The 98th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

unit. Its last assignment was with the 92d Operations Group at

Fairchild Air Force Base Fairchild Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base, located in the northwest United States in eastern Washington, approximately southwest of Spokane. The host unit at Fairchild is the 92nd Air Refueling Wing (92 ARW) assigned ...

, Washington, where it was inactivated on 1 July 1998. Two of the squadron's predecessors were formed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

under the name 398th Bombardment Squadron. The first was a

Third Air Force The Third Air Force (Air Forces Europe) (3 AF) is a Numbered Air Force, numbered air force of the United States Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFAFRICA). Its headquarters is Ramstein Air Base, Germany. It is responsible for all U ...

medium bomber

Operational Training Unit Royal Air Force Operational Training Units (OTUs) were training units that prepared aircrew for operations on a particular type or types of aircraft or roles. OTUs ;No. 1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit RAF (1 (C)OTU): The Unit was formed i ...

, which was disbanded when the

Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

reorganized its training units in the spring of 1944. The second was a very heavy operational unit that participated in the strategic bombing campaign against Japan, earning two

Distinguished Unit Citation The Presidential Unit Citation (PUC), originally called the Distinguished Unit Citation, is awarded to units of the uniformed services of the United States, and those of allied countries, for extraordinary heroism in action against an armed e ...

s before inactivating in the Philippines after

V-J Day Victory over Japan Day (also known as V-J Day, Victory in the Pacific Day, or V-P Day) is the day on which Imperial Japan surrendered in World War II, in effect bringing the war to an end. The term has been applied to both of the days on wh ...

. They were consolidated with the 98th in 1985. The 98th Air Refueling Squadron was a

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was a United States Department of Defense Specified Command and a United States Air Force (USAF) Major Command responsible for command and control of the strategic bomber and intercontinental ballistic missile compon ...

tanker unit. It was active twice during the 1950s, then served with

Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling tanker aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave ...

s from 1963 to 1998. It was converted to provisional status as an expeditionary unit in 2002.

History

World War II

Medium bomber operational training unit

Established in January 1942 as

North American B-25 Mitchell The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allies of World War ...

medium bomber

(OTU) for

. Became

Martin B-26 Marauder The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company. First used in ...

OTU in June 1942, also flew antisubmarine patrols over the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

.Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 488

B-29 Superfortress operations against Japan

Reactivated in March 1944 as a

Boeing B-29 Superfortress The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is a retired American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the Bo ...

Very Heavy bombardment squadron. When training was completed moved to

North Field (Tinian) North Field is a World War II airfield on Tinian in the Mariana Islands which was abandoned after the war. A tourist attraction today, some refurbishments for active use have begun in the 2020s. Along with several adjacent beaches on which U.S. ...

in the Mariana Islands of the Central Pacific Area in January 1945 and assigned to

XXI Bomber Command The XXI Bomber Command was a unit of the Twentieth Air Force in the Mariana Islands for strategic bombing during World War II. The command was established at Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Kansas on 1 March 1944. After a period of organization and ...

Twentieth Air Force The Twentieth Air Force (Air Forces Strategic) (20th AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It is headquartered at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. 20 AF's primary mission is Intercon ...

. Its mission was the strategic bombardment of the Japanese Home Islands and the destruction of its war-making capability. Flew "shakedown" missions against Japanese targets on Moen Island, Truk, and other points in the

Caroline Islands The Caroline Islands (or the Carolines) are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically, they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) in the cen ...

and

Marianas The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly Volcano#Dormant and reactivated, dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean ...

. The squadron began combat missions over Japan on 25 February 1945 with a firebombing mission over Northeast Tokyo. The squadron continued to participate in wide area firebombing attack, but the first ten-day blitz resulting in the Army Air Forces running out of incendiary bombs. Until then the squadron flew conventional strategic bombing missions using high explosive bombs. The squadron continued attacking urban areas with incendiary raids until the end of the war in August 1945, attacking major Japanese cities, causing massive destruction of urbanized areas. Also conducted raids against strategic objectives, bombing aircraft factories, chemical plants, oil refineries, and other targets in Japan. The squadron flew its last combat missions on 14 August when hostilities ended. Afterwards, its B 29s carried relief supplies to Allied prisoner of war camps in Japan and

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

. Squadron was largely demobilized on Tinian during the fall of 1945. Remained in Western Pacific, assigned to Twentieth Air Force. Moved to

Clark Field Clark is an English language surname with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland, ultimately derived from the Latin ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educated ...

in the Philippines in March 1946. Inactivated at Clark Field on Luzon on 15 June 1946; its low-hour aircraft flown to storage depots in the United States.

United States Air Force

On 16 August 1950 the 98th Air Refueling Squadron was activated at

Spokane Air Force Base Fairchild Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force base, located in the northwest United States in eastern Washington, approximately southwest of Spokane. The host unit at Fairchild is the 92nd Air Refueling Wing (92 ARW) assigned ...

, Washington and assigned to the 98th Bombardment Group, Medium while flying the KB-29. It was inactivated on 8 April 1952, but activated the same day at

MacDill Air Force Base MacDill Air Force Base (MacDill AFB) is an active United States Air Force installation located 4 miles (6.4 km) south-southwest of downtown Tampa, Florida. The "host wing" for MacDill AFB is the 6th Air Refueling Wing (6 ARW), assig ...

, Florida where it was attached to the 6th Air Division. It remained at MacDill until November 1953, when it moved to Lake Charles Air Force Base, Louisiana, where it was inactivated and its personnel and

Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Design and developme ...

s were used to form the 68th Air Refueling Squadron. The 98th Air Refueling Squadron was activated again at

Lincoln Air Force Base Lincoln Airport (; formerly Lincoln Municipal Airport) is a joint public/military airport northwest of downtown Lincoln, Nebraska, Lincoln, the state capital, in Lancaster County, Nebraska, Lancaster County, Nebraska, United States. It is owne ...

, Nebraska when the 98th wing returned from the Far East in 1954. Made up of former members of the 55th Air Refueling Squadron from

Forbes Air Force Base ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The c ...

, Kansas. Inactivated in 1963 when

's medium strategic bomber forces began to be drawn down in favor of

ICBM An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range (aeronautics), range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more Thermonuclear weapon, thermonuclear warheads). Conven ...

s. In 1985 the 98th was consolidated with the two 398th Bombardment Squadrons.Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 662q, 19 September 85, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Tactical Squadrons It was redesignated the 98th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 19 September 1986 and then renamed the 98th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 April 1994 at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, flying

KC-135 The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an American military aerial refueling tanker aircraft that was developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, alongside the Boeing 707 airliner. It has a narrower fuselage and is shorter than the 707. Boeing gave ...

T Stratotanker aircraft. The 98th was again inactivated in 1998 as the Air Force drew down after the end of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

. In 2002 the squadron was converted to provisional status and redesignated the 98th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron and assigned to

Air Mobility Command The Air Mobility Command (AMC) is a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, U.S. Air Force. It is headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, east of St. Louis, Missouri, ...

to activate or inactivate as needed.

Operations and decorations

* Combat Operations: Antisubmarine patrols in the Gulf of Mexico, 8 June 1942 and 31 Jul-8 Aug 1942. Combat in Western Pacific, 16 Jun-14 Aug 1945. * Campaigns: World War II: Antisubmarine, American Theater; Air Offensive, Japan; Eastern Mandates; Western Pacific.

Lineage

398th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) * Constituted as the 8th Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium) on 13 January 1942 : Activated on 1 February 1942 : Redesignated 398th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 22 April 1942 : Disbanded on 10 October 1943 * Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 398th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy and the 98th Air Refueling Squadron as the 98th Air Refueling Squadron 398th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy * Constituted as the 398th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 28 February 1944 : Activated on 11 March 1944 : Inactivated on 15 June 1946 * Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 398th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy and the 98th Air Refueling Squadron as the 98th Air Refueling Squadron 98th Air Refueling Squadron * Constituted as the 98th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium on 1 August 1950 : Activated on 16 August 1950 : Inactivated on 8 April 1952 * Activated on 8 April 1952 : Inactivated on 25 November 1953 * Activated on 18 February 1954 : Inactivated on 7 January 1963 * Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 398th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) and the 398th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy * Redesignated 98th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 19 September 1986 (remained inactive) * Redesignated 98th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 April 1994 and activated : Inactivated on 30 September 1998 * Redesignated 98th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron and converted to provisional status on 12 June 2002DAF/XPM Letter 303s, 12 June 2002, Subject: Air Mobility Command Expeditionary Units

Assignments

* 21st Bombardment Group, attached 1 February 1942, and assigned 22 April 1942 – 10 October 1943 * 504th Bombardment Group, 11 March 1944 – 15 June 1946 * 98th Bombardment Group, 16 August 1950 – 8 April 1952 (attached to 98th Bombardment Wing after 14 February 1951 * 98th Bombardment Group, 8 April 1952 (attached to 6th Air Division) * 98th Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952 (attached to 6th Air Division) * 6th Air Division, 1 July 1953 * 806th Air Division, 22 November 1953 – 25 November 1953 * 98th Bombardment Wing, 18 February 1954 – 15 April 1964 * 92d Wing (later 92d Air Refueling Wing), 1 April 1994 – 30 September 1998 * Air Mobility Command to activate or inactivate as needed after 12 June 2002 *

Air Combat Command The Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the prim ...

to activate or inactivate as needed, 19 March 2003DAF/XPM Letter 303s-3, 19 March 2003, Subject: Air Mobility Command Expeditionary Units

Stations

* Bowman Field, Kentucky, 1 February 1942 *

Jackson Army Air Base Hawkins Field is a joint civil-military public airport in Jackson, Mississippi. It is owned by the City of Jackson and operated by the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 call ...

, Mississippi, 8 February 1942 * Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina, 24 April 1942 *

Key Field Meridian Regional Airport is a joint civil-military public use airport located at Key Field, a joint-use public/military airfield. It is located southwest of Meridian, a city in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, United States. The Meridian Airp ...

, Mississippi, 26 May 1942 * MacDill Field, Florida, 28 June 1942 – 10 October 1943 *

Dalhart Army Air Field Dalhart Army Air Base is a former World War II military airfield complex near the city of Dalhart, Texas. It operated three training sites for the United States Army Air Forces from 1943 until 1945. The majority of the namesake city of Dalhart, ...

, Texas, 11 March 1944 * Fairmont Army Air Field, Nebraska, 12 March-5 November 1944 * North Field, Mariana Islands, 23 December 1944 *

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

, Philippines, 13 March-15 June 1946 * Spokane Air Force Base (later Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, 16 August 1950 – 8 April 1952 * MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, 8 April 1952 * Lake Charles Air Force Base, Louisiana, 22 November 1953 – 25 November 1953 * Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska, 16 April 1954 – 7 January 1963 * Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, 19 September 1986 – 30 September 1998

Aircraft

* North American B-25 Mitchell, 1942 * Martin B-26 Marauder, 1942–1943 *

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...

, 1944 * Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1944–1946 * Boeing KB-29 Superfortress, 1950–1952 *

Boeing KC-97 The Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter is a four-engined, piston-powered United States strategic Tanker (aircraft), tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It replaced the KB-29 and was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. De ...

, 1952–1960 *

, 1960–1963; 1986–1998

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * * * {{USAAF 20th Air Force World War II 098 Military units and formations established in 1950