The 11th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 340th Air Refueling Wing, stationed at Altus AFB,

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. It was inactivated on 1 October 1994.

History

During World War II the squadron trained crews and technicians for photographic reconnaissance and mapping, 1942–1944. Reactivated in 1955 under

Strategic Air Command Strategic Air Command (SAC) was both 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 ...

(SAC) as a KC-97 air refueling squadron, it participated in SAC tests, exercises, and air refueling operations and other Air Force commands in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, Europe, and the Pacific Far East, and Southeast Asia, from 1955 onward. It won numerous wards for its operational performance, including the Saunders Trophy for Outstanding Air Refueling Unit in 1970 and 1971. It was upgraded in 1965 to the KC-135 Stratotanker jet. In 1972 the 11th supported two large-scale aircraft movements to Southeast Asia, 5–6 and 8–9 April, and on 12 May and over the next three days it deployed all available tankers and crews at Takhli RTAFB, Thailand. About one-half of squadron personnel formed a rear echelon at Altus AFB. The forward echelon manned the 4101st Air Refueling Squadron, Provisional. Some 11th ARS personnel were returning to Altus AFB on 4 November 1972, but some of the squadron remained on temporary duty in SEA. By January 1973 about half of the 11th's KC-135s had returned and by June 1973 all aircraft and crews had returned. The 11th continued its normal SEA support as well as its many other global commitments. The squadron refueled its first C-5 Galaxy on 1 May 1974. The squadron's resources were divided on 1 July 1977, a part being retained by the 11th, the remainder used to man the new 340th Air Refueling Group, Heavy, and the 340th Consolidated Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The new group was assigned to the 19th Air Division and the 11th to the group. On 19 September 1985 the 11th Air Refueling Squadron was consolidated with the 11th Combat Mapping Squadron, a unit that was last active 1 May 1944. This action was directed by Department of the Air Force Letter DAF/MPM 662q Attachment 1 (Active Units), 19 September 1985. The Consolidated Unit will retain the Designation of 11th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy. The squadron was inactivated in 1994 as part of the drawdown of the USAF after the end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

Lineage

* Constituted as the 5th Mapping Squadron on 1 May 1942 : Activated on 7 May 1942 : Redesignated the 11th Photographic Mapping Squadron on 9 June 1942 : Redesignated the 11th Photographic Squadron (Heavy) on 6 February 1943 : Redesignated the 11th Combat Mapping Squadron on 11 August 1943 : Disbanded on 1 May 1944Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 161 * Reconstituted, and constituted (19 September 1985) with 11th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy : Constituted as the 11th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 10 August 1955 : Activated on 1 December 1955 : Redesignated the 11th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium, on 15 September 1958 : Redesignated the 11th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy, on 25 June 1965 : Redesignated the 11th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 September 1991 : Inactivated on 1 October 1994

Assignments

* 2d Photographic (later Photographic and Mapping; Photographic Reconnaissance) Group, 7 May 1942 – 1 May 1944 *

11th Bombardment Wing The 11th Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force District of Washington. It is the host unit at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, D.C. on from June 2020. It previously was stationed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryla ...

, 10 August 1955Ravenstein, pp. 26–27 *

341st Bombardment Wing The United States Air Force's 341st Missile Wing is an intercontinental ballistic missile unit headquartered at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana. Up until 1 July 2008, it was designated as the 341st Space Wing. Established as a World War II Te ...

, 1 December 1955 * 4050th Air Refueling Wing, 1 June 1960 *

499th Air Refueling Wing The 499th Air Refueling Wing is an inactive United States Air Force (USAF) unit that was last active at Westover AFB, Massachusetts in June 1966. The wing was first activated as the 499th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Forces, w ...

, 1 January 1963 * 820th Strategic Aerospace Division, 1 July 1964 * 11th Strategic Aerospace Wing (later 11th Air Refueling Wing), 25 June 1965 *

19th Air Division The 19th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force formation. Its last assignment was with Eighth Air Force at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, where it was inactivated on 30 September 1988. During World War II, the unit was designated ...

, 25 March 1969 *

17th Strategic Aerospace Division The 17th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Pacific Air Forces, stationed at U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, Thailand, where it was inactivated on 1 January 1976. History The air division ...

, 2 July 1969 *

47th Air Division The 47th Air Division is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It was inactivated on 27 February 1987. The unit's origins begin with its predecessor, ...

, 31 March 1970 * 19th Air Division, 30 June 1971 * 340th Air Refueling Group (later Wing), 1 July 1977 * 340th Operations Group, 1 September 1991 *

97th Operations Group The 97th Operations Group (97 OG) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the 97th Air Mobility Wing of Air Education and Training Command . It is stationed at Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Col. Cornelius Walter "Connie" Cousland served ...

, 1 October 1992 * 457th Operations Group, 1 July 1993 – 1 October 1994

Stations

* Bradley Field, Connecticut, 7 May 1942 * Colorado Springs Army Air Base, Colorado, 13 May 1942 * Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, 14 October 1943 – 1 May 1944 * Abilene Air Force Base (later

Dyess Air Force Base Dyess Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located about southwest of downtown Abilene, Texas, and west of Fort Worth, Texas. The host unit at Dyess is the 7th Bomb Wing assigned to the Global Strike Command Ei ...

, Texas, 10 August 1955 – 1 June 1960 * Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, 1 June 1960 – 25 June 1965 * Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, 25 June 1965 – 1 October 1994

Aircraft

* Primarily B-17/F-9 Flying Fortress and B-24/F-7 Liberator, 1942–1943 * KC-97 Stratofreighter, 1956–1965 * KC-135 Stratotanker, 1965–1994

Decorations

* Air Force Outstanding Unit Award AF FOIA Request 2009-01965, 13 July 2009 **1 Jul 1980 – 30 June 1982 **1 Jul 1971 – 30 June 1973 **1 Jan 1963 – 31 December 1974 **1 Sep 1956 – 11 April 1957

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{Strategic Air Command

011 The following is a list of different international call prefixes that need to be dialled when placing an international telephone call from different countries. Countries by international prefix Countries using optional carrier selection cod ...

Military units and formations established in 1955 Military units and formations disestablished in 1994 1942 establishments in Connecticut