93rd Air Refueling Squadron

File:7th Bombardment Group B-24 Liberators.jpg

The 7th Bombardment Group was deploying to the Philippines when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor. With the air bases in the Philippines in Japanese hands, it engaged in combat in Australia and the Netherlands East Indies. By late spring 1942, it had moved to India.Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 43-45 In India, it was assigned two medium bomber squadrons, the 11th and 22d Bombardment Squadrons,Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 59-60, 115-116 and two heavy bomber squadrons, the 9th and 436th Bombardment Squadrons.Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 50-51, 538-40 In September, the two medium squadrons were reassigned to form the cadre for the new 341st Bombardment Group, while the 492nd and 493rd Bombardment Squadrons were organized to take their places and make the 7th Group an all heavy bomber unit.Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 592-93, 594

The 493rd Bombardment Squadron was activated at Camp Malir near Karachi, India (now Pakistan). It initially was nominally manned, but after moving to Pandaveswar Airfield, India in January 1943, where it drew its cadre from the 9th Bombardment Squadron and received substantial manning by during the month. The squadron flew its first combat mission on 26 January 1943 when it bombed docks, shipping, and warehouses at Rangoon, Burma.

The squadron engaged in strategic bombardment operations, attacking communications targets (roads, railroads, etc.) in central and southern Burma, all without fighter escort due to the long distances involved.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}} Primary targets were oil refineries, docks, depots, enemy airfields, marshalling yards, bridges, locomotive repair sheds, naval vessels, and troop concentrations. {{citation needed|date=April 2015}}

As the 1944 monsoon began in June, the squadron moved to Tezgaon Airfield, India (now Bangla Desh). There, it ceased combat operations and began ferrying fuel over the Hump to Fourteenth Air Force in China. Supply operations continued until September, when it returned to Pandaveswar. On 27 December a detachment of the squadron moved to Luliang Airfield, China, where it resumed airlift operations, hauling gasoline to Suichwan Airfield, China until late January 1945.

The squadron proper began practice with Azon ("Azimuth only") manual command to line of sight bombs. Apparently the squadron was the only USAAF unit to use this weapon outside of the European Theater of World War II. The Azon bombs were radio controlled and could be steered left or right, although their trajectory could not be changed to shorten or lengthen their flight to target. The Azon trained crews and their B-24s were initially assigned to the 9th Bombardment Squadron. However, in December 1944, the crews and planes were reassigned to the 493rd and Azon missions began to be flown. Azon proved effective in attacks against bridges and rail lines.{{cite web|url=http://www.netcore.us/1/afm/azonbomb.html |title=Old China Hands, Tales & Stories - The Azon Bomb |author=Marion |publisher=oldchinahands |access-date=20 March 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306191038/http://www.netcore.us/1/afm/azonbomb.html |archive-date=6 March 2012 }} In early 1945 the squadron concentrated on attacks against the Burma-Thailand railroad, the most important line left to the enemy in Burma. On 19 March, the 493rd earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for attacks against rail lines and bridges in Thailand. The squadron also dropped propaganda leaflets in Thailand from June through September 1945 for the Office of War Information.Maurer Combat Squadrons, p. 594

After fighting ended in Burma the 493rd Bomb Squadron was ordered to practice Azon bombing in China,{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} but soon "alerted" for inactivation. With its parent (7th Bomb Group) the 493rd staged through Dudhkundi, Kanchrapara, and Camp Angus (near Calcutta), departing Calcutta aboard the {{USS|General W. M. Black}} on 7 December 1945.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} The vessel reached the U.S. on 5 January 1946 and the squadron inactivated at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, the following day

The second predecessor of the squadron was activated on 1 March 1949 as the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron, Medium, but was not manned until September 1950. It flew Boeing KB-29P Superfortress tankers from October 1950 to June 1951. It became combat ready in October 1951. The 93rd deployed to RAF Upper Heyford, England from 6 Dec 1951 to 6 Mar 1952, while its parent 93rd Bombardment Wing was at nearby RAF Mildenhall. The squadron supported Operation Fox Peter II, the movement of the 31st Fighter-Escort Wing from the U.S. to Japan, in July 1952 using 11 KB-29Ps at Guam and Kwajalein to refuel some 58 Republic F-84G Thunderjet fighters on their way to the Korean War. The squadron converted from KB-29s to Boeing KC-97G Stratotankers between November and December 1953. It undertook several oversea deployments, to Newfoundland, Greenland, French Morocco, and Alaska, in 1954–1956.

The 93rd began training its aircrews to operate Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers in May 1957. The squadron was the first Stratotanker squadron in the Air Force.{{cite web |url= https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/931733/air-force-celebrates-60-years-of-the-kc-135/ |last1=Shelton|first1=A1C Taylor|title=Air Force celebrates 60 years of the KC-135|date=31 August 2016|publisher=92nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs|access-date=23 April 2017}} It Began receiving KC-135s on 28 Jun 1957, three days after converting to KC-135 aircrew training as primary mission. It possessed 19 tankers in December 1957 and 39 by May 1958.

Effective 1 Jul 1959, the resources of the 93rd were divided with the 924th Air Refueling Squadron, which assumed the Strategic Air Command (SAC) KC-135 aircrew training mission with 15 aircraft. The 93rd, at the same time, resumed full-time air refueling with 20 KC-135s. This status lasted until 21 Aug 1963, when the 93rd ceased standing alert and prepared to resume full-time KC-135 aircrew training. On 26 August the 93rd once again began KC-135 aircrew training as its primary mission. It retained Emergency War Order (EWO) commitments along with its training mission, but did not stand alert.

The squadron's mission remained basically the same until March 1995. Thousands of SAC and some Air Mobility Command KC-135 aircrews received flight training from the 93rd. Each crew (pilot, copilot, navigator, and boom operator), after academic training with the 4017th Training Squadron at Castle Air Force Base, received 45 days of flight training from the 93rd. The squadron also provided specialized training of shorter duration to senior officers (such as wing commanders). For a period the 93rd also sent instructor teams to locations where Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units were converting to KC-135 tanker operations to help in-house training programs. On rare occasions the 93rd had deployed some of its aircraft and crews to meet its own EWO commitments or to meet needs exceeding the capability of the 924th Squadron. A few such deployments occurred in 1980. With the 1995 Base Realignment and Closure Commission directed closure of Castle, On 31 Mar 1995, the 93rd moved to Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, and became a deployable air refueling squadron under the 92nd Air Refueling Wing.

; 493rd Bombardment Squadron

• Constituted as the 493rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) on 19 September 1942

: Activated on 25 October 1942

: Redesignated 493rd Bombardment Squadron, Heavy on 6 March 1944

: Inactivated on 6 January 1946

• Consolidated with the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron as the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron on 19 September 1985

; 93rd Air Refueling Squadron

: Constituted as the 93rd Air Refueling Squadron, Medium on 2 February 1949

: Activated on 1 March 1949

: Redesignated 93rd Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 1 February 1955

: Redesignated 93rd Air Refueling Squadron on 1 September 1991

: Inactivated on 31 March 1995

• Consolidated with the 493rd Bombardment Squadron on 19 September 1985
• Activated on 31 March 1995

• 7th Bombardment Group, 25 October 1942 – 6 January 1946
• 93rd Bombardment Group, 1 March 1949 (attached to 93rd Bombardment Wing, 15 July 1950 – 30 January 1951 and after 10 February 1951
• 93rd Bombardment Wing, 16 June 1952
• 93rd Operations Group, 1 September 1991
• 398th Operations Group, 1 June 1992 – 31 March 1995
• 92nd Operations Group, 31 March 1995 – present

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• Camp Malir, Karachi, India, 25 October 1942
• Pandaveswar Airfield, India, 7 January 1943
• Tezgaon Airfield, India, 17 June 1944
• Pandaveswar Airfield, India, 5 October 1944 (detachment at Luliang Airfield, China 17 December 1944 – 26 January 1945)
• Dudhkundi Airfield, India, 31 October 1945
• Kanchrapara Airfield, India, 19 November 1945
• Camp Angus, Calcutta, India, 25 November – 7 December 1945
• Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, 5–6 January 1946

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• Castle Air Force Base, California, 1 March 1949 – 31 March 1995 (deployed to RAF Upper Heyford, England, 9 December 1951 – 6 March 1952: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona 1 April – 15 May 1954; Ernest Harmon Air Force Base, Newfoundland, 19 June – 14 August 1954; Thule Air Base, Greenland, 19 January – c. 15 March 1955; Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, 2 November 1955 – 5 January 1956, 27 September – c. 24 December 1956)
• Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, 31 March 1995 – present

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• Consolidated B-24 Liberator (1943–1945)
• Boeing KB-29 Superfortress (1950–1953)
• Boeing KC-97 Stratofreighter (1953–1957)
• Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker (1957–1995, 1995–present)

{{USAF Air Mobility Command}}

{{US Air Force navbox}}

{{USAF air refueling units}}

; Explanatory notes

{{Notelist}}

; Citations

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Air Force Historical Research Agency}}

• {{cite book|last=Endicott|first=Judy G.|title=Active Air Force Wings as of 1 October 1995 and USAF Active Flying, Space, and Missile Squadrons as of 1 October 1995|url= http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/virtual_disk_library/index.cgi/4908883/FID1533/wings_cd.pdf |access-date=2 July 2014|year=1998 |series= Air Force History and Museums Program|publisher= Office of Air Force History|location= Washington, DC |asin= B000113MB2}}
• {{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Air Force Combat Units of World War II|orig-year= 1961|url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330256/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-044.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161220180735/http://media.defense.gov/2010/Sep/21/2001330256/-1/-1/0/AFD-100921-044.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 20 December 2016 |edition=reprint|year=1983|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-912799-02-1|lccn=61060979}}
• {{cite book|editor=Maurer, Maurer|title=Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II|orig-year=1969|url= http://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf |archive-url= https://archive.today/20230820144531/https://media.defense.gov/2010/Dec/02/2001329899/-1/-1/0/AFD-101202-002.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 20 August 2023 |edition= reprint|year=1982|publisher=Office of Air Force History|location=Washington, DC|isbn=0-405-12194-6|oclc=72556|lccn=70605402}}
• {{cite book|last=Watkins|first=Robert A.|title=Insignia and Aircraft Markings of the U.S. Army Air Force In World War II|volume=VI, China-Burma-India & The Western Pacific|year=2017|publisher=Shiffer Publishing, Ltd.|location=Atglen, PA|isbn=978-0-7643-5273-7}}

; Further reading

• {{cite book|last=Carter|first=Kit C.|last2=Mueller|first2=Robert|title=Combat Chronology, 1941-1945|url=http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-090529-036.pdf|access-date=6 April 2015|series=U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II|year=1972|publisher=Center for Air Force History|location=Washington DC|isbn=978-0405121517|lccn=92115046|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121163216/http://www.afhra.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-090529-036.pdf|archive-date=21 January 2015|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}
• {{cite book|last=Drake|first=Lawrence V.|title=Pilos and Painted Ladies: 493rd Bomb Squadron and the Air War in the CBI|year=|publisher=Casemate Publishing, Ltd.|location=|isbn= 978-1636244952}}

Category:Military units and formations in Washington (state)

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