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913th Air Refueling Squadron

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"13th Troop Carrier Squadron" redirects here. For the 13th Troop Carrier Squadron (Medium), see13th Reconnaissance Squadron.
"13th Transport Squadron" redirects here. For the 13th Transport Squadron, formerly the 13th Ferrying Squadron, see13th Air Transport Squadron.

913th Air Refueling Squadron
Boeing KC-135on takeoff using water injection to increase thrust
Active1940–1946; 1958–1981
CountryUnited States
BranchUnited States Air Force
RoleAir refueling
Nickname(s)The Thirsty Thirteenth (World War II)
EngagementsBattle of Guadalcanal
Battle of New Georgia
Battle of Vella Lavella
Battle of Bougainville
South West Pacific Theater of World War II
Philippines Campaign (1944-1945)
DecorationsDistinguished Unit Citation
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Navy Unit Commendation
Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation
Insignia
913th Air Refueling Squadron Emblem
13th Troop Carrier Squadron patch

The first predecessor of thesquadronwas organized in 1940 as the13th Transport Squadron.DuringWorld War II,as the13th Troop Carrier Squadron,the squadron served in theSouth West Pacific Theater of World War II,earning twoDistinguished Unit Citations,aNavy Unit Commendationand aPhilippine Republic Presidential Unit Citationfor its wartime actions. Its last assignment was with the403d Troop Carrier GroupatNichols Field,Luzon,Philippines, where it was inactivated on 15 October 1946.

The913th Air Refueling Squadronwas activated by theUnited States Air Forcein 1958 atBarksdale Air Force Base,Louisiana, where it was last assigned to the2d Bombardment Wing.The squadron responded to theCuban Missile Crisisand providedBoeing KC-135 Stratotankeraircraft andaircrewsto support theViet Nam War.It was inactivated on 1 November 1981 and replaced by a squadron flyingMcDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extenders.

The two squadrons were consolidated in September 1985 but the consolidated squadron has not been active since.

History

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World War II

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The13th Transport Squadronwas activated in late 1940[1]as one of the three originalsquadronsof the61st Transport Group.[2]Personnel for the squadron were drawn from the5th Transport Squadron,located atPatterson Field,Ohio.[3]

The headquarters and squadrons of the 61st were initially scattered at various depot bases, with the 13th atPatterson Field,[1]site of the Fairfield Air Depot.[4]The 61st was finally united with its component squadrons atPope Field,North Carolina in May 1942. Shortly after this the group and squadrons were renamed Troop Carrier organizations.[1][2]Thesquadrontrained with the group in the southeast, usingDouglas C-47 SkytrainandDouglas C-53 Skytrooperaircraft,[2]but in the fall of 1942 the 13th deployed by itself to the Pacific.[1]

C-47s flying supplies to a forward airfield in New Guinea escorted by P-40s

Upon arrival in the theater, the squadron, operating from bases inNew Caledonia,was attached toMarine Air Group 25and began to transport vital ammunition and supplies toGuadalcanaland to evacuate wounded personnel on return trips. In November 1942 the squadron became part of theSouth Pacific Combat Air Transport Command(SCAT). For its actions during theGuadalcanal Campaignthe squadron earned its firstDistinguished Unit Citation.[5]

In August 1943 the squadron was assigned to the403d Troop Carrier Group[6]and then moved toEspiritu Santo.[1]It supported the New Guinea and Philippines campaigns by transporting men and cargo to combat areas. The 13thevacuated casualtiesanddroppedor airlanded supplies toguerrillaforces in the Philippines. On 23 February 1945 the squadron droppedparatroopersintoLaguna de Bay,Luzon to free civilians held prisoner by the Japanese. The unit moved to the Philippines in 1945 and remained after theJapanese surrenderas part ofFar East Air Forces.It flewoccupationtroops to Japan, evacuatedprisoners of warand flew cargo and personnel between Australia and Japan.[6]In early 1946 the squadron began to transition intoDouglas C-54 Skymasters.[1]

In October 1946 the 403d Troop Carrier Group was replaced by the374th Troop Carrier Group.As a result, the 13th was inactivated and its mission, personnel and equipment were transferred to the22d Troop Carrier Squadron.[1][7]

Cold War

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The913th Air Refueling Squadronwas activated in June 1958 byStrategic Air Command(SAC) atBarksdale Air Force Base,Louisiana. The squadron was equipped withBoeing KC-135 Stratotankersand assigned to the4238th Strategic Wingas part of SAC's plan to disperse itsBoeing B-52 Stratofortressunits to make it more difficult for the Soviet Union to destroy the entire fleet with a first strike.[8]The squadron mission was to provideair refuelingto the B-52s of its parentwingand other USAF units as directed. Starting in 1960, one third of the squadron's aircraft were maintained on fifteen-minutealert,fully fueled and ready for combat to reduce vulnerability to a Soviet missile strike. This was increased to half the squadron's aircraft in 1962.[9]The squadron trained for this mission until inactivation except for periods when its aircraft andcrewswere deployed with other SAC organizations conducting combat operations.[10]

From October through November 1962 the squadron's training was interrupted as it assumed an increased alert posture during theCuban Missile Crisis.After tensions eased, the unit resumed normal operations.[11]The 913th transferred to the2d Bombardment Wingin 1963 when SAC replaced its parent wing[10]with an organization that had a more distinguished history and could continue its lineage.[a]

In 1962, SAC established an airborne command post atOffutt Air Force Base,Nebraska, nicknamedLooking Glass,to ensure continuity of command and control of SAC forces in the event of a nuclear attack. Looking Glass was soon augmented by auxiliary aircraft stationed with the headquarters of SAC's threeNumbered Air Forces.The 913th receivedBoeing EC-135Caircraft to operate SAC's Central Auxiliary Command Post's airborne element. The 913th continued to operate PACCS aircraft until 1 April 1970, when SAC reorganized its airborne command post aircraft and withdrew them from vulnerable bases near the coasts like Barksdale and assigned them to the2d,3d,and4th Airborne Command and Control Squadrons,stationed at bases closer to the heartland of North America.[12]

The 913th began supporting SAC operations in Southeast Asia in 1965, and increased its support of these operations over the following two years. From May to November 1972 all but four of the squadron's KC-135s and a handful of crews were on loan to other SACunits.Following the return of its assets, the squadron continued to support operations in Southeast Asia until 1975.[10]The 913th resumed its training and alert mission until it was inactivated in 1981 and replaced by the32d Air Refueling Squadronwhen the 2d Bombardment Wing began to operateMcDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extenders.[13]

The13th Troop Carrier Squadronwas consolidated with the913th Air Refueling Squadronin September 1985 but the consolidated squadron has not been active since.[14]

Lineage

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Assignments

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  • 61st Transport Group (later 61st Troop Carrier Group), 1 December 1940
  • Army Forces in South Pacific Area, c. 10 October 1942 (attached toSouth Pacific Combat Air Transport Command,11 December 1942 – 3 July 1944)
  • Thirteenth Air Force,c. 13 January 1943
  • XIII Air Force Service Command, 1 July 1943
  • 403d Troop Carrier Group, 22 August 1943 – 15 October 1946[15]
  • 4238th Strategic Wing,[11]1 June 1958
  • 2d Bombardment Wing, 1 April 1963[10]– 1 November 1981[13]

Stations

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Aircraft

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  • Douglas C-47 Skytrain, 1941–1946
  • Douglas C-53 Skytrooper, 1942
  • Curtiss C-46 Commando,1945–1946
  • Douglas C-54 Skymaster, 1946[15]
  • Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, 1958–1981
  • Boeing EC-135C, c. 1964–1970[12]

Awards and campaigns

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Award streamer Award Dates Notes
Distinguished Unit Citation 10 October 1942 – 9 December 1942 13th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
Distinguished Unit Citation 17 April 1945 – 30 June 1945 13th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award 1 July 1965 – 1 December 1965 913th Air Refueling Squadron[17]
Navy Unit Commendation 11 December 1942 – 15 July 1944 13th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation 17 October 1944 – 4 July 1945 13th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
Campaign Streamer Campaign Dates Notes
Guadalcanal 10 October 1942 – 21 February 1943 13th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
New Guinea 24 January 1943 – 31 December 1944 13th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
Northern Solomons 23 February 1943 – 21 November 1944 13th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
Bismarck Archipelago 15 December 1943 – 27 November 1944 13th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
Western Pacific 17 April 1944 – 2 September 1945 13th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
Leyte 17 October 1944 – 1 July 1945 13th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
Luzon 15 December 1944 – 4 July 1945 13th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]
Southern Philippines 27 February 1945 – 4 July 1945 13th Troop Carrier Squadron[1]

See also

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References

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Notes

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Explanatory notes
  1. ^MAJCON units like the 4138th could not carry a permanent history or lineage. Ravenstein.Guide to Air Force Lineage,p. 12.
Citations
  1. ^abcdefghijklmnopqrsMaurer,Combat Squadrons,p. 75
  2. ^abcMaurer,Combat Units,pp. 125–127
  3. ^"Abstract, History 13 Troop Carrier Squadron activation-Sep 1943".Air Force History Index.Retrieved8 October2013.
  4. ^See"Abstract, Henry H. Arnold personal document collection 1 Jan 1929-1 Jan 1930".Air Force History Index. 1 January 1988.Retrieved28 April2014.
  5. ^Armstrong, William. (2017).Marine Air Group 25 and SCAT (Images of Aviation).Arcadia.ISBN1467127434;Washburne, Seth. (2011).The Thirsty 13th: The U.S. Army Air Forces 13th Troop Carrier Squadron, 1940 – 1945.Thirsty 13th LLC.ISBN0615396755
  6. ^abMaurer,Combat Units,pp. 287–288
  7. ^Maurer,Combat Squadrons,pp. 119–120
  8. ^"Abstract (Unclassified), Vol 1, History of Strategic Air Command, Jan–Jun 1957 (Secret)".Air Force History Index.Retrieved4 March2014.
  9. ^"Abstract (Unclassified), History of the Strategic Bomber since 1945 (Top Secret, downgraded to Secret)".Air Force History Index. 1 April 1975.Retrieved4 March2014.
  10. ^abcdRavenstein,Combat Wings,pp. 7–9
  11. ^ab"Abstract, History 4238 Strategic Wing Nov 62".Air Force History Index.Retrieved8 October2013.
  12. ^abOgletree, Greg."A History of the Post Attack Command and Control System (PACCS)".Archived fromthe originalon 10 September 2012.Retrieved14 May2014.
  13. ^ab"Abstract, History 2 Bombardment Wing Oct–Dec 1981".Air Force History Index.Retrieved8 October2013.
  14. ^abcDepartment of the Air Force/MPM Letter 662q, 19 September 85, Subject: Reconstitution, Redesignation, and Consolidation of Selected Air Force Tactical Squadrons
  15. ^abcdLineage, including assignments, stations and aircraft in Maurer,Combat Squadrons,p. 75
  16. ^Mueller, p. 22
  17. ^AF Pamphlet 900-2, 15 June 1971, p. 477

Bibliography

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Public DomainThis article incorporatespublic domain materialfrom theAir Force Historical Research Agency

Further reading

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