314th Air Refueling Squadron

The 314th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 940th Air Refueling Wing, based at Beale Air Force Base, California. It was inactivated on 30 April 2008.

Mission
It operated the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions.

History
Activated in late 1943 as a C-47 Skytrain troop carrier squadron, trained under I Troop Carrier Command in the United States. Was not deployed until the spring of 1945 to England, being assigned to the IX Troop Carrier Command, Ninth Air Force. Was not used in combat operations, however did transport supplies and equipment to the front-line ground forces primarily into Germany and evacuated casualties to rear areas. Returned to the United States in September 1945 and was a transport squadron for Continental Air Forces until its inactivation in September 1946.

It trained in the Reserve for troop carrier missions from, 1949–1951, for fighter-bomber missions from, 1952–1957, and resumed its current role as an airlift squadron in 1957 until 1976.

The squadron has performed air refueling missions worldwide since 1977 and maintained an alert responsibility for Strategic Air Command until the command's inactivation in September 1991. It deployed aircraft and personnel to Saudi Arabia and European locations in support of the Gulf War and later contingency operations in Somalia and the Balkans.

Operations and Decorations

 * Combat Operations. Deployed aircraft and personnel to Saudi Arabia and European locations in support of the Gulf War and later contingency operations in Somalia and the Balkans.


 * Campaigns. Southwest Asia: Defense of Saudi Arabia; Liberation and Defense of Kuwait.


 * Decorations. Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards: 23 Dec 1964-23 Jan 1965; 1 Jan 1979-31 Dec 1980; 1 Mar 1982-29 Feb 1984; 31 Jul 1989-30 Sep 1990; 1 Oct 1995-30 Sep 1997; 1 Oct 1997-30 Sep 1999. Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm: 1 Apr 1966-31 Mar 1972.

Lineage

 * Constituted 314th Troop Carrier Squadron on 23 Oct 1943
 * Activated on 1 Nov 1943
 * Inactivated on 31 Jul 1946


 * Re-designated: 314th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 10 May 1949
 * Activated in the Reserve on 27 Jun 1949
 * Ordered to Active Service on 1 Apr 1951
 * Inactivated on 2 Apr 1951


 * Re-designated: 314th Fighter-Bomber Squadron on 26 May 1952
 * Activated in the Reserve on 13 Jun 1952
 * Re-designated: 314th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium on 1 Sep 1957
 * Ordered to Active Service on 28 Oct 1962
 * Relieved from Active Duty on 28 Nov 1962
 * Re-designated: 314th Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy on 1 Apr 1965
 * Re-designated: 314th Air Transport Squadron, Heavy on 1 Dec 1965
 * Re-designated: 314th Military Airlift Squadron on 1 Jan 1966
 * Re-designated: 314th Tactical Airlift Squadron on 1 Apr 1972
 * Re-designated: 314th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 1 Jan 1977
 * Re-designated: 314th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 Feb 1992.

Assignments

 * 349th Troop Carrier Group, 1 Nov 1943-31 Jul 1946
 * 349th Troop Carrier Group, 27 Jun 1949-2 Apr 1951
 * 349th Fighter-Bomber (later, 349th Troop Carrier) Group, 13 Jun 1952
 * 349th Troop Carrier Wing, 14 Apr 1959
 * 940th Troop Carrier (later, 940th Air Transport; 940th Military Airlift; 940th Tactical Airlift; 940th Air Refueling) Group, 11 Feb 1963
 * 940th Operations Group, 1 Aug 1992-30 April 2008

Stations

 * Sedalia Army Air Field, Missouri, 1 Nov 1943
 * Alliance Army Air Field, Nebraska, 20 Jan 1944
 * Pope Field, North Carolina, 11 Mar 1944
 * Baer Field, Indiana, 7-15 Mar 1945
 * RAF Barkston Heath (AAF-483), England, 30 Mar 1945
 * Roye-Amy Airfield (A-73), France, 18 Apr-13 Jul 1945


 * Bergstrom Field, Texas, 17 Sep 1945-7 Sep 1946
 * Hamilton AFB, California, 27 Jun 1949-2 Apr 1951; 13 Jun 1952
 * Hill AFB, Utah, 14 Oct 1955
 * Mather AFB, California, 1 Jan 1977
 * McClellan AFB, California, 1 Jul 1993
 * Beale AFB, California, 1 Oct 1997-30 April 2008

Aircraft

 * C-53 Skytrooper (1943–1944)
 * C-47 Skytrain (1943–1944, 1945–1946)
 * C-46 Commando (1944–1946, 1949–1951, 1952–1958)
 * CG-4 Haig (1944 – c. 1946)
 * C-109 Liberator Express (1945)
 * T-6 Texan (1949–1950, 1952–1954)


 * T-7 Navigator (1949–1951)
 * T-11 Kansan (1949–1951)
 * T-28 Trojan (1953–1956)
 * C-119 Flying Boxcar (1958–1965)
 * C-124 Globemaster II (1965–1972)
 * KC-135 Stratotanker (1976–2008)