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344th Air Refueling Squadron
344th Air Refueling Squadron
344th Air Refueling Squadron Patch
Active 3 February 1942 - 27 March 1946
1 July 1947 - 25 June 1966
1 October 1986 - Present
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
Type Aerial refueling
Part of Air Mobility Command
18th Air Force
22d Air Refueling Wing
22d Operations Group
Garrison/HQ McConnell Air Force Base
Motto(s) Anytime-Anywhere
Decorations Presidential Unit Citation ribbon DCU
Outstanding Unit ribbon AFOUA
Presidential Unit Citation (Korea) ROK PUC
344th Bombardment Squadron - SAC - Emblem

Emblem of the SAC 344th Bombardment Squadron

344th Bombardment Squadron - B-24 Liberator

"Raunchy" B-24D-CO Liberator s/n 41-11819 344th Bomb Squadron, 98th Bomb Group Lost on the August 1, 1943 low-level mission to Ploesti,Romania. She was hit by AAA over the target and exploded at an altitude of 150 feet and crashing into a field. 8 KIA, 2 POW MACR 169. Photo taken at Tobruk or Benina Airfield, Libya

The 344th Air Refueling Squadron (344 ARS) is part of the 22d Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. It operates the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions.

History[]

Established as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron and trained by Third Air Force. Deployed to Egypt in June 1942 over South Atlantic Transport Route transiting from Morrision Field, Florida though the Caribbean to Brazil; performed trans-Atlantic crossing from Brazil to Liberia, then transited east across central Africa to Sudan. Lastly the group reformed with the ground echelon which traveled by ship around the Cape of Good Hope, joining with air echelon in British Palestine.

Assigned to the newly formed IX Bomber Command, the squadron operated from airfields in Egypt; Libya and Tunisia supporting the British Eighth Army in the Western Desert Campaign. Also staged long-range strategic bombardment of enemy military and industrial targets in Sicily; Italy and the Southern Balkans, including attacking the Nazi-Controlled oilfields at Polesti, Romania.

Re-assigned to Fifteenth Air Force in southern Italy; continuing strategic bombardment raids on Occupied France; Southern Germany; Austria and targets in the Balkans. In the summer of 1944, the squadron participated in the invasion of southern France, assisted in the Soviet advance into the Balkans, and supported the partisans and guerrillas in Yugoslavia and neighboring countries. The squadron returned to the United States in May 1945 where it was redesignated as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment squadron and began training for deployment to the Central Pacific Area. Training continued until November when the unit was transferred to Merced Army Air Field, California and reassigned to the 444th Bombardment Group,[1] where it replaced the 678th Bombardment Squadron, which was converted into a reconnaissance unit.[2] The squadron was inactivated at what was now Castle Field in March 1946.[1]

Reactivated in 1947 as a Strategic Air Command B-29 Superfortress medium bomb squadron. Performed strategic bombardment training missions during the postwar era. In 1950 the squadron deployed to Far East Air Forces at Yokota Air Base, Japan and flew strategic bombardment missions over North Korea after the breakout of the Korean War. The squadron flew its first combat mission on 7 August, striking marshalling yards at Pyongyang, capital of North Korea. Attacked enemy communication lines and supported United Nations ground forces. Targets included rail facilities, oil centers, bridges, roads, troop concentrations, airfields, and military installations. Engaged in combat operations until the 1953 armistice, however the squadron remained in Japan until July 1954 when reassigned administratively to Lincoln AFB, Nebraska and its B-29s sent to storage and reclamation.

At Lincoln, re-equipped with new B-47E Stratojets. Engaged in strategic bombardment training with the B-47 throughout the rest of the 1950s, into the early 1960s. Inactivated in 1966 with the phaseout of the B-47 and closure of Lincoln AFB.

Reactivated in 1986 as an air refueling squadron.

Lineage[]

  • Constituted 344th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942
Activated on 3 Feb 1942
  • Redesignated 344th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 23 May 1945
Inactivated on 27 Mar 1946
  • Activated on 1 Jul 1947
Redesignated 344th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 28 May 1948
Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 Jun 1966
  • Redesignated 344th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy, on 7 May 1986
Activated on 1 Oct 1986
  • Redesignated 344th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 Jul 1992.

Assignments[]

Stations[]

Deployed at RAF Lakenheath, England, 12 Nov 1955-28 Jan 1956

Aircraft[]

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Maurer, Maurer, ed (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp. 426–427. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556. http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/combat_sq_of_the_af_wwii.pdf. 
  2. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 704

Bibliography[]

PD-icon This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency website http://www.afhra.af.mil/.

External links[]




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