Role Air Refueling | ||
 | ||
Active 1940-1946; 1947-1949; 1951-1951; 1957-1967; 1989 – present Part of Air Mobility Command18th Air Force60th Air Mobility Wing60th Operations Group | ||
The 6th Air Refueling Squadron (6 ARS) is part of the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis Air Force Base, California. It operates the McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender aircraft conducting air refueling missions.
Contents
- World War II
- Reserve operations
- Cold War
- Modern era
- Lineage
- Assignments
- Station
- Aircraft Operated
- Operations
- References
The squadron was first active during World War II as the 6th Bombardment Squadron. After the end of the war, the squadron served in the reserves from 1947 until 1949.
In 1951, the 6th Air Refueling Squadron was activated for a brief time. It was activated again in 1957 and served with Strategic Air Command for the next ten years.
The two squadrons were consolidated into a single unit in 1985. The consolidated squadron was activated again in 1989 as the 6th Air Refueling Squadron to operate the McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender.
World War II
The squadron was first activated as the 6th Bombardment Squadron in early 1940 as part of the pre-World War II buildup of the United States Army Air Corps after the breakout of war in Europe. It was assigned to the 29th Bombardment Group of the Northeast Air District and equipped with pre-production YB-17s. Later the squadron received early model B-17C and B-17D heavy bombers. After the Pearl Harbor Attack, the unit flew antisubmarine patrol missions in the Caribbean from January until June 1942.
The squadron returned to the United States in June 1942 and was assigned to II Bomber Command. Was an Operational Training (OTU) and later a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) for B-17 heavy bomber units and replacement personnel until March 1944.
The squadron was redesignated as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment squadron under Second Air Force. It deployed to the Pacific Theater of Operations and was stationed at North Field, Guam under XXI Bomber Command. It flew very long range strategic bombardment missions over the Japanese Home Islands, attacking military, industrial and transportation targets. The unit switched to night incendiary raids attacking major Japanese cities in the spring of 1945, causing massive destruction of urbanized areas. It continued strategic bombing raids and incendiary attacks until the surrender of Japan in August 1945.
The squadron remained in Western Pacific, although largely demobilized in the fall of 1945. Some aircraft were scrapped on Tinian; others flown to storage depots in the United States. Remained as a paper unit assigned to Twentieth Air Force until inactivated in early 1946.
Reserve operations
The squadron was active from 1947 to 1949 as a reserve corollary squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana from 1947 to 1949.
Cold War
The 6th Air Refueling Squadron was activated briefly in 1951, but was inactivated a few months later, when its parent 6th Bombardment Group prepared to convert to Convair B-36 Peacemaker bombers, which lacked an air refueling capability. The squadron did not receive its complement of KB-29 tankers.
The squadron was again activated as the 6th Bombardment Wing prepared for the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. It performed air refueling training from 1959 until 1962, when tanker training was concentrated at Castle Air Force Base, California. It flew worldwide air refueling missions from 1963 until 967, including support of tactical aircraft flying in Southeast Asia until the squadron was inactivated as Walker Air Force Base closed in 1967.
Modern era
On 19 September 1985 the 6th Air Refueling Squadron was consolidated with the 6th Bombardment Squadron.
The consolidated squadron was activated in 1989 as the 6th Air Refueling Squadron, a McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender unit. The squadron again flew worldwide air refueling, including support of deployments to Southwest Asia from, 1990 through 1991. It provided humanitarian airlift to Somalia from 1992 to 1993.
Lineage
6th Bombardment Squadron
6th Air Refueling Squadron