The 97th Air Refueling Squadron is an active unit of the

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 ...

, stationed 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 Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. It was most recently activated on 1 October 2019 and assigned to the

92nd Operations Group The 92d Operations Group (92 OG) is the flying component of the 92d Air Refueling Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force. The group is stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. During W ...

, 92nd Air Refueling Wing. The squadron was first activated in January 1941 as the 20th Reconnaissance Squadron. Seven months after activation, it was renamed the 97th Bombardment Squadron and assigned to the

47th Bombardment Group 47th may refer to: Chicago Transit Authority stations * 47th station (CTA Green Line) 47th is a station on the Chicago Transit Authority's "L" system, located in the Grand Boulevard community area of Chicago, Illinois and serving the Gree ...

. It performed

antisubmarine Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations a ...

patrols off the Pacific coast following the entry of the United States into

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 ...

. Three months later, it began training for

light bomber A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance. The earliest light bombers were intended to dr ...

operations, and in November 1942 it deployed to the

Mediterranean Theater of Operations The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army (MTOUSA), originally called the North African Theater of Operations, United States Army (NATOUSA), was a military formation of the United States Army that supervised all U.S. Army for ...

. The squadron engaged in combat in northern Africa, Italy and France until

V-E Day Victory in Europe Day is the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces on Tuesday, 8 May 1945; it marked the official surrender of all German military operations ...

, 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 actions there. The 97th returned to the United States in the summer of 1945 and was inactivated at

Lake Charles Army Air Field A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from t ...

, Louisiana in March 1946. The 97th Air Refueling Squadron was one of the Air Force's first

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 ...

units, activated in 1949. It was active continuously until 2004, except for brief interruptions in 1964 and 1992. The squadron served with

Boeing KB-29 The Boeing KB-29 was a modified Boeing B-29 Superfortress for air refueling needs by the USAF. Two primary versions were developed and produced: KB-29M and KB-29P. The 509th and 43d Air Refueling Squadrons ( Walker AFB, NM and Davis-Mont ...

s until 1954 at

Biggs Air Force Base Biggs may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Biggs (TV channel), a Portuguese television channel formerly for kids, teens and youth and now for teens and youth. * Biggs Darklighter, a character in ''Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'' * Biggs, a re ...

, Texas, when it upgraded to

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. In 1957 it moved north to

Malmstrom Air Force Base Malmstrom Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Cascade County, Montana, United States, adjacent to the city of Great Falls. It was named in honor of World War II POW Colonel Einar Axel Malmstrom. It is the home of the 341st Mis ...

, Montana, where it served until 1964 when the KC-97 was being phased out of the active force inventory. The squadron was soon activated 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 at

Blytheville Air Force Base Blytheville Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base that operated under the Tactical Air Command and Strategic Air Command from 1954 until its closure in 1992. The facility originally served as a B-25 pilot training school during WW2 ...

, Arkansas. In 1985, the two squadrons were consolidated there into a single unit. The consolidated squadron provided crews and aircraft to

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 ...

(SAC) units in the Pacific during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

and deployed elements that served in

Desert Storm , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

. In 1992, it was inactivated as SAC was closing what had been renamed Eaker Air Force Base. The squadron was again activated a few months later, returning to Malmstrom as part of

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, ...

's tanker fleet. It moved to

, Washington two years later and remained there until its inactivation in 2004.

History

World War II

The squadron was first activated as the 20th Reconnaissance Squadron at

McChord Field McChord Field (formerly and still commonly known as McChord Air Force Base) is a United States Air Force base in the northwest United States, in Pierce County, Washington. South of Tacoma, McChord AFB is the home of the 62nd Airlift Wing, ...

, Washington in January 1941, attached to the

17th Bombardment Group The 17th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The group was last stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The Group is a direct successor to the 17th Pursuit Group, one of the 15 original combat air groups formed by the ...

, and equipped with

Douglas B-18 Bolo The Douglas B-18 Bolo is an American twin-engined medium bomber which served with the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Canadian Air Force (as the Digby) during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The Bolo was developed by the Douglas Airc ...

s. In May, it was attached to the

and was assigned to the 47th group and redesignated the 97th Bombardment Squadron in August.Maurer, ''Combat Units'', pp. 104–106 Douglas B-18A assigned to 99th Bomb Squadron

Douglas B-18A assigned to 99th Bomb Squadron

After the

Pearl Harbor Attack The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941. At the ti ...

it was equipped with Douglas DB-7 Bostons and early-model

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 ...

s,Some or all of the B-24s may have been LB-30s. Maurer, ''Combat Squadrons'', p. 323 to perform

patrols along the Pacific coast. In February 1942, with a Japanese submarine attack unlikely, the squadron moved to

Will Rogers Field Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

, Oklahoma, re-equipped with

Douglas A-20 Havoc The Douglas A-20 Havoc (company designation DB-7) is an American light bomber, attack aircraft, Intruder (air combat), night intruder, night fighter, and reconnaissance aircraft of World War II. Designed to meet an Army Air Corps requirement for ...

light bombers and trained for overseas deployment. A-20 Boston in flight

In November 1942, the 97th deployed to French Morocco as part of

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8–16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa whil ...

, the invasion of French North Africa. The squadron engaged in

close air support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...

and

air interdiction Air interdiction (AI), also known as deep air support (DAS), is the use of preventive tactical bombing and strafing by combat aircraft against enemy targets that are not an immediate threat, to delay, disrupt or hinder later enemy engagement o ...

missions during the

North African Campaign The North African campaign of World War II took place in North Africa from 10 June 1940 to 13 May 1943, fought between the Allies and the Axis Powers. It included campaigns in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts (Western Desert campaign, Desert Wa ...

. It began operations by flying low-level missions in December, continuing these tactics through May 1943. In February 1943, the

Afrika Corps The German Africa Corps (, ; DAK), commonly known as Afrika Korps, was the German expeditionary force in Africa during the North African campaign of World War II. First sent as a holding force to shore up the Italian defense of its African ...

broke through American lines at the Kasserine Pass. Although the unit was undermanned and short of supplies it flew missions on 22 February against advancing enemy

armor Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...

, helping to blunt the enemy attack. For this action, the 97th was awarded the

.AF Pamphlet 900-2, Unit Decorations, Awards and Campaign Participation Credits, p. 270 The squadron remained active in combat, but also trained for medium altitude bombing missions in April and May. In June 1943 it participated in the reduction of the islands of

Pantelleria Pantelleria (; ), known in ancient times as Cossyra or Cossura, is an Italian island and comune in the Strait of Sicily in the Mediterranean Sea, southwest of Sicily and east of the Tunisian coast. On clear days Tunisia is visible from the ...

and

Lampedusa Lampedusa ( , , ; ; ) is the largest island of the Italian Pelagie Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The ''comune'' of Lampedusa e Linosa is part of the Sicilian province of Agrigento which also includes the smaller islands of Linosa and Lamp ...

. In July, the unit participated in

Operation Husky 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 Sicily, attacking German forces evacuating the island from beaches near

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

the following month. September 1943 saw the launch of

Operation Avalanche Operation Avalanche was the codename for the Allied landings near the port of Salerno, executed on 9 September 1943, part of the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II. The Italians withdrew from the war the day before the invasion, but ...

, the invasion of Italy. During Avalanche, the squadron provided support for the

British Eighth Army The Eighth Army was a field army of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed as the Western Army on 10 September 1941, in Egypt, before being renamed the Army of the Nile and then the Eighth Army on 26 September. It was cr ...

. It participated in the Italian Campaign and advance toward

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

until the spring of 1944. Douglas A-26 Invader

In August and September 1944, the unit provided support for

Operation Dragoon Operation Dragoon (initially Operation Anvil), known as Débarquement de Provence in French ("Provence Landing"), was the code name for the landing operation of the Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of Provence (Southern France) on 15Augu ...

, the invasion of southern France. The squadron then returned to Italy, where it attacked German communications and other targets, including tanks, bivouac areas, supply dumps, troop concentrations, roads, bridges,

airfield An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

s and railways. The 97th upgraded to

Douglas A-26 Invader The Douglas A-26 Invader (designated B-26 between 1948 and 1965) is an American twin-engined light bomber and attack aircraft, ground attack aircraft. Built by Douglas Aircraft Company during World War II, the Invader also saw service during ...

s in early 1945. In April 1945, the squadron and the rest of the 47th group maintained attacks on enemy transportation in the Po River Valley for sixty consecutive hours despite bad weather and adverse terrain. The attacks prevented the orderly withdrawal of German forces from northern Italy. For this action, the squadron earned a second Distinguished Unit Citation. The squadron returned to the United States in July 1945, and was initially stationed at

Seymour Johnson Field Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Goldsboro, North Carolina. The base is named for U.S. Navy Lt. Seymour A. Johnson, a test pilot from Goldsboro who died in an F4F Wildcat crash near Norbeck, Maryla ...

, North Carolina. It moved to

in September, where it trained as a pathfinder unit. The unit remained active until March 1946, when the 47th group reduced from four to three squadrons.

Air Refueling

Propeller-driven tankers in Texas and Montana

The 97th Air Refueling Squadron was activated in March 1949 and assigned to the 97th Bombardment Group at

, Texas. The squadron was initially equipped with the Boeing KB-29M Superfortress. The KB-29M was equipped with a hose system developed by the British in which the tanker trailed a hose to the receiver and fuel was gravity-fed. The tanker trailed a "hauling line" which was trapped by the receiver, reeled in and attached to the receiver fuel system. The system was perilous and the KB-29Ms were retired in a few years. On 1 September 1950, the squadron was the first to receive the improved KB-29P, which was equipped with a boom and used pumps to deliver the fuel more rapidly. However, the squadron remained below strength until 1952. Kc-97-97thars-malmstrom

The squadron upgraded to

s in 1954. The unit frequently deployed from Biggs to England, Newfoundland and Labrador, completing its last unit deployment as it was moving to Montana. In the mid-1950s,

(SAC) began to move its KC-97 refueling strength to the northern United States. The move to Montana-based the squadron ahead of the faster

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 it would refuel, and on their programmed route. In 1957, the squadron moved to

to fill out the 4061st Air Refueling Wing, which had been formed the previous month with the

407th Air Refueling Squadron The 407th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 42nd Bombardment Wing at Loring Air Force Base, Maine, where it was inactivated on 1 October 1990. The first predecessor of the squadro ...

. During the

1958 Lebanon Crisis The 1958 Lebanon crisis was a political crisis in Lebanon caused by political and religious tensions in the country that included an American military intervention, which lasted for around three months until President Camille Chamoun, who had re ...

, the squadron provided support for the

92d Bombardment Wing 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

. In July 1961, the 4061st wing was inactivated and the 97th was assigned to the

9th Bombardment Wing The 9th Reconnaissance Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command and Sixteenth Air Force. It is stationed at Beale Air Force Base, California. The wing is also the host unit at Beale. Its mission is to organi ...

Mountain Home Air Force Base Mountain Home Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) installation in the Western United States, western United States. Located in Southwestern Idaho, southwestern Idaho in Elmore County, Idaho, Elmore County, the base is southwest ...

, although it remained at Malmstrom and was attached to the host 341st Combat Support Group there. It was discontinued in March 1964 as part of the phaseout of KC-97 aircraft from the active duty force.

Jet tankers in Arkansas

The 97th ARS was redesignated as a heavy unit and organized on 8 October 1964 at

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, where it assumed the mission, personnel and

s of the 914th Air Refueling Squadron, which was simultaneously inactivated. The squadron provided air refueling primarily to the

Boeing B-52 Stratofortress The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress is an American long-range, subsonic aircraft, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. The B-52 was designed and built by Boeing, which has continued to provide support and upgrades. It has been operated by the ...

es of the 97th Bombardment Wing, Heavy, which had also moved from Texas almost five years prior. One half of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minute alert, fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. In addition to its alert commitment, the squadron deployed aircraft and aircrews to support Tanker Task Forces in Europe, the Pacific and Alaska. During the

, from the mid 1960s, the squadron deployed forces to the Pacific to other units to support

Operation Arc Light During Operation Arc Light (sometimes Arclight) from 1965 to 1973, the United States Air Force deployed B-52 Stratofortresses from bases in the U.S. Territory of Guam to provide battlefield air interdiction during the Vietnam War. This included ...

and

Operation Rolling Thunder Operation Rolling Thunder was a gradual and sustained aerial bombardment campaign conducted by the United States (U.S.) 2nd Air Division (later Seventh Air Force), U.S. Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) against North Vietnam from 2 ...

. By mid-1972 all of the squadron's tankers were operating with other

units in the Pacific. In September 1985, the 97th was consolidated with the 97th Bombardment Squadron into a single unit. In 1990, the consolidated squadron flew 93 sorties in direct support of

Desert Shield , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

and Desert Storm. It deployed to the Persian Gulf area, where it supported the 801st Bombardment Wing (Provisional) and the 802d Air Refueling Wing (Provisional). The squadron remained active until April 1992, when it was inactivated as Eaker Air Force Base was closing. The squadron returned to Malmstrom Air Force Base when it was reactivated in October 1992. At Malmstrom, it was equipped with the re-engined KC-135R tankers. The squadron continued to support deployed Tanker Task Forces throughout the world, including periodic support for the 1700th Strategic Wing (Provisional) in

Riyadh Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the Riyadh Governorate. Located on the eastern bank of Wadi Hanifa, the current form of the metropolis largely emerged in th ...

, Saudi Arabia. It also participated in

Operation Restore Hope The Unified Task Force (UNITAF), also known as Operation Restore Hope, was a United States-led, United Nations-sanctioned multinational military force deployed to Somalia from 5 December 1992 to 4 May 1993. It was established to replace United ...

in Somalia. The squadron moved to

, Washington in July 1994 as

reorganized its refueling units. It remained active there until September 2004. The squadron activated at Fairchild AFB on 18 October 2019 with the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.

Lineage

97th Bombardment Squadron * Constituted as the 20th Reconnaissance Squadron (Light) on 20 November 1940 : Activated on 15 January 1941 : Redesignated 97th Bombardment Squadron (Light) on 14 August 1941 : Redesignated 97th Bombardment Squadron, Light on 20 August 1943 : Inactivated on 31 March 1946 * Consolidated with the 97th Air Refueling Squadron as the 97th Air Refueling Squadron on 19 September 1985 97th Air Refueling Squadron : Constituted as the 97th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium on 2 February 1949 : Activated on 1 March 1949 : Discontinued and inactivated on 15 March 1964 * Redesignated 97th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy and activated on 8 October 1964 (not organized) : Organized on 23 October 1964 * Consolidated with the 97th Bombardment Squadron on 19 September 1985 : Redesignated 97th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 September 1991 : Inactivated on 1 April 1992 * Activated on 1 October 1992 : Inactivated on 30 September 2004 * Activated on 1 October 2019

Assignments

General Headquarters Air Force The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...

(later, Air Force Combat Command), 15 January 1941 (attached to

until 7 May 1941, then

) * 47th Bombardment Group, 14 August 1941 – 31 March 1946 * 97th Bombardment Group, 1 March 1949 (attached to 97th Bombardment Wing after 12 July 1950) * 97th Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952 (attached to

Fifteenth Air Force The Fifteenth Air Force (15 AF) is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force's Air Combat Command (ACC). It is headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base. It was reactivated on 20 August 2020, merging the previous units of the Ninth Air Forc ...

, c. 31 May 1955 – 10 July 1955) * 4061st Air Refueling Wing, 1 September 1957 *

(later 9th Strategic Aerospace Wing) (attached to 341st Combat Support Group), 15 July 1961 *

28th Bombardment Wing The 28th Bomb Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Eighth Air Force (8 AF) of the Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) and is stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. The wing is also the "host unit" at Ellswort ...

, 1 July 1962 – 15 March 1964 *

, 8 October 1964 (not organized) * 97th Bombardment Wing, 23 October 1964 * 97th Operations Group, 1 September 1991 – 1 April 1992 *

43rd Operations Group The 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group is an active duty air mobility unit aPope Army Airfield(formerly Pope AFB), Fort Bragg, North Carolina and is part of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) under the USAF Expeditionary Center. The unit is composed ...

, 1 October 1992 *

453rd Operations Group The 453rd Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit that was first organized in June 1943, during World War II, as a Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber group. After training in the United States, it deployed to Englan ...

, 1 April 1994 *

, 1 July 1994 – 30 September 2004 * 92nd Operations Group, 1 October 2019 – present

Stations

* McChord Field, Washington, 15 January 1941 * Army Air Base, Fresno (later Hammer Field), California, 11 August 1941 * Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma, 15 February 1942 * Piedmont Triad International Airport, Greensboro Airport, North Carolina, 16 July 1942 * Langley Field, Virginia, 6–27 October 1942 * Casablanca, French Morocco, 7 November 1942 * Mediouna Airfield, French Morocco, 18 November 1942 * Thelepte Airfield, Tunisia, 27 December 1942 * Youks-les-Bains Airfield, Algeria, 15 February 1943 * Canrobert Airfield, Algeria, 21 February 1943 * Thelepte Airfield, Tunisia, 31 March 1943 * Souk-el-Arba Airfield, Tunisia, c. 30 April 1943 * Grombalia Airfield, Tunisia, 1 June 1943 * Takali Airdrome, Malta, 23 July 1943 * Torrente Comunelli Airfield, Sicily, Italy, 12 August 1943 * Catania Airport, Sicily, Italy, 19 August 1943 * Grottaglie Airfield, Italy, c. 24 September 1943 * Vincenzo Airfield, Italy, 17 October 1943 * Vesuvius Airfield, Italy, c. 8 January 1944 * Capodichino Airport, Italy, 22 March 1944 * Vesuvius Airfield, Italy, 26 April 1944 * Ponte Galeria Airfield, Italy, 12 June 1944 * Grosseto Airport, Italy, 28 June 1944 * Poretta Airport, Corsica, France, 15 July 1944 * Salon-de-Provence, France (Y-16), 7 September 1944 * Follonica Airfield, Italy, 19 September 1944 * Rosignano Airfield, Italy, 9 October 1944 * Grosseto Airport, Italy, 6 December 1944 * Pisa International Airport, Pisa Airport, Italy, 31 March – 25 June 1945 * Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 11 July 1945 * Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina, 14 July 1945 *

, Louisiana, 9 September 1945 – 31 March 1946 *

, Texas, 1 March 1949 *Deployed to: :: RAF Upper Heyford, England 15 March – 1 June 1952 :: Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland, 21 November – 20 December 1954 :: Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland c. 31 May – 10 July 1955 :: RAF Greenham Common, England 1 May – 9 July 1956 :: Goose Air Force Base, Labrador – 1 April September 1957 *

, Montana, 1 September 1957 – 15 March 1964 * Blytheville Air Force Base, Blytheville Air Force Base (later Eaker Air Force Base), Arkansas, 8 October 1964 – 1 April 1992 *

, Montana, 1 October 1992 *

, Washington, 1 April 1994 – 30 September 2004 * Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, 1 October 2019 – present

Aircraft

* Douglas B-18 Bolo (1941–1942) * Consolidated B-24 Liberator (1941–1942) * Douglas DB-7 Boston (1942) * Douglas A-20 Havoc (1942–1945) * Douglas A-26 Invader (1945–1946) * Boeing B-29 Superfortress (1950) * Boeing KB-29 Superfortress (1950–1954) * Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter (1954–1964) * Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (1964–2004) * Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (2019–present)

Awards and campaigns

References

Notes

; Explanatory notes ;Footnotes

Bibliography

* * * * * * * *

External links

* * {{USAAF 2d Air Force World War II Military units and formations established in 1949 Air refueling squadrons of the United States Air Force, 097 Units and formations of Strategic Air Command Military units and formations in Washington (state) 1949 establishments in Texas