906th Air Refueling 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. 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.

Lineage

 * 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

 * 3d Wing, 15 January 1941
 * Attached to 42d Bombardment Group, 15 January 1941-24 February 1942
 * Associated with: 1st Photographic Group, 10 Jun 1941-22 Apr 1942 (training)


 * 42d Bombardment Group, 25 February 1942
 * Attached to 28th Composite Group, c. 6 June 1942-


 * 41st Bombardment Group, 12 February 1943
 * Remained attached to 28th Composite Group to c. 10 October 1943


 * Fourth Air Force, 11 October 1943
 * Eighth Air Force, 2 November 1943
 * 1st Bombardment Division, 21 November 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


 * VIII Fighter Command, 1 October 1944
 * 1st Air Division, 30 December 1944
 * 492d Bombardment Group, 5 August-17 October 1945
 * 4136th Strategic Wing, 1 June 1959
 * 450th Bombardment Wing, 1 February 1963
 * 5th Bombardment Wing, 25 July 1968
 * 5th Operations Group, 1 September 1991
 * 43d Operations Group, 1 June 1992
 * 319th Operations Group, 30 January 1994–2 October 2009
 * 126th Air Refueling Wing, 2 October 2009-Present

Stations

 * Fort Douglas, Utah, 15 January 1941
 * Gowen Field, Idaho, 4 June 1941
 * Air echelon operated from Paine Field, Washington, from 8 December 1941


 * Paine Field, Washington, 21 January 1942
 * Portland Army Air Base, Oregon, 20 July-1 November 1942
 * Air echelon operated from Elmendorf Field, Alaska Territory, from 7 June 1942


 * Elmendorf Field, Alaska Territory, 15 November 1942-18 October 1943
 * Operated from Adak Army Airfield, Aleutians 25 July-13 August 1943
 * Operated from Amchitka Army Airfield, Metlakatla, Annette Island, 13 August-c. October 1943


 * Portland Army Air Base, Oregon, 23 October-2 November 1943
 * RAF Alconbury, England, 11 November 1943
 * RAF Watton, England, 7 February 1944
 * RAF Harrington, England, 1 April 1944
 * RAF Cheddington, England, 10 August 1944
 * RAF Harrington, England, 16 March-6 August 1945
 * Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota (1945)
 * Kirtland Field, New Mexico, 17 August-17 October 1945
 * Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, 14 August 1945
 * Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, 30 January 1994-2009
 * Scott Air Force Base, Illinois (2009–present)

Aircraft Operated

 * B-18 Bolo (1941–1943)
 * B-26 Marauder (1941–1942)
 * A-29 Hudson (1942–1943)
 * B-25 Mitchell (1943)
 * B-24 Liberator (1943–1945)
 * B-17 Flying Fortress (1944–1945)
 * KC-135 Stratotanker (1959–present)

Operations

 * World War II