351st Air Refueling Squadron

The 351st Air Refueling Squadron is a United States Air Force unit that is part of the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, England. Since 1992, it has operated the Boeing KC-135R/T Stratotanker aircraft conducting primarily aerial refueling but also airlift and aeromedical evacuation missions.

The squadron was activated as the 351st Bombardment Squadron during World War II as a heavy bomber unit. It served in combat in the European Theater of Operations, where it earned a Distinguished Unit Citation and the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for its actions. After V-E Day the squadron returned to the United States and was inactivated at the port of embarkation.

The squadron was briefly active in the reserve from 1947 to 1949, but does not appear to have been fully equipped or manned. It served between 1956 and 1966 with Strategic Air Command as a bombardment unit, flying Boeing B-47 Stratojets.

History

World War II

Organization and training for combat

The squadron was activated at Orlando Army Air Base, Florida on 1 June 1942 as one of the four original squadrons of the 100th Bombardment Group,Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 171-172 It was intended to equip the squadron with Consolidated B-24 Liberators The Army Air Forces (AAF) decided to concentrate heavy bomber training under Second Air Force, and before the end of June, the squadron moved to Pendleton Field, Oregon. Its intended equipment changed to Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses.Freeman, pp. 246-247

As a result, the squadron only began organizing in October 1942, after it had moved to Gowen Field, Idaho. Two days later, the squadron departed for Walla Walla Army Air Base, Washington. There the first aircrew arrived on 1 December 1942 and it received its first operational aircraft and began training.

The 351st completed its training and departed Kearney Army Air Field, Nebraska for the European Theater of Operations on 1 May 1943. The ground echelon sailed on the on 28 May, arriving at Greenock, Scotland on 3 June, while the air echelon flew via the northern ferry route to England about 21 May 1943.

Combat in the European Theater

The squadron established itself at its combat station, RAF Thorpe Abbotts, on 9 June 1943, flying its first combat mission on 25 June. Until the end of the war, the squadron was primarily employed in the strategic bombing campaign against Germany. Until January 1944, it concentrated its operations on airfields in France, and industrial targets and naval facilities in France and Germany. On 17 August 1943, it participated in an attack on a factory manufacturing Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters in Regensburg, Germany, which seriously disrupted production of that plane. Although the mission called for fighter escort, the fighter group assigned to protect the squadron's formation missed the rendezvous and the wing formation proceeded to the target unescorted. Enemy fighter opposition focused on the low "box", formed in part by the squadron. Ten of the 21 Flying Fortresses flown by the 100th Group were lost on this mission. Unknown to AAF intelligence at the time, the attack also destroyed almost all of the fuselage construction equipment for Germany's secret Me 262 jet fighter. Rather than returning to England, the unit turned south and recovered at bases in North Africa. For this action, the squadron was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation (DUC).

From January to May 1944, the 351st attacked airfields, industrial targets, marshalling yards, and missile sites in Western Europe. During Big Week, it participated in the concentrated attack on the German aircraft industry. In March, it conducted a series of long range attacks against Berlin, for which it was awarded a second DUC. The raid of 6 March was to be the costliest mission flown by Eighth Air Force during the war. German fighter controllers detected that the formation including the squadron was unprotected by fighter escorts and concentrated interceptor attacks on it. Twenty-three B-17s from the formation failed to return. Two days later, German fighters shot down the leader of the 45th Combat Bombardment Wing, and the 100th Group took the lead in another attack on Berlin. From the summer of 1944, the 351st concentrated on German oil production facilities.

The squadron was occasionally diverted from strategic bombing to perform interdiction and air support missions. It attacked bridges and gun positions to support Operation Overlord, the landings at Normandy in June 1944. In August and September it supported Operation Cobra, the breakout at Saint Lo, and bombed enemy positions in Brest. As Allied forces drove across Northern France toward the Siegfried Line in October and November, it attacked transportation and ground defenses. During the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and January 1945, it attacked lines of communication and fortified villages in the Ardennes. It provided support for Operation Varsity, the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945. The squadron was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for attacks on heavily defended sites and dropping supplies to the French Forces of the Interior.

The squadron flew its last mission on 20 April 1945. Following, V-E Day, the squadron was initially programmed to be part of the occupation forces in Germany, but that plan was cancelled in September, and between October and December, the squadron's planes were ferried back to the United States or transferred to other units in theater. Its remaining personnel returned to the United States in December and the squadron was inactivated at the Port of Embarkation on 19 December 1945.

"Bloody Hundredth"

Starting with the Regensburg mission of August 1943, the squadrons of the 100th Bombardment Group began suffering losses among the highest in VIII Bomber Command. On 8 October, it lost seven aircraft on a raid on Bremen, including its lead and deputy lead aircraft. Only two days later, it lost twelve aircraft on an attack on Münster, again including the lead aircraft. The only group plane returning from that mission had lost two engines and had two wounded on board. Its highest one day loss occurred on the 6 March 1944 attack on Berlin, when 15 bombers failed to return. On 11 September 1944, the Luftwaffe put up its heaviest opposition in months, destroying 11 of the group's bombers. On 31 December 1944, half the 1st Bombardment Division's losses consisted of a dozen 100th bombers. With a group authorization of 40 B-17s, it lost 177 planes to enemy action. It became a legend for these losses and was referred to as the "Bloody Hundredth."

Air Force reserve

The squadron was again activated in the reserve at Orlando Army Air Base, Florida on 17 July 1947 and assigned to the 100th Group, which was located at Miami Army Air Field, Florida. At Orlando, its training was supervised by Air Defense Command (ADC). It does not appear the squadron was fully staffed and was not equipped with operational aircraft. In 1948, Continental Air Command assumed responsibility for managing reserve and Air National Guard units from ADC.

President Truman's reduced 1949 defense budget required reductions in the number of Air Force units. As a result, the 351st was inactivated as manned flying operations at Orlando Air Force Base ceased.

Strategic Air Command bombardment operations

The unit was reactivated under Strategic Air Command on 1 January 1956 as the 351st Bombardment Squadron, Medium. Based at Portsmouth Air Force Base (later Pease AFB), New Hampshire, the 351st BS was equipped with 15 new, swept wing Boeing B-47E Stratojets which were designed to carry nuclear weapons and to penetrate Soviet air defenses. The 351st deployed to RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, from 29 December 1957 to 1 April 1958.

The squadron flew the B-47 for about a decade when by the mid-1960s it had become obsolete and vulnerable to new Soviet air defenses. The squadron began to send its Stratojets to AMARC at Davis–Monthan AFB, Arizona, for retirement in 1965, and the unit was inactivated on 25 June 1966, one of the last B-47 Squadrons.

Air refueling in Europe

The unit was reactivated at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, in the United Kingdom on 31 March 1992 as the 351st Air Refueling Squadron, operating the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker. The first KC-135R to arrive at Mildenhall for the 351st was 58–0100 on 19 May 1992 from Loring Air Force Base, Maine. Nine KC-135Rs had arrived by September 1992. Following their reactivation, the 351st went on to support Operations Provide Comfort, Restore Hope and Northern Watch.

In April 1996, the 351st contributed to Operation Assured Response, deploying three KC-135s to Dakar-Yoff International Airport, Senegal, to help support the evacuation of U.S. citizens and third country nationals from Liberia after fighting flared up in Monrovia during the First Liberian Civil War.

In March 1998, the 351st participated in Exercise Strong Resolve 98 at Sola Air Station, Norway. After the European Tanker Task Force was ended on 28 November 1998, the number of KC-135s assigned to the 351st was increased to 15 tankers. In 1999, the squadron supported Operation Allied Force, NATO intervention during the Kosovo War, as the 351st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron.

In October 2001, the 351st EARS deployed 12 tankers: four to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey; another four to Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany; and a final four to Souda Bay, Greece, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). On 23 November 2001, KC-135s deployed to Burgas Airport in Bulgaria, from where they conducted OEF missions.

In March 2011, the 351st Air Refueling Squadron deployed a portion of its KC-135 Stratotanker fleet to Istres-Le Tubé Air Base, France, in support of Operation Unified Protector, as the 351st EARS.

Since 2013, the 351st EARS, has regularly deployed to Morón Air Base, Spain in support of Operation Juniper Micron – which aims to assist French operations in Mali. The first deployment occurred on 13 January 2013. In June 2013, the 351st ARS refuelled three Luftwaffe McDonnell Douglas F-4F Phantom IIs of Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 71 "Richthofen" on their last air-to-air refueling sortie before their retirement on 29 June 2013. In October 2014, the 351st was awarded the 2013 Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Trophy, which is given to the best USAF air refueling squadron, becoming the first unit based outside of the United States to win the award.

On 22 February 2019, a KC-135R of the squadron participated in a flypast over Sheffield to mark the 75th anniversary of the crash of B-17G ''Mi Amigo'', which saw the loss of all ten crew on board.

Between 29 September and 1 October 2020, the 351st ARS conducted Exercise Wolff Pack, a surge operation to test the 100th ARW's ability to deploy its aircraft to multiple areas across Europe, which included an elephant walk of 12 of the squadron's 15 KC-135s. The 351st ARS participated in the 2020 Nigeria hostage rescue on 31 October, forward deploying six tankers to Morón Air Base from where they provided air refueling support for the operation.

In May 2021, the 351st was awarded the 2020 Gen. Carl A. Spaatz Trophy, winning it for a second time. The 351st also participated in Exercise Atlantic Trident 2021 during May, operating alongside the French Air and Space Force and USAF Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning IIs from the 4th Fighter Squadron. Between 18 and 21 May, the 351st hosted the 2021 European Tanker Symposium, which saw a McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender and a Royal Air Force Voyager KC3 deploy to Mildenhall.

The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine led to an increased number of sorties by the 351st, supporting NATO's Enhanced Air Policing.

Commemorative nose art

The 15 squadron KC-135R/T tankers typically wear nose art to reflect the 100th Wing's history as a bombardment group during WWII.

In 2019, to mark the 75th anniversary of Operation Overlord, two KC-135Rs received special schemes to reflect the squadron's participation in 1944.

In May 2021, nose art (''Skipper III'') was unveiled on KC-135R, serial 59-1470 in honor of 100th BG Master Sergeant Dewey Christopher, who maintained B-17s Skipper and Skipper II during World War II. Another tanker (serial 58-0089) was unveiled the following month in dedication of Lt. Col. Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal, who was assigned to the 100th Group between September 1943 and September 1944.

In October 2023, nose art (''Squawkin Hawk'') was unveiled on KC-135R 59–1511 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of Black Week, where the Eighth Air Force suffered heavy losses. The original ''Squawkin Hawk'' was the first B-17 of the 100th Bombardment Group to fly 50 combat missions.

Lineage

* Constituted as the 351st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 January 1942
: Activated on 1 June 1942
: Redesignated 351st Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 20 August 1943
: Inactivated on 15 December 1945
* Redesignated 351st Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 3 July 1947
: Activated in the reserve on 17 July 1947
: Inactivated on 27 June 1949
* Redesignated 351st Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 1 August 1955
: Activated on 1 January 1956
: Discontinued and inactivated on 25 June 1966
* Redesignated 351st Air Refueling Squadron on 26 March 1992
: Activated on 31 March 1992

Assignments

* 100th Bombardment Group, 1 June 1942 – 15 December 1945
* 100th Bombardment Group, 17 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
* 100th Bombardment Wing, 1 January 1956 – 25 June 1966
* 100th Operations Group, 31 March 1992 – present

Stations

* Orlando Army Air Base, Florida 1 June 1942
* Barksdale Field, Louisiana, 18 June 1942
* Pendleton Field, Oregon 26 June 1942
* Gowen Field, Idaho, 28 August 1942
* Walla Walla Army Air Field, Washington, 31 October 1942
* Wendover Field, Utah, 30 November 1942
* Sioux City Army Air Base, Iowa, 6 January 1943
* Kearney Army Air Field, Nebraska, 4 February – 1 May 1943
* RAF Thorpe Abbotts (Station 139),Station number in Anderson, p. 21. England, 9 June 1943 – December 1945
* Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 14–15 December 1945
* Orlando Army Air Base (later Orlando Air Force Base), Florida, 17 July 1947 – 27 June 1949
* Portsmouth Air Force Base (later Pease Air Force Base), New Hampshire, 1 January 1956 – 30 April 1966
* RAF Mildenhall, England, 31 March 1992 – present

Aircraft operated

* Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress (1942–1945)
* Boeing B-47E Stratojet (1956–1966)
* Boeing KC-135R/T Stratotanker (1992–present)

References

Notes

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Bibliography

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{{USAF air refueling units

Air refueling squadrons of the United States Air Force
1942 establishments in the United States