344th Air Refueling Squadron

The 344th Air Refueling Squadron (344 ARS) is part of the 22d Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. It operates the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions.

History
Established as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron and trained by Third Air Force. Deployed to Egypt in June 1942 over South Atlantic Transport Route transiting from Morrision Field, Florida though the Caribbean to Brazil; performed trans-Atlantic crossing from Brazil to Liberia, then transited east across central Africa to Sudan. Lastly the group reformed with the ground echelon which traveled by ship around the Cape of Good Hope, joining with air echelon in British Palestine.

Assigned to the newly formed IX Bomber Command, the squadron operated from airfields in Egypt; Libya and Tunisia supporting the British Eighth Army in the Western Desert Campaign. Also staged long-range strategic bombardment of enemy military and industrial targets in Sicily; Italy and the Southern Balkans, including attacking the Nazi-Controlled oilfields at Polesti, Romania.

Re-assigned to Fifteenth Air Force in southern Italy; continuing strategic bombardment raids on Occupied France; Southern Germany; Austria and targets in the Balkans. In the summer of 1944, the squadron participated in the invasion of southern France, assisted in the Soviet advance into the Balkans, and supported the partisans and guerrillas in Yugoslavia and neighboring countries.

The squadron returned to the United States in May 1945 where it was redesignated as a Boeing B-29 Superfortress very heavy bombardment squadron and began training for deployment to the Central Pacific Area. Training continued until November when the unit was transferred to Merced Army Air Field, California and reassigned to the 444th Bombardment Group, where it replaced the 678th Bombardment Squadron, which was converted into a reconnaissance unit. The squadron was inactivated at what was now Castle Field in March 1946.

Reactivated in 1947 as a Strategic Air Command B-29 Superfortress medium bomb squadron. Performed strategic bombardment training missions during the postwar era. In 1950 the squadron deployed to Far East Air Forces at Yokota Air Base, Japan and flew strategic bombardment missions over North Korea after the breakout of the Korean War. The squadron flew its first combat mission on 7 August, striking marshalling yards at Pyongyang, capital of North Korea. Attacked enemy communication lines and supported United Nations ground forces. Targets included rail facilities, oil centers, bridges, roads, troop concentrations, airfields, and military installations. Engaged in combat operations until the 1953 armistice, however the squadron remained in Japan until July 1954 when reassigned administratively to Lincoln AFB, Nebraska and its B-29s sent to storage and reclamation.

At Lincoln, re-equipped with new B-47E Stratojets. Engaged in strategic bombardment training with the B-47 throughout the rest of the 1950s, into the early 1960s. Inactivated in 1966 with the phaseout of the B-47 and closure of Lincoln AFB.

Reactivated in 1986 as an air refueling squadron.

Lineage

 * Constituted 344th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942
 * Activated on 3 Feb 1942


 * Redesignated 344th Bombardment Squadron, Very Heavy on 23 May 1945
 * Inactivated on 27 Mar 1946


 * Activated on 1 Jul 1947
 * Redesignated 344th Bombardment Squadron, Medium on 28 May 1948
 * Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 Jun 1966


 * Redesignated 344th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy, on 7 May 1986
 * Activated on 1 Oct 1986


 * Redesignated 344th Air Refueling Squadron on 1 Jul 1992.

Assignments

 * 98th Bombardment Group, 3 Feb 1942
 * 444th Bombardment Group, 10 Nov 1945 - 27 Mar 1946
 * 98th Bombardment Group, 1 Jul 1947
 * 98th Bombardment Wing, 16 Jun 1952
 * 98th Strategic Aerospace Wing, 1 Feb 1964-25 June 1966
 * 68th Air Refueling Wing, 1 Oct 1986
 * 4th Operations Group, 22 Apr 1991
 * 22d Operations Group, 29 Apr 1994–Present

Stations

 * MacDill Field, Florida, 3 Feb 1942
 * Barksdale Field, Louisiana, c. 9 Feb 1942
 * Page Field, Florida, 31 Mar 1942
 * Drane Field, Florida, 15 May-3 Jul 1942
 * RAF Ramat David, British Palestine, 31 Jul 1942
 * RAF Fayid, Egypt, 12 Nov 1942
 * Tobruk Airfield, Libya, 26 Jan 1943
 * Benina Airfield, Libya, 11 Feb 1943
 * Hergla Airfield, Tunisia, 26 Sep 1943
 * Brindisi Airfield, Italy, 18 Nov 1943
 * Manduria Airfield, Italy, 19 Dec 1943


 * Lecce Airfield, Italy, 18 Jan 1944-19 Apr 1945
 * McCook Army Airfield, Nebraska, 25 Jun 1945
 * Merced Army Air Field (later Castle Field), California, 10 Nov 1945 - 27 Mar 1946
 * Andrews Field, Maryland, 1 Jul 1947
 * Spokane Army Air Field, Washington, 24 Sep 1947
 * Yokota AB, Japan, 5 Aug 1950
 * Lincoln AFB, Nebraska, 25 Jul 1954-25 June 1966
 * Deployed at RAF Lakenheath, England, 12 Nov 1955-28 Jan 1956


 * Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina, 1 Oct 1986
 * McConnell AFB, Kansas, 29 Apr 1994–Present

Aircraft

 * B-24 Liberator, 1942–1945
 * B-29 Superfortress, 1945; 1947–1954
 * B-47 Stratojet, 1954–1966
 * KC-10 Extender, 1986–1993
 * KC-135 Stratotanker, 1994–Present