The 303rd 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. It was last assigned to the

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, ...

Kindley Air Force Base Kindley Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base in Bermuda from 1948–1970, having been operated from 1943 to 1948 by the United States Army Air Forces as ''Kindley Field''. History World War II Prior to American entry into th ...

, Bermuda, where it was inactivated on 15 June 1963. The squadron's first predecessor was active as the 303rd Transport Squadron, an

airlift An airlift is the organized delivery of Materiel, supplies or personnel primarily via military transport aircraft. Airlifting consists of two distinct types: strategic and tactical. Typically, strategic airlifting involves moving material lo ...

element of the India-China Wing, Air Transport Command. The 303rd flew missions over

the Hump The Hump was the name given by Allies of World War II, Allied pilots in the Second World War to the eastern end of the Himalayan Mountains over which they flew military transport aircraft from British Raj, India to Republic of China (1912- ...

before being disbanded when

Air Transport Command Air Transport Command (ATC) was a United States Air Force unit that was created during World War II as the strategic airlift component of the United States Army Air Forces. It had two main missions, the first being the delivery of supplies a ...

abandoned the traditional squadron and group organization for its operations in the

China Burma India Theater China Burma India Theater (CBI) was the United States military designation during World War II for the China and Southeast Asian or India–Burma (IBT) theaters. Operational command of Allied forces (including U.S. forces) in the CBI was ...

. The second predecessor of the squadron was the 483rd Bombardment Squadron, a very heavy

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 ...

bomber squadron that, after training in the United States, moved to

Tinian Tinian () is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). Together with uninhabited neighboring Aguiguan, it forms Tinian Municipality, one of the four constituent municipalities of the Northern ...

and engaged in the strategic bombing campaign against Japan from Tinian, 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 for its combat actions. It then moved to the Philippines, where it was inactivated in 1946. The unit's third predecessor is the 303rd Air Refueling Squadron, which served during 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 ...

to support

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 ...

bombers. For most of its active life, the squadron operated from a forward base in the middle Atlantic to support Operation Reflex deployments and maintained readiness to support Emergency War Order missions. In 1985, the

consolidated three squadrons, but they have not been active since the consolidation.

History

Flying the Hump

The 303rd Transport Squadron was activated in India in June 1943 at Mohanbari Airport, India, where it was assigned to the 30th Transport Group. The squadron drew its cadre from the 6th Transport Squadron. It operated

Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for tro ...

and

Curtiss C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a low-wing, twin-engine aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurized high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company p ...

transports in the China-Burma-India theater for the India-China Wing, Air Transport Command. It flew supplies, equipment and personnel over

from the Assam Valley of India to airfields in southeast China, primarily to support

Fourteenth Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizatio ...

combat operations. It was a short-lived organization for it was disbanded in December 1943 and replaced, along with other elements of the 30th Transport Group, by Station 9, India-China Wing, Air Transport Command.Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 662q, 19 Sep 85, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Tactical Squadrons

B-29 Superfortress operations against Japan

Organization and training

The second 483rd Bombardment Squadron was activated at

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 in March 1944 as a

very heavy bombardment squadron,Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 581 drawing its initial cadre from the

9th Bombardment Group 009 may refer to: * OO9, gauge model railways * O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport * 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California * British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent * BA 009, see British Airways Flight 9 ...

. It moved to Harvard Army Air Field, Nebraska the following day, where the squadron began training with

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 ...

es on 1 July until B-29s became available.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 368-69 The squadron's ground echelon sailed from the

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Port of Embarkation for the Pacific on 14 November. The air echelon staged through Hamilton Field and

Mather Field Mather may refer to: People * Mather (given name), a list of people with the given name * Mather (surname), a list of people with the surname Places * Mather, California (disambiguation) * Mather, Manitoba, Canada, a community * Mather, Pe ...

, California with its B-29s.

Combat Operations

505th Bombardment Group B-29s North Field Tinian July 1945

The squadron arrived at its combat station, North Field, Tinian in the Mariana Islands on 24 December 1944. Three days later, it began flying training missions, including an attack on Moen Airfield in January. It flew its first combat mission on 24 January 1945 against targets on

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...

and the Truk Islands. It began operations flying high altitude daylight missions, engaging in the strategic bombing campaign against Japan. On 10 February, it flew a strike on the

Nakajima Aircraft Company The was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer and aviation engine manufacturer throughout World War II. It continues as the car and aircraft manufacturer Subaru Corporation, Subaru. History The Nakajima Aircraft company was Japan's first ...

factory at Ota, for which it was awarded a

(DUC). The 505th Group lost eight B-29s on the mission, but most were lost due to operational problems, rather than enemy action. However, The results of high altitude B-29 raids on Japan were disappointing. From 19 January, no mission had been able to bomb visually, and radar bombing results were generally unsatisfactory. Low altitude night area attacks with

incendiaries Incendiary weapons, incendiary devices, incendiary munitions, or incendiary bombs are weapons designed to start fires. They may destroy structures or sensitive equipment using fire, and sometimes operate as anti-personnel weaponry. Incendiarie ...

promised better results, for

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 ...

. The switch in tactics began with the launch of a raid against Tokyo on 9 March 1945. The squadron conducted area raids with incendiaries until August 1945. During April 1945, the squadron was diverted from the strategic campaign against Japan to support

Operation Iceberg Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

, the invasion of

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

. It struck Miyazaki Airfield and

Kanoya Airfield is a military aerodrome of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force . It is located southwest of the city of Kanoya in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Runway 08R/26L is equipped with ILS. History The Kanoya Air Group was formed on 1 April 1936 and ...

, bases from which

kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

attacks were being launched. These bases were located on

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

, only 300 miles from Okinawa. The attacks directly impacted kamikaze launches, but also forced the Japanese military to retain

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domina ...

to defend the

Japanese Special Attack Units During World War II, , also called ''shimbu-tai'', were specialized units of the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army normally used for suicide missions (specifically, suicide attacks). They included ''kamikaze'' aircraft, ''fukur ...

that otherwise might have been used to challenge

air superiority An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmospher ...

over Okinawa. The squadron also conducted aerial mining operations against Japanese shipping. The 505th was the only group in

to carry out these missions, which began on 27 March. On 17 June, the squadron concentrated its efforts on the mining campaign. It received a second DUC for mining the

Shimonoseki Strait The or the Straits of Shimonoseki is the stretch of water separating Honshu and Kyushu, two of Japan's four main islands. On the Honshu side of the strait is Shimonoseki (, which contributed "Kan" () to the name of the strait) and on the Kyushu ...

and harbors in the

Inland Sea An inland sea (also known as an epeiric sea or an epicontinental sea) is a continental body of water which is very large in area and is either completely surrounded by dry land (landlocked), or connected to an ocean by a river, strait or " arm of ...

between 17 June and 1 July 1945. The squadron flew its last mission on the night of 14 and 15 August 1945. Following

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 ...

its B-29s carried relief supplies to Allied

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

camps. It also flew

show of force A show of force is a military operation intended to warn (such as a warning shot) or to intimidate an opponent by showcasing a capability or will to act if one is provoked. Shows of force may also be executed by police forces and other armed, n ...

flights and conducted

bomb damage assessment Bomb damage assessment (BDA), also known as battle damage assessment, is the practice of assessing damage inflicted on a target from a stand-off weapon, most typically a bomb or air launched missile. It is part of the larger discipline of combat ...

flights over Japan. It 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, and was inactivated there on 15 June 1946.

Strategic Air Command

The 303rd Air Refueling Squadron was activated in April 1951 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, ArizonaMueller, p. 102 and assigned to the

303rd Bombardment Group The 303rd Air Expeditionary Group is a provisional United States Air Force unit. In 2011, it was assigned to United States Air Forces Europe to activate or inactivate as needed. The unit was first activated as the 303rd Bombardment Group in Febr ...

, but attached to the 303rd Bombardment Wing.Strategic Air Command General Order 69, 30 August 1951 it was nominally a KB-29 Superfortress unit, but never became operational and was inactivated seven months later.Ravenstein, pp. 149-150Strategic Air Command General Order 20, 15 April 1952 The squadron was activated again in February 1953, again at Davis Monthan, where it was assigned to the 303rd Bombardment Wing and equipped with

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. The following month the

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces both Lift (force), lift and drag while moving through air. Wings are defined by two shape characteristics, an airfoil section and a planform (aeronautics), planform. Wing efficiency is expressed as lift-to-d ...

's first

Boeing B-47 Stratojet The Boeing B-47 Stratojet (Boeing company designation Model 450) is a retired American long- range, six-engined, turbojet-powered strategic bomber designed to fly at high subsonic speed and at high altitude to avoid enemy interceptor aircraft ...

s arrived and the squadron trained to refuel these jet bombers. The squadron deployed with the wing to

RAF Greenham Common Royal Air Force Greenham Common or more simply RAF Greenham Common is a former Royal Air Force List of former Royal Air Force stations, station in the civil parishes of Greenham and Thatcham in the England, English county of Berkshire. The airfi ...

from 4 March to 28 April 1954, moving to

RAF Fairford Royal Air Force Fairford or more simply RAF Fairford is a Royal Air Force (RAF) List of Royal Air Force stations, station in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. While being an RAF station, Fairford hosts United States Air Force personnel. Since 20 ...

until 5 June 1954, when Greenham Common's runway was closed for repair. During the deployment with the wing, the squadron's aircraft also served as transports, carrying extra air crew, support personnel, and spare parts. In November 1954, it participated in Operation Green Point, which tested the 303rd Wing's

air refueling Aerial refueling (American English, en-us), or aerial refuelling (British English, en-gb), also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from ...

capability. From February through April 1955, the squadron deployed to a

Harmon Air Force Base Harmon Air Force Base is a former World War II United States Army Air Forces airfield, and postwar United States Air Force Base on Guam in the Mariana Islands. Originally named "Depot Field", it was renamed in honor of Lieutenant General Milla ...

in Operation Sand Truck. SAC had begun to include refueling in its war plans, and decided to deploy its KC-97s to forward locations, placing them ahead of the faster B-47 Stratojets they would refuel. In February 1956, the squadron moved from Davis-Monthan to

, Bermuda and was assigned to

Second Air Force The Second Air Force (2 AF; ''2d Air Force'' in 1942) is a USAF numbered air force responsible for conducting basic military and technical training for Air Force enlisted members and non-flying officers. In World War II the CONUS unit defended ...

. At Kindley, it received administrative and logistic support from the 1604th Air Base Wing of

Military Air Transport Service The Military Air Transport Service (MATS) is an inactive United States Department of Defense, Department of Defense Unified Command. Activated on 1 June 1948, MATS was a consolidation of the United States Navy's Naval Air Transport Service (NA ...

, which also supported additional KC-97s deployed to Kindley on temporary rotations. It supported B-47 Stratojets deploying to Europe and Morocco on Operation Reflex and provided forward refueling in the event of war. While stationed at Kindley the squadron was assigned to several headquarters located in the United States. The 303rd performed supported SAC and USAF operations on a worldwide basis until it was inactivated in 1963. (exact date not given)

Lineage

303rd Transport Squadron * Constituted as 303rd Transport Squadron, c. 4 June 1943 : Activated on 21 June 1943 : Disbanded on 1 December 1943 * Reconstituted 19 September 1985 and consolidated with the 483rd Bombardment Squadron and the 303rd Air Refueling Squadron as 303rd Air Refueling Squadron (remained inactive) 483rd Bombardment Squadron * Constituted as 483rd Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 28 Feb 1944 : Activated on 11 Mar 1944 : Inactivated on 30 Jun 1946 * Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 303rd Transport Squadron and the 303rd Air Refueling Squadron as 303rd Air Refueling Squadron (remained inactive) 303rd Air Refueling Squadron * Constituted as 303rd Air Refueling Squadron, Medium on 4 April 1951 : Activated on 4 September 1951 : Inactivated 8 April 1952 * Activated on 18 February 1953Strategic Air Command General Order 5, 3 February 1953 : Inactivated on 15 June 1963 * Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 483rd Bombardment Squadron and the 303rd Transport Squadron as the 303rd Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy (remained inactive)

Assignments

* 30th Transport Group, 21 June 1943 – 1 December 1943 * 505th Bombardment Group, 11 March 1944 – 30 June 1946 * 303rd Bombardment Group, 4 April 1951 – 8 April 1952 (attached to 303rd Bombardment Wing) * 303rd Bombardment Wing, 18 February 1953 (detached 19 April – 2 June 1955) *

, 1 February 1956 * 38th Air Division, 1 January 1959 * 823rd Air Division, 1 October 1959 *

19th Bombardment Wing The 19th Airlift Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Mobility Command's Eighteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas. The wing is also the host unit at Little Rock. The Wing provides the ...

, 1 November 1959 * 4050th Air Refueling Wing, 1 April 1961 *

, 1 January–15 June 1963

Stations

* Mohanbari Airport, Assam, India, 21 June 1943 – 1 December 1943 * Dalhart Army Air Field, Texas, 11 March 1944 * Harvard Army Air Field, Nebraska, 12 March 1944 – 6 November 1944 * North Field, Tinian, Mariana Islands, 24 December 1944 – 5 March 1946 * Clark Field, Luzon, Philippines, 14 March 1946 – 30 June 1946 * Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 4 April 1951 – 8 April 1952 * Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, 18 February 1953Mueller, p. 103 * Kindley Air Force Base, Bermuda, 6 February 1956 – 15 June 1963

Aircraft

* Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1943 * Curtiss C-46 Commando, 1943 * Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1944 * Boeing B-29 Superfortress, 1944–1946 * KB-29 Superfortress, 1951–1952 * Boeing KC-97F Stratofreighter, 1953-1956 * Boeing KC-97G Stratofreighter, 1956–1959; 1959–1963

Awards and campaigns

Notes

; Explanatory notes ; Citations

Bibliography

* :: :: * * * * * * (renumbered AF Pamphlet 36-2801, Vol. I) {{USAAF 20th Air Force World War II Air refueling squadrons of the United States Air Force Military units and formations established in 1951 Units and formations of Strategic Air Command 1951 establishments in the United States Military units and formations disestablished in 1963