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91st Air Refueling Squadron
KC-135R of the 91st Air Refueling Squadron over Tampa Bay
Active	1941–1945; 1950–1987; 1988–present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Air refueling
Part of	Air Mobility Command
Garrison/HQ	MacDill Air Force Base
Engagements	European Theater of Operations
Decorations	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Insignia
91st Air Refueling Squadron emblem (approved 3 June 1952)
391st Bombardment Squadron emblem (approved for 1st Reconnaissance Squadron 24 September 1941)

The 91st Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling missions.

The squadron was first activated in January 1941 as the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron at Langley Field, Virginia. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron performed antisubmarine patrols. In the spring of 1942 it was renamed the 391st Bombardment Squadron and became part of the 34th Bombardment Group, to which it had been attached since activation. The squadron moved to the western United States and trained until April 1944 when it moved to the European Theater of Operations, where it participated in combat until VE Day. It returned to the United States in the summer of 1945 and was inactivated.

Mission

The squadron provides air refueling and airlift for combatant commanders. It operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker, a long-range tanker aircraft capable of refueling a variety of aircraft in mid-air, anywhere in the world and under any weather condition. The 91st's KC-135s have supported US military operations all over the world.

History

World War II

The squadron was first activated at Langley Field, Virginia in January 1941 as the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron, a long-range reconnaissance squadron, equipped with a mixture of B-17C and B-17D Flying Fortresses and Douglas B-18 Bolos. It was initially assigned to General Headquarters Air Force (GHQ AF), but was attached to the 34th Bombardment Group per GHQ AF policy of attaching a reoconnaissace squadron to each bombardment group. Along with the 34th Group, the squadron moved to Westover Field, Massachusetts four months after they were activated.

After the Pearl Harbor attack the squadron began antisubmarine patrols off the Northeast coast of the United States, but soon became part of Western Defense Command and moved to Pendleton Field, Oregon. By the summer of 1942, Second Air Force had become primarily a heavy bomber training force and the squadron, called the 391st Bombardment Squadron since May, became a B-17 Replacement Training Unit (RTU) at Geiger Field. RTUs were oversized units which trained aircrews prior to their deployment to combat theaters.

On 15 December 1942 the squadron moved to Blythe Army Air Base, California a base of the Desert Training Center. The unit provided cadres for a number of heavy bomber units that served with Eighth Air Force during this period.

The 391st began training with Consolidated B-24 Liberators for overseas combat operations on 5 January 1944. Its ground echelon moved to the port of embarkation on 1 April 1944, while the air echelon began its overseas movement on 31 May 1944, taking the southern ferry route, from Florida to Trinidad, Brazil, West Africa and Marrakesh, arriving at RAF Valley, Wales. The 34th Group arrived at its permanent station, RAF Mendlesham, England, in April 1944 and entered combat on 23 May 1944.

The squadron helped to prepare for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, by bombing airfields in France and Germany, and supported the June landings by attacking coastal defenses and communications. It supported ground forces at Saint-Lô in late July and struck V-1 flying bomb launch sites, gun emplacements, and supply lines throughout the summer of 1944.

The mixture of B-24s and B-17s in the 3d Bombardment Division presented a number of operational problems, and in early 1944 plans had begun at VIII Bomber Command headquarters to standardize the division with the Flying Fortress. The 34th group flew its last B-24 mission on 24 August 1944. It transferred its Liberators for overhaul and eventual transfer to units of the 2d Bombardment Division, and began converting to B-17s and flew its first mission with the new planes on 17 September 1944. The squadron engaged primarily in bombardment of strategic objectives from October 1944 to February 1945. Targets included marshaling yards in Ludwigshafen, Hamm, Osnabrück, and Darmstadt; oil centers in Bielefeld, Merseburg, Hamburg, and Misburg; factories in Berlin, Dalteln, and Hanover; and airfields in Münster, Neumünster, and Frankfurt.

During this period the squadron also supported ground forces during the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945. In March 1945, with few enemy industrial targets remaining and with Allied armies advancing across Germany, the 391st turned almost solely to interdicting enemy communications and supporting Allied ground forces. The 391st flew its last combat mission on 20 April 1945.

After V-E Day the squadron flew missions carrying food to flooded areas of the Netherlands and transported prisoners of war from German camps to Allied centers. The squadron redeployed to the United States in June and July 1945. The first elements of the air echelon departed 19 June 1945. The ground echelon sailed aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth from Southampton on 6 August 1945. Upon arrival in the states, unit personnel were given 30 days leave. The squadron reassembled at Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, where it was inactivated on 28 August 1945.

Air Refueling

The 91st Air Refueling Squadron was activated at Barksdale Air Force Base as a Boeing KB-29 Superfortress air refueling squadron in April 1950. The squadron's parent 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Group was equipped with North American RB-45 Tornados. In the fall of 1950, the first air refueling of a jet bomber took place when a squadron Boeing KB-29P Superfortress refueled one of the group's Tornados. Over the next eighteen months, the 9lst developed equipment, techniques, and procedures for refueling jet bombers. The squadron performed the first night refueling and the first refueling performed in instrument weather conditions. However, Strategic Air Command (SAC) activated KB-29 squadrons faster than it acquired tankers, and the unit remained understrength through most of 1950 and 1951.

After additional training with tankers, it moved to Lockbourne Air Force Base along with its parent 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing. It remained at Lockbourne until 1971 and began to fly worldwide air refueling operations. In 1953, the wing began to equip with Boeing RB-47 Stratojets and the squadron with Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighters. SAC had begun to include refueling in its war plans, and the squadron made frequent deployments with its KC-97s to forward locations, placing it ahead of the faster Boeing B-47 Stratojets it would refuel, and on their programmed route. During Operation Reflex deployments with the wing, the squadron's aircraft also served as transports, carrying extra air crew, support personnel, and spare parts.

In 1957 the 91st wing was inactivated and the squadron was transferred to the 376th Bombardment Wing, which moved to Lockbourne from Barksdale in November. In 1963, the squadron began to transition to the all jet Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker. Once the transition to the new aircraft was complete, the squadron was attached to the 301st Bombardment Wing in May 1964, and was assigned when the wing became the 301st Air Refueling Wing, the first KC-135 wing in SAC.

Crews and aircraft from the 91st deployed to Southeast Asia to refuel tactical aircraft and Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses involved in combat in Vietnam from January 1965 through December 1975. In July 1971, as regular Air Force operations at Lockbourne were substantially reduced, the squadron moved to McConnell Air Force Base. It refueled aircraft participating in the Operation Urgent Fury, the Grenada rescue mission, between October and November 1983. The squadron was stationed at McConnell until it was inactivated in 1987.

In January 1988, SAC reactivated the 301st Air Refueling Wing and the 91st at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana with re-engined KC-135Rs. While at Malmstrom, it was reassigned several times as a result of the implementation of the Objective Wing organization in 1991 and the transfer of the refueling mission from SAC to Air Mobility Command in 1992. The squadron also supported U.S. operations during the 1991 Gulf War. It performed refuelings for bombers, airlift, and fighter aircraft as part of Tanker Task Forces around the world between 1992 and 1995. On 1 October 1996 the 91st relocated from Malmstrom to MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, where it became the air refueling component of the 6th Air Mobility Wing. Since 2002 the squadron has refueled fighter aircraft providing security for the southeastern United States.

Lineage

391st Bombardment Squadron

• Constituted as the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) on 20 November 1940

Activated on 15 January 1941

Redesignated 391st Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 22 April 1942

Redesignated 391st Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 20 August 1943

Inactivated on 28 August 1945

• Consolidated with the 91st Air Refueling Squadron as the 91st Air Refueling Squadron on 19 September 1985

91st Air Refueling Squadron

• Constituted as the 91st Air Refueling Squadron, Medium on 1 March 1950

Activated on 16 April 1950

Redesignated 91st Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 1 January 1963

• Consolidated with the 391st Bombardment Squadron on 19 September 1985

Inactivated on 1 October 1987

• Activated on 5 January 1988

Redesignated 91st Air Refueling Squadron on 1 September 1991

Assignments

• General Headquarters Air Force (later Air Force Combat Command), 15 January 1941 (attached to 34th Bombardment Group)
• 1st Bomber Command, 5 September 1941 (remained attached to 34th Bombardment Group)
• II Bomber Command, c. 25 January 1942 (remained attached to 34th Bombardment Group)
• 34th Bombardment Group, 25 February 1942 – 28 August 1945
• 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Group, 16 April 1950 (attached to 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing after 10 February 1951)
• 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, 28 May 1952 (attached to 5th Air Division, 12 January – 26 February 1954, Northeast Air Command, 6 October – 12 November 1954 and 10 July – October 1955
• 801st Air Division, 8 November 1957
• 376th Bombardment Wing, 1 December 1957 (attached to 301st Bombardment Wing after 4 May 1964)
• 301st Air Refueling Wing, 15 June 1964
• 47th Air Division, 1 July 1971
• 14th Air Division, 1 April 1972
• 12th Strategic Missile Division, 1 August 1972
• 384th Air Refueling Wing (later 384 Bombardment) Wing), 1 December 1972 – 1 October 1987
• 301st Air Refueling Wing, 5 January 1988
• 301st Operations Group, 1 September 1991
• 43d Operations Group, 1 June 1992
• 43d Air Refueling Group, 1 July 1994
• 6th Operations Group, 1 October 1996 – present

Stations

• Langley Field, Virginia, 15 January 1941
• Westover Field, Massachusetts, 29 May 1941
• Pendleton Field, Oregon, c. 25 January 1942
• Davis-Monthan Field, Arizona, c. 13 May 1942
• Geiger Field (later Geiger Army Air Base), Washington, 1 July 1942
• Ephrata Army Air Base, Washington, 1 December 1942
• Blythe Army Air Base, California, 11 December 1942 – 3 April 1944

Deployed at Salinas Army Air Base, California, 29 May – 13 July 1943

• RAF Mendlesham (AAF-156), England, 23 April 1944 – 24 July 1945
• Sioux Falls Army Air Field, South Dakota, 13 – 28 August 1945
• Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, 16 April 1950
• Lockbourne Air Force Base, Ohio, 11 September 1951

Deployed at Nouasseur Air Base, French Morocco, 12 January – 26 February 1954

Deployed at Goose Air Base, Labrador, 6 October – 12 November 1954

Deployed at Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland, 10 July – October 1955

• McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, 30 June 1971 – 1 October 1987
• Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana, 5 January 1988
• MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, 1 October 1996 – present

Aircraft

• Stearman PT-17 Kaydet (1941)
• Douglas B-18 Bolo (1941–1942)
• Boeing B-17C Flying Fortress (1941–1943)
• Boeing B-17D Flying Fortress (1941–1943)
• Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress (1944–1945)
• Consolidated B-24 Liberator (1942–1943, 1944)
• Boeing KB-29P Superfortress (1950–1953)
• Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter (1953–1963)
• Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker (1963–1987)
• Bell UH-1 Iroquois (1971–1972)
• Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker (1988–present)

Awards and campaigns

Award streamer	Award	Dates	Notes
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	8 September 1953 – 8 November 1957	91st Air Refueling Squadron
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 October 1966 – 1 April 1967	91st Air Refueling Squadron
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 July 1974 – 30 June 1976	91st Air Refueling Squadron
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 July 1976 – 30 June 1978	91st Air Refueling Squadron
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 July 1980 – 30 June 1981	91st Air Refueling Squadron
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 July 1988 – 30 June 1990	91st Air Refueling Squadron
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 July 1991 – 30 June 1993	91st Air Refueling Squadron
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 July 1994 – 30 June 1996	91st Air Refueling Squadron
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 July 1996 – 30 June 1998	91st Air Refueling Squadron
	Air Force Outstanding Unit Award	1 July 1998 – 30 June 2000	91st Air Refueling Squadron

Campaign Streamer	Campaign	Dates	Notes
	Antisubmarine	7 December 1941 – c. 13 May 1942	1st Reconnaissance Squadron
	Air Offensive, Europe	23 April 1944 – 5 June 1944	391st Bombardment Squadron
	Normandy	6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944	391st Bombardment Squadron
	Northern France	25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944	391st Bombardment Squadron
	Rhineland	15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945	391st Bombardment Squadron
	Central Europe	22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945	391st Bombardment Squadron
	Air Combat, EAME Theater	7 December 1941 – 11 May 1945	391st Bombardment Squadron

See also

• List of United States Air Force air refueling squadrons
• B-17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces
• B-24 Liberator units of the United States Army Air Forces
• List of B-29 Superfortress operators

References

Notes

1. The plane is Douglas-Tulsa B-24H-15-DT Serial 41-28851 of the 7th Bomb Squadron. This aircraft was damaged during a mission on 24 August 1944 and made an emergency landing in Sweden (MACR 8461). The aircraft was interned until the end of the war then repaired and flown back to the UK in 1945.
2. The aircraft is Lockheed/Vega B-17G-65-VE Serial 44-8457
3. SAC had several refueling wings before 1964, but they were equipped with the KC-97. See, e.g. Ravenstein, pp. 271-273 (497th, 499th and 500th Air Refueling Wings and predecessor units.)
4. In addition to the reduction in size of the 301st Wing, the 317th Tactical Airlift Wing of Tactical Air Command moved from Lockbourne to Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina. Ravenstein, pp. 167-169.

Citations

1. ^ Robertson, Patsy (17 January 2008). "Factsheet 91 Air Refueling Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
2. Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 480
3. "Library: FactSheet, 6th Operations Group". 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs. 20 July 2006. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
4. Maurer, (1987) p. 341
5. ^ Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 87-89
6. Craven & Cate (eds.), Vol. VI, p. xxxvi
7. Wilson, p. 128
8. ^ Freeman (1970), p. 240
9. Freeman (1970), p. 156
10. Freeman (1970), p. 172
11. Smith, pp. 30-31
12. ^ Ravenstein, pp. 125-127
13. Smith, p. 31
14. See Smith, p. 39
15. Smith, p. 39
16. Ravenstein, pp. 200-202
17. Ravenstein, pp. 144-146
18. ^ Lineage, including assignments, stations and aircraft in Robertson, Factsheet 91 Air Refueling Squadron except as noted
19. Station number in Anderson

Bibliography

 This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

• Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
• Craven, Wesley F; Cate, James L, eds. (1955). The Army Air Forces in World War II. Vol. VI, Men & Planes. Chicago, Illinois: University of Chicago Press. LCCN 48003657.
• Freeman, Roger A. (1970). The Mighty Eighth: Units, Men and Machines (A History of the US 8th Army Air Force). London, England, UK: Macdonald and Company. ISBN 978-0-87938-638-2.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) . Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-02-1. LCCN 61060979.
• Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) . Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-405-12194-6. LCCN 70605402. OCLC 72556.
• Maurer, Maurer (1987). Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919-1939 (PDF). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, United States Air Force. ISBN 0-912799-38-2. LCCN 87012257. OCLC 15661556. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
• Ravenstein, Charles A. (1984). Air Force Combat Wings, Lineage & Honors Histories 1947-1977. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-912799-12-9.
• Smith, Richard K. (1998). Seventy-Five Years of Inflight Refueling: Highlights, 1923-1998 (PDF). Air Force History and Museums Program. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. Retrieved 13 August 2013.

External links

• "34th Bomb Group Mission Summary: May-August 1944". Col Bob Simpson. Retrieved 9 December 2014.

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Airfields	Airfields
Units	Commands II Air Support Command II Bomber Command II Fighter Command IV Air Support Command XX Bomber Command XXI Bomber Command XXII Bomber Command Wings 5th Bombardment 15th Bombardment Training 16th Bombardment Operational Training 17th Bombardment Training 18th Replacement 21st Bombardment 46th Bombardment Operational Training 58th Bombardment 73rd Bombardment 315th Bombardment 316th Bombardment Groups Bombardment 2nd Bombardment 6th Bombardment 7th Bombardment 9th Bombardment 12th Bombardment 16th Bombardment 17th Bombardment 19th Bombardment 25th Bombardment 29th Bombardment 34th Bombardment 39th Bombardment 40th Bombardment 42nd Bombardment 46th Bombardment 47th Bombardment 48th Bombardment 85th Bombardment 86th Bombardment 86th Bombardment 88th Bombardment 94th Bombardment 95th Bombardment 96th Bombardment 99th Bombardment 100th Bombardment 301st Bombardment 302nd Bombardment 303rd Bombardment 304th Bombardment 305th Bombardment 306th Bombardment 307th Bombardment 308th Bombardment 312th Bombardment 330th Bombardment 331st Bombardment 333rd Bombardment 346th Bombardment 351st Bombardment 376th Bombardment 379th Bombardment 381st Bombardment 382nd Bombardment 383rd Bombardment 384th Bombardment 385th Bombardment 388th Bombardment 390th Bombardment 393rd Bombardment 395th Bombardment 396th Bombardment 398th Bombardment 399th Bombardment 400th Bombardment 401st Bombardment 407th Bombardment 415th Bombardment 418th Bombardment 444th Bombardment 445th Bombardment 446th Bombardment 447th Bombardment 448th Bombardment 449th Bombardment 450th Bombardment 451st Bombardment 452nd Bombardment 453rd Bombardment 454th Bombardment 455th Bombardment 456th Bombardment 457th Bombardment 458th Bombardment 459th Bombardment 460th Bombardment 461st Bombardment 462nd Bombardment 464th Bombardment 467th Bombardment 468th Bombardment 469th Bombardment 470th Bombardment 471st Bombardment 472nd Bombardment 484th Bombardment 485th Bombardment 486th Bombardment 487th Bombardment 488th Bombardment 489th Bombardment 490th Bombardment 491st Bombardment 493rd Bombardment 494th Bombardment 497th Bombardment 498th Bombardment 499th Bombardment 500th Bombardment 501st Bombardment 502nd Bombardment 504th Bombardment 505th Bombardment 509th Composite Fighter 20th Fighter 54th Fighter 84th Fighter 85th Fighter 507th Fighter 508th Fighter Reconnaissance 2nd Reconnaissance 3rd Reconnaissance 4th Reconnaissance 5th Reconnaissance 6th Reconnaissance 7th Reconnaissance 8th Reconnaissance 71st Reconnaissance 77th Reconnaissance Troop Carrier 443nd Troop Carrier
United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth

v t e USAAF Eighth Air Force in World War II
Stations United Kingdom Alconbury Aldermaston Andrews Field Atcham Attlebridge Bassingbourn Bodney Bottisham Bovingdon Boxted Bungay Burtonwood Depot Bury St. Edmunds Bushey Hall Chalgrove Cheddington Chelveston Chipping Ongar Daws Hill Debach Debden Deenethorpe Deopham Green Duxford Earls Colne East Wretham Eye Fersfield Fowlmere Framlingham Glatton Goxhill Grafton Underwood Great Ashfield Great Dunmow Halesworth Hardwick Harrington Hethel Honington Horham Horsham St. Faith Ibsley Keevil Kimbolton Kings Cliffe Kirton In Lindsey Knettishall Lavenham Leiston Little Walden Martlesham Heath Membury Mendlesham Metfield Molesworth Mount Farm North Pickenham Nuthampstead Old Buckenham Podington Polebrook Rackheath Ramsbury Rattlesden Raydon Ridgewell Seething Shipdham Snetterton Heath Steeple Morden Sudbury Thorpe Abbots Thurleigh Tibenham Wattisham Watton Wendling Westhampnett Wormingford Okinawa Bolo Ie Shima Kadena Futenma Yontan
Units Commands VIII Air Support VIII Bomber VIII Air Divisions 1st 2nd 3rdf Wings Bombardment 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 12th 316th Fighter 6th 65th 66th 67th 301st Groups Bombardment 34th 44th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th 100th 301st 303rd 305th 306th 310th 319th 320th 322nd 323rd 333rd 346th 351st 379th 381st 382nd 383rd 384th 385th 386th 387th 388th 389th 390th 392nd 398th 401st 445th 446th 447th 448th 452nd 453rd 457th 458th 466th 467th 482nd 486th 487th 489th 490th 491st 492nd 493rd 801st (Provisional) Fighter 1st 4th 14th 20th 31st 48th 55th 56th 78th 318th 339th 350th 352nd 353rd 354th 355th 356th 357th 358th 361st 362nd 364th 413th 479th 495th 496th 507th Troop Carrier 60th 62nd 315th Reconnaissance 3rd 7th 25th 67th
United States Army Air Forces First Second Third Fourth Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Twentieth

• Military units and formations in Florida
• Air refueling squadrons of the United States Air Force
• Military units and formations of the United States in the Cold War
• Military units and formations established in 1950