314th Air Refueling Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 314th Air Refueling Squadron (314 ARS) was part of the 940th Air Refueling Wing
at Beale Air Force Base
, California
. It operated the KC-135 Stratotanker
aircraft conducting aerial refueling
missions.
during World War II
. Except for brief period as a fighter-bomber squadron, it trained for and performed troop carrier and airlift
missions between 1949 and 1951 and from 1957-1976. The squadron has performed air refueling missions worldwide since 1977 and maintained an alert responsibility for Strategic Air Command
until the command's deactivation in September 1991. It deployed aircraft and personnel to Saudi Arabia
and Europe
an locations in support of the Gulf War
and later contingency operations in Somalia
and the Balkans
.
940th Air Refueling Wing
The United States Air Force's 940th Wing is a Reconnaissance, Command & Control and Intelligence unit located at Beale Air Force Base, California.-Mission:...
at Beale Air Force Base
Beale Air Force Base
Beale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. Originally known as Camp Beale....
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. It operated the KC-135 Stratotanker
KC-135 Stratotanker
The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
aircraft conducting aerial refueling
Aerial refueling
Aerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling , air-to-air refueling or tanking, is the process of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight....
missions.
History
The 314th flew aerial transportation in the European Theater of OperationsEuropean Theater of Operations
The European Theater of Operations, United States Army was a United States Army formation which directed U.S. Army operations in parts of Europe from 1942 to 1945. It referred to Army Ground Forces, United States Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces operations north of Italy and the...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Except for brief period as a fighter-bomber squadron, it trained for and performed troop carrier and airlift
Airlift
Airlift is the act of transporting people or cargo from point to point using aircraft.Airlift may also refer to:*Airlift , a suction device for moving sand and silt underwater-See also:...
missions between 1949 and 1951 and from 1957-1976. The squadron has performed air refueling missions worldwide since 1977 and maintained an alert responsibility for Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...
until the command's deactivation in September 1991. It deployed aircraft and personnel to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an locations in support of the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
and later contingency operations in Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
and the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
.
Lineage
- 314th Troop Carrier Squadron (1943–1949)
- 314th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium (1949–1952)
- 314th Fighter-Bomber Squadron (1952–1957)
- 314th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium (1957–1965)
- 314th Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy (1965)
- 314th Air Transport Squadron, Heavy (1965–1966)
- 314th Military Airlift Squadron (1966–1972)
- 314th Tactical Airlift Squadron (1972–1977)
- 314th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy (1977–1992)
- 314th Air Refueling Squadron (1992–2008)
Assignments
- 349th Troop Carrier Group (1943–1946, 1949–1951)
- 349th Troop Carrier Wing (1952–1963)
- 940th Air Refueling Wing940th Air Refueling WingThe United States Air Force's 940th Wing is a Reconnaissance, Command & Control and Intelligence unit located at Beale Air Force Base, California.-Mission:...
(1963–2008)
Bases stationed
- Sedalia Army AirfieldWhiteman Air Force BaseWhiteman Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately south of Knob Noster, Missouri; east-southeast of Kansas City, Missouri....
, MissouriMissouriMissouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
(1943–1944) - Alliance Army AirfieldAlliance Municipal Airport-Top Destinations:-See also:* Troop Carrier Command* Nebraska World War II Army Airfields* List of airports in Nebraska-Other sources:* * Maurer, Maurer . Air Force Combat Units Of World War II. Maxwell AFB, Alabama: Office of Air Force History. ISBN 0-89201-092-4.-External links:*...
, NebraskaNebraskaNebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
(1944) - Pope Field, North CarolinaNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
(1944–1945) - Baer FieldFort Wayne International Airport-Top Destinations:-Airfield infrastructure:As of 2006, the airport's main Runway 5/23's usable dimensions are long and wide while the grooved-surface dimensions are long and wide, large enough to accommodate the NASA Space Shuttle orbiter, Boeing 747s, and military air mobility and aerial...
, IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
(1945) - RAF Barkston HeathRAF Barkston HeathRAF Barkston Heath is a Royal Air Force station near Grantham, Lincolnshire.RAF Barkston Heath is the home of the Defence Elementary Flying Training School which, for a period between approximately 1995-2010 operated the Slingsby T67M260 Firefly two seat trainer. The school now operates the Grob...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(1945) - Roye Field, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(1945)
- Bergstrom Army AirfieldBergstrom Air Force BaseBergstrom Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located seven miles southeast of downtown Austin, Texas. It was activated during World War II as a troop carrier training airfield, and was a front-line Strategic Air Command base during the Cold War...
, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
(1945–1946) - Hamilton Air Force BaseHamilton Air Force BaseHamilton Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located along the western shore of San Pablo Bay, south of Novato, California.-History:...
, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(1949–1951, 1942–1955) - McClellan Air Force BaseMcClellan Air Force BaseMcClellan Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County, northeast of Sacramento, California...
, California (1955–1977) - Mather Air Force BaseMather Air Force BaseMather Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force Base located east of Sacramento at Rancho Cordova, California on the south side of U.S. Route 50....
, California (1977–1993) - McClellan Air Force Base, California (1993–1997)
- Beale Air Force BaseBeale Air Force BaseBeale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east of Marysville, California. Originally known as Camp Beale....
, California (1997–2008)
Aircraft Operated
- C-53 Skytrooper (1943–1944)
- C-47 SkytrainC-47 SkytrainThe Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft that was developed from the Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in front line operations through the 1950s with a few remaining in operation to this day.-Design and...
(1943–1944, 1945–1946) - C-46 CommandoC-46 CommandoThe Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
(1944–1946, 1949–1951, 1952–1958) - CG-4 Haig (1944 – c. 1946)
- C-109 Liberator Express (1945)
- T-6 TexanT-6 TexanThe North American Aviation T-6 Texan was a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s...
(1949–1950, 1952–1954)
- T-7 Navigator (1949–1951)
- T-11 Kansan (1949–1951)
- T-28 TrojanT-28 TrojanThe North American Aviation T-28 Trojan is a piston-engined military trainer aircraft used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy beginning in the 1950s...
(1953–1956) - C-119 Flying BoxcarC-119 Flying BoxcarThe Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar was an American military transport aircraft developed from the World War II-era Fairchild C-82 Packet, designed to carry cargo, personnel, litter patients, and mechanized equipment, and to drop cargo and troops by parachute...
(1958–1965) - C-124 Globemaster IIC-124 Globemaster IIThe Douglas C-124 Globemaster II, nicknamed "Old Shakey", was a heavy-lift cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Long Beach, California....
(1965–1972) - KC-135 StratotankerKC-135 StratotankerThe Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker is an aerial refueling military aircraft. It and the Boeing 707 airliner were developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype. The KC-135 was the US Air Force's first jet-powered refueling tanker and replaced the KC-97 Stratotanker...
(1976–2008)