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906th Air Refueling Squadron
906th ARS Patch
906th Air Refueling Squadron Patch
Active 15 January 1941 - 17 October 1945
1 June 1959 - present
Country United States
Branch United States Air Force
Type Aerial refueling
Part of Air Mobility Command
18th Air Force
375th Air Mobility Wing
375th Operations Group
Garrison/HQ Scott Air Force Base
Engagements Aleutian Islands Campaign
Operation Carpetbagger
Decorations Outstanding Unit ribbon AFOUA
Ruban de la croix de guerre 1939-1945 FCdG w/ Palm
406th Bombardment Squadron - Emblem

Emblem of the World War II 406th Bombardment Squadron

The 906th Air Refueling Squadron (906 ARS) is part of the 375th Air Mobility Wing at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois.

Mission[]

The 906 ARS operates the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions.

History[]

Established as a pre-World War II bombardment squadron; assigned to the GHQ Northwest Air District. Equipped with a mixture B-18 Bolos, A-29 Hudsons and a few B-26 Marauder medium bombers. After the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron flew antisubmarine patrols over the Northwest Pacific coast until May 1942.

After the Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands, squadron was deployed to the Alaska Territory. Flew combat missions during the Aleutian Campaign from forward bases on Adak and Amchitka during 1943 with B-25 Mitchells, attacking enemy targets on the occupied islands until their surrender.

Returned to the Continental United States in late 1943; re-equipped with B-24 Liberator heavy bombers and trained under Second Air Force. Deployed to European Theater of Operations (ETO); being assigned to Eighth Air Force in England. Engaged in various special operations missions as a CARPETBAGGER unit, assisting resistance forces by dropping supplies, weapons and personnel over Occupied Europe until August 1944. Engaged in PSYOPS warfare against Nazi Germany, dropping leaflets and flying other combat missions until the German capitulation in May 1945.

Most of squadron personnel demobilized in England during the summer of 1945, unit returned to the United States and being redesignated as a Very Heavy B-29 Superfortress bombardment squadron. War in Pacific Theater ended before unit completed training and the squadron was inactivated in October 1945.

Reactivated as a Strategic Air Command KC-135 aerial refueling squadron in 1959; engaged in worldwide operations supporting combat operations in Southeast Asia from, 1968–1975 and Southwest Asia from, 1990–1991.[1] On October 2, 2009, the 906th underwent a flag move from Grand Forks Air Force Base to Scott Air Force Base, assigned to the 375th Air Mobility Wing as an active associate unit with the 126th Air Refueling Wing of the Illinois Air National Guard.[2]

Lineage[1][]

  • Constituted 16th Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium) on 20 November 1940
Activated on 15 January 1941
Redesignated: 406th Bombardment Squadron (Medium) on 22 April 1942
Redesignated: 406th Bombardment Squadron, Medium, on 1 June 1943
Redesignated: 406th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 2 November 1943
Redesignated: 406th Bombardment Squadron, Heavy, on 20 August 1943
Redesignated: 406th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy, on 5 August 1945
Inactivated on 17 October 1945
  • Consolidated (19 September 1985) with the 906th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy, which was constituted on 9 March 1959
Activated on 1 June 1959
Redesignated: 906th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 September 1991.

Assignments[1][]

Attached to 42d Bombardment Group, 15 January 1941-24 February 1942
Associated with: 1st Photographic Group, 10 Jun 1941-22 Apr 1942 (training)
Attached to 28th Composite Group, c. 6 June 1942-
Remained attached to 28th Composite Group to c. 10 October 1943
Attached to 482d Bombardment Group, 4 December 1943-21 February 1944
  • VIII Air Force Composite Command, 26 February 1944
Attached to 801st Bombardment Group [Provisional], 28 March-5 August 1944

Stations[1][]

Air echelon operated from Paine Field, Washington, from 8 December 1941
Air echelon operated from Elmendorf Field, Alaska Territory, from 7 June 1942
Operated from Adak Army Airfield, Aleutians 25 July-13 August 1943
Operated from Amchitka Army Airfield, Metlakatla, Annette Island, 13 August-c. October 1943

Aircraft Operated[1][]

Operations[1][]

References[]

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

See also[]




All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at 906th Air Refueling Squadron and the edit history here.
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