Country United States | Type Air Refueling | |
 | ||
Active 1942-1944, 1945-1946, 1953-1960 Branch United States Air Force Motto(s) EXTENDERE POTENTIA (Extend Power) Engagements American Theater of World War II | ||
The 308th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 2d Bombardment Wing at Hunter AFB, Georgia. It was inactivated on 1 March 1960.
Contents
The squadron was first active as the 318th Bombardment Squadron, an operational training unit and replacement training unit under Second Air Force during World War II.
In 1945, the 8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was activated as a demonstration unit for air ground support exercises.
In 1985 the three squadrons were consolidated into a single unit.
History
The 318th Bombardment Squadron was established in early 1942 as a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bombardment squadron. It was part of Second Air Force as a heavy bomber Operational Training Unit (OTU). The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to provide cadres to "satellite groups".
The squadron was assigned primarily to airfields in the Pacific Northwest training new units, then becoming a Replacement Training Unit (RTU). RTUs were oversized units that trained individual pilots or aircrews. It was transferred along with its parent group to Third Air Force in November 1943. However, standard military units, based on relatively inflexible tables of organization were proving less well adapted to the training mission. Accordingly, a more functional system was adopted in which each base was organized into a separate numbered unit. In this reorganization it was replaced along with other units at Avon Park AAF by the 325th AAF Base Unit (Replacement Training, Bombardment, Heavy) and was inactivated.
In 1945, the 8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron was activated as a demonstration unit for air ground support exercises and served in this capacity in the early postwar era. It was disbanded in 1948.
The 308th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium was activated in 1953 at Hunter AFB, Georgia to provide air refueling of United States Air Force (Primarily Boeing B-47 Stratojet) aircraft using KC-97 Stratotankers on a worldwide basis. The squadron deployed to Sidi Slimane AB, Morocco in 1956. It maintained one third of its aircraft on alert in a test of Strategic Air Command's alert plan later that year. The squadron earned an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for its performance in this test. In 1959 it was reassigned to the 2d Bombardment Wing at Hunter when the 308th Bombardment Wing became non-operational. It was discontinued in 1960 as Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses supported by Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers assumed the greater portion of the strategic bombardment mission.
The three units were consolidated in 1985 as the 308th Air Refueling Squadron but have not been active since.
Lineage
318th Bombardment Squadron
8th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
308th Air Refueling Squadron