The 376th 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
4081st Strategic Wing at
Ernest Harmon Air Force Base
Ernest Harmon Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador. The base was built by the United States Army Air Forces in 1941 under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement with the United K ...
, Newfoundland, where it was inactivated in June 1966.
History
World War II

Established in early 1943 as the 376th Fighter Squadron and equipped with
Republic P-47 Thunderbolt
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter, and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...
s, the squadron trained under
I Fighter Command
I Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces intermediate command responsible for command and control of the fighter operations within the First Air Force during World War II. It was initially established in June 1941 as the 1st Inter ...
in the mid-Atlantic states. Also flew
air defense
Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface (Submarine#Armament, submarine-lau ...
missions as part of the
Philadelphia Fighter Wing
The Philadelphia Fighter Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the I Fighter Command, stationed at Philadelphia Airport, Pennsylvania, where it was inactivated on 3 April 1946.
History
The wing was a ...
. Deployed to the
European Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA) was a Theater (warfare), theater of Operations responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the European theatre of World War II, from 1942 to 1945. It command ...
, being assigned to
VIII Fighter Command
The VIII Fighter Command was a United States Army Air Forces unit of command above the wings and below the numbered air force. Its primary mission was command of fighter operations within the Eighth Air Force. In the World War II European Thea ...
in England, November 1943.
The unit served primarily as an escort organization, covering the penetration, attack, and withdrawal of
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 ...
and
Consolidated B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models desi ...
bomber formations that the
United States Air Forces in Europe
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
sent against targets on the Continent. The squadron also engaged in counter-air patrols, fighter sweeps, and strafing and dive-bombing missions. Attacked such targets as airdromes, marshalling yards, missile sites, industrial areas, ordnance depots, oil refineries, trains, and highways. During its operations, the unit participated in the assault against the
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
and aircraft industry during
Big Week
Operation Argument, after the war dubbed Big Week, was a sequence of raids by the United States Army Air Forces and RAF Bomber Command from 20 to 25 February 1944, as part of the Combined Bomber Offensive against Nazi Germany. The objective o ...
, 20–25 February 1944, and the attack on transportation facilities prior to the
Normandy invasion
Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 ( D-Day) with the ...
and support of the invasion forces thereafter, including the
Saint-Lô
Saint-Lô (, ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in northwest France, the capital of the Manche department in the region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy.[Rhine
The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...]
. The unit returned to RAF
Little Walden
Little Walden is a village in the civil parish of Saffron Walden, in the Uttlesford district, in the county of Essex, England. It lies about north of the market town of Saffron Walden and is from Cambridge.
The church, St.John's
is a "remnan ...
and flew its last combat mission on 20 April 1945. Demobilized during the summer of 1945 in England, inactivated in the United States as a paper unit in October.
Cold War
The squadron flew the
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 ...
, first, the KC-97F, then the KC-97G. It was stationed at
Barksdale Air Force Base
Barksdale Air Force Base (Barksdale AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, in northwest Louisiana. Much of the base is within the city limits of Bossier City, Louisiana, along the base's western and northwest ...
, providing
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 ...
to USAF units from 1953 to 1960. In August 1960, the squadron moved to
Ernest Harmon Air Force Base
Ernest Harmon Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in Stephenville, Newfoundland and Labrador. The base was built by the United States Army Air Forces in 1941 under the Destroyers for Bases Agreement with the United K ...
, Newfoundland.
Expeditionary unit
The 376th Fighter Squadron and 376th Air Refueling Squadron were consolidated into a single unit in September 1985.
[Department of the Air Force/MPM Letter 662q, 19 September 1985, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Tactical Squadrons] The consolidated squadron was converted to provisional status and redesignated the 376th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron in June 2002.
[Department of the Air Force/XPM Letter 303s, 12 June 2002, Subject: Air Mobility Command Expeditionary Units]
Lineage
; 376th Fighter Squadron
* Constituted as the 376th Fighter Squadron, Single Engine on 28 January 1943
: Activated on 10 February 1943
: Inactivated on 10 November 1945
[
* Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 376th Air Refueling Squadron as the 376th Air Refueling Squadron][
; 376th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron
* Constituted as the 376th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium
: Activated on 1 June 1951
: Inactivated on 20 May 1952
: Activated on 18 August 1953
: Inactivated on 25 June 1966
* Consolidated on 19 September 1985 with the 376th Fighter Squadron as the 376th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy][
* Redesignated 376th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron and converted to provisional status on 12 June 2002][
]
Assignments
* 361st Fighter Group
The 127th Operations Group is a unit of the Michigan Air National Guard. It is stationed at Selfridge Air National Guard Base and is one of two flying groups assigned to the 127th Wing. The group operates Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbol ...
, 10 February 1943 – 10 November 1945[
* ]376th Bombardment Group 376th may refer to:
*376th Air Expeditionary Wing, inactive wing of the United States Air Force, last stationed at the Transit Center at Manas International Airport, Kyrgyz Republic
* 376th Air Refueling Squadron, inactive United States Air Force u ...
: 1 June 1951 – 20 May 1952 (Not manned or equipped)
* 376th Bombardment Wing 376th may refer to:
*376th Air Expeditionary Wing, inactive wing of the United States Air Force, last stationed at the Transit Center at Manas International Airport, Kyrgyz Republic
*376th Air Refueling Squadron, inactive United States Air Force un ...
: 18 August 1953
* 4th Air Division: 1 December 1957 (attached to 301st Bombardment Wing)
* 4238th Strategic Wing
The 2nd Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command and the Eighth Air Force. It is stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. The wing is also the host unit at Barksdale. The wing was ...
: 1 March 1958 (remained attached to 301st Bombardment Wing until 15 April 1958)
* 4081st Strategic Wing: 1 July 1960 – 25 June 1966
* 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, 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 2003[DAF/XPM Letter 303s-3, 19 March 2003, Subject: Air Mobility Command Expeditionary Units]
Stations
* Richmond Army Air Base
Richmond International Airport is a joint civil-military airport in Sandston, Virginia, United States, an unincorporated community (in Henrico County). The airport is about 7 miles (11 km) southeast of downtown Richmond, the capital of the ...
, Virginia, 10 February 1943
* Camp Springs Army Air Field, Maryland, 26 May 1943
* Millville Army Air Field, New Jersey, 15 August 1943
* Camp Springs Army Air Field, Maryland, 18 September 1943
* Richmond Army Air Base, Virginia, 30 September – 11 November 1943
* RAF Bottisham
Royal Air Force Bottisham or more simply RAF Bottisham is a former Royal Air Force station located east of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England.
History
RAF Fighter Command use
RAF Bottisham opened in March 1940 and was first used by bomb-arm ...
(AAF-374), England, 30 November 1943
* RAF Little Walden (AAF-165),[Station number in Anderson, p. 22] England, ca. 28 September 1944 (Operated from St-Dizier Airfield (A-64), France, after 23 December 1944)
* Chievres Airfield (A-84), Belgium, 1 February 1945
* RAF Little Walden (AAF-165),[ England, 7 April – c. 11 October 1945
* ]Camp Kilmer
Camp Kilmer is a former United States Army camp in Central New Jersey that was activated in June 1942 as a staging area and part of an installation of the New York Port of Embarkation. The camp was organized as part of the Army Service Forces Tra ...
, New Jersey, 23–24 October 1945[Station information through 1945 in Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', pp. 465-466, except as noted.]
* Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana 1 June 1951 – 20 May 1952[Mueller, p. 22]
* Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, 18 August 1953[
* Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland, Canada, 15 August 1960 – 25 June 1966
]
Aircraft
* Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, 1943–1944
* North American P-51D Mustang
Over twenty variants of the North American P-51 Mustang fighter were produced from 1940, when it first flew, to after World War II, some of which were employed also in the Korean War and in several other conflicts.
Allison-engined Mustangs
NA- ...
, 1944–1945
* Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker 1953–1966
References
Notes
; Explanatory notes
; Citations
Bibliography
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{{Strategic Air Command
Air refueling squadrons of the United States Air Force