Beale Air Force Base, California, 1 October 1997 – 1 July 2009, 19 April 2016 - present

Aircraft edit

Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (1943–1944)
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (1943–1944, 1945–1946)
Curtiss C-46 Commando (1944–1946, 1949–1951, 1952–1958)
Waco CG-4 (1944 – c. 1946)
Consolidated C-109 Liberator Express (1945)
North American T-6 Texan (1949–1950, 1952–1954)
Beechcraft T-7 Navigator (1949–1951)
Beechcraft T-11 Kansan (1949–1951)
North American T-28 Trojan (1953–1956)
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar (1958–1965)
Douglas C-124 Globemaster II (1965–1972)
Lockheed C-130 Hercules (1972–1975)
Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (1976–2009, 2016–present)^[2]

References edit

Notes

^ Hauser, Denise (10 January 2018). "History returns to the 940th Air Refueling Wing". 940th Air Refueling Wing. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Bailey, Carl E. (10 June 2013). "Factsheet 314 Air Refueling Squadron (AFRC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
^ Staff writer, no byline (22 July 2016). "KC-135 tanker mission returns to Beale". Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs. Retrieved 18 January 2017.

Bibliography edit

This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

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. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
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.