44th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron

44th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron
Emblem of the 44th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron
Active	1953-1963
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Type	Air Refueling
Role	Aerial Refueling

The 44th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is a provisional United States Air Force unit, attached to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing, Air Combat Command. It was last known to be stationed at Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar engaged in air refueling operations in support of United States Air Forces Central.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Lineage 1.2 Assignments 1.3 Stations 1.4 Aircraft 2 References

History

Established in 1942 as a C-47 Skytrain air transport squadron, initially active in the United States supporting units in the Zone of the Interior.

Deployed to Egypt in 1942 being assigned to Ninth Air Force. Provided combat transport in support of the British Eighth Army during the Western Desert Campaign, and the United States Fifth Army under Twelfth Air Force during the North African Campaign in Algeria and Tunisia. Included airborne assaults on Sicily, then reassigned to IX Troop Carrier Command in England, participating in the airborne invasions of Normandy, Holland, and Germany.

Returned to the United States after the German Capitulation in May 1945; many combat veterans demobilized and unit re-equipped with C-46 Commandoes. Reassigned to Hawaii Territory and provided air transport for Seventh Air Force until inactivated in 1946.

Established as a Strategic Air Command KC-97 Stratotanker squadron, providing aerial refueling for B-47 Stratojets of the 44th Bombardment Wing. With retirement of B-47 at Chennault AFB in 1960, moved to Selfridge AFB as part of SAC provisional 4045th (later 500th) ARW. Inactivated in 1964.

Reactivated as a provisional Air Combat Command KC-10 air refueling squadron in 2002 as part of the Global War on Terrorism.

Lineage

• Constituted 44th Transport Squadron on 30 May 1942

Activated on 15 Jun 1942

Redesignated 44th Troop Carrier Squadron on 4 Jul 1942

Inactivated on 25 Mar 1946

• Consolidated (19 Sep 1985) with the 44th Air Refueling Squadron, Medium

Constituted on 13 Feb 1953

Activated on 20 Apr 1953

Discontinued, and inactivated, on 15 Dec 1964

• Redesignated: 44th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy on 19 Sep 1985 (Remained inactive)
• Redesignated: 44th Air Refueling Squadron on 9 Sep 1994 (Remained inactive)
• Redesignated 44th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, and converted to provisional status, on 25 Jan 2002.

Assignments

• 316 Transport (later, 316 Troop Carrier) Group, 15 Jun 1942
• I Troop Carrier Command, May 1945
• VII Air Service Area Command, attached 3 Aug 1945-25 Mar 1946
• 44th Bombardment Wing, 20 Apr 1953
• 4045th Air Refueling Wing, 1 Jun 1960
• 500th Air Refueling Wing, 1 Jan 1963-15 Dec 1964
• Air Combat Command to activate or inactivate at any time after 25 Jan 2002.

Attached to 379th Air Expeditionary Wing

Stations

Patterson Field, Ohio, 15 Jun 1942 Bowman Field, Kentucky, 16 Jun 1942 Lawson Field, Georgia, 9 Aug 1942 Del Valle Army Airbase, Texas, 29 Sep-10 Nov 1942 Egypt (undocumented locations), 25 Nov 1942 Nouvion Airfield, Algeria, 10 May 1943 Guercif Airfield, French Morocco, 28 May 1943 Enfidaville Airfield, Tunisia, 24 Jun 1943 Mazzara Airfield, Sicily, 1 Sep 1943 Borizzo Airfield, Sicily, 18 Oct 1943-16 Feb 1944 RAF Cottesmore (AAF-489), England, Feb 1944-May 1945

Pope Field, North Carolina, May 1945 Baer Field, Indiana, 20 Jun-15 Jul 1945 Bellows Field, Hawaii Territory, 3 Aug 1945 Wheeler Field, Hawaii Territory, 29 Sep 1945-25 Mar 1946 Lake Charles (later Chennault) AFB, Louisiana, 20 Apr 1953 Deployed at: Sidi Slimane Air Base, French Morocco, 12 Apr-22 Jun 1954 Deployed at: Goose AB, Labrador, 21 Feb-7 Apr and 28 Oct-28 Dec 1955; 28 Jun-29 Aug 1956 Selfridge AFB, Michigan, 1 Jun 1960-15 Dec 1964 Al-Udeid Air Base, Qatar, 2002-Undetermined

Aircraft

• C-47 Skytrain, 1942-1945
• C-46 Commando, 1945-1946
• KC-97 Stratotanker, 1953-1964
• KC-10 Extender, 2002-undetermined

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

• Mauer, Mauer (1969), Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II, Air Force Historical Studies Office, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. ISBN 0-89201-097-5
• 44th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron Factsheet

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