78th Air Refueling Squadron
Encyclopedia
The 78th Air Refueling Squadron (78 ARS) is part of the 514th Air Mobility Wing
at McGuire Air Force Base
, New Jersey
. It operates the KC-10 Extender
aircraft conducting aerial refueling
missions as the reserve
associate to the 305th Air Mobility Wing
.
and the Mediterranean Theater of Operations
and participated in Allied
airborne
assaults on Normandy
, Southern France, the Netherlands, and Germany. It conducted reserve airlift
training and transport operations during periods July 1947 – February 1951, December 1952 – March 1954, April 1955 – November 1957, May 1959 – September 1961, and August 1962 – March 1972, during which times it often augmented Military Airlift Command
's strategic airlift operations worldwide and took part in domestic training exercises
. The squadron also served in an active status from, March 1951 – December 1952 and October 1961 – August 1962. Between April 1972 and October 1973, it performed a special operations role. In November 1981, the 78th began strategic aerial refueling and airlift operations. In December 1989 it refueled aircraft on way to Panama during Operation Just Cause. During Operation Desert Shield in 1990, its crews refueled more than a hundred aircraft on their way from the United States to the Persian Gulf
area and delivered passengers and cargo.
514th Air Mobility Wing
The 514th Air Mobility Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey.-History:...
at McGuire Air Force Base
McGuire Air Force Base
JB MDL McGuire is a United States Air Force base located approximately south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. McGuire is under the jurisdiction of the USAF Air Mobility Command...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. It operates the KC-10 Extender
KC-10 Extender
The McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is the military adaptation of the three-engined DC-10 airliner for the United States Air Force . The KC-10 incorporates military-specific equipment for its primary roles of transport and aerial refueling. It was developed to supplement the KC-135 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 as the reserve
Air Force Reserve Command
The Air Force Reserve Command is a major command of the U.S. Air Force with its headquarters at Robins AFB, Georgia.It stood up as a major command of the Air Force on 17 February 1997....
associate to the 305th Air Mobility Wing
305th Air Mobility Wing
The 305th Air Mobility Wing is a United States Air Force strategic airlift and air refueling wing under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command...
.
History
During World War II, transported personnel and cargo 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...
and the Mediterranean Theater of Operations
Mediterranean Theater of Operations
The Mediterranean Theater of Operations, United States Army was originally called North African Theater of Operations and is an American term for the conflict that took place between the Allies and Axis Powers in North Africa and Italy during World War II...
and participated in Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
airborne
Airborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...
assaults on Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, Southern France, the Netherlands, and Germany. It conducted reserve 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:...
training and transport operations during periods July 1947 – February 1951, December 1952 – March 1954, April 1955 – November 1957, May 1959 – September 1961, and August 1962 – March 1972, during which times it often augmented Military Airlift Command
Military Airlift Command
The Military Airlift Command is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command of the USAF which was headquartered at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. It was constituted on 1 January 1966 and active until the end of the Cold War, when the Air Force table of organization was revised...
's strategic airlift operations worldwide and took part in domestic training exercises
Military exercise
A military exercise is the employment of military resources in training for military operations, either exploring the effects of warfare or testing strategies without actual combat...
. The squadron also served in an active status from, March 1951 – December 1952 and October 1961 – August 1962. Between April 1972 and October 1973, it performed a special operations role. In November 1981, the 78th began strategic aerial refueling and airlift operations. In December 1989 it refueled aircraft on way to Panama during Operation Just Cause. During Operation Desert Shield in 1990, its crews refueled more than a hundred aircraft on their way from the United States to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
area and delivered passengers and cargo.
Operations
- World War II
- Operation Just Cause
- Operation Desert Shield
Lineage
- 78th Troop Carrier Squadron (1943–1949)
- 78th Troop Carrier Squadron, Medium (1949–1961)
- 78th Troop Carrier Squadron, Heavy (1961–1965)
- 78th Air Transport Squadron, Heavy (1965–1966)
- 78th Military Airlift Squadron (1966–1972)
- 78th Special Operations Squadron (1972–1981)
- 78th Air Refueling Squadron, Heavy (Associate) (1981–1992)
- 78th Air Refueling Squadron (Associate) (1992–1994)
- 78th Air Refueling Squadron (1994–Present)
Assignments
- 435th Troop Carrier Group (1943–1945)
- 435th Troop Carrier Wing (1947–1954, 1955–1957, 1959–1963)
- 917th Special Operations Group (1963–1973)
- 452d Air Refueling Wing (1981–1987)
- 98th Air Refueling Group (1987–1994)
- 514th Air Mobility Wing514th Air Mobility WingThe 514th Air Mobility Wing is a wing of the United States Air Force based out of McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey.-History:...
(1994–Present)
Bases stationed
- Bowman Field, Kentucky (1943)
- Sedalia Army Air Field, Missouri (1943)
- Pope FieldPope Air Force BasePope Field is a United States Army facility located 12 miles northwest of the central business district of Fayetteville, in Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States.-Units:...
, North Carolina (1943) - Baer Field, Indiana (1943)
- RAF LangarRAF LangarRAF Station Langar is a former military airfield on the border of Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire near the village of Langar in England. The airfield is located approximately east-southeast of Radcliffe on Trent; about north-northwest of London...
, England (1943–1944) - RAF WelfordRAF WelfordRAF Welford is an active Royal Air Force station in Berkshire, England. The airfield is located approximately northwest of Newbury; about west-southwest of London...
, England (1944–1945)- Detachment: Tarquinia AirfieldTarquinia AirfieldTarquinia Airfield is an abandoned World War II military airfield in the Lazio region of central Italy, about 6 km South-Southwest of Tarquinia....
, Italy (July 20, – August 23, 1944)
- Detachment: Tarquinia Airfield
- Brétigny, France (1945)
- Baer Field, Indiana (1945)
- Kellogg Field, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
(1945) - JacksonvilleJacksonville, FloridaJacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
Municipal Airport, Florida (1947–1949) - Miami International AirportMiami International AirportMiami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the South Florida area...
, Florida (1949–1954) - Orlando Air Force BaseOrlando Air Force BaseOrlando Air Force Base is a closed United States Air Force facility, located in Orlando, Florida. It was established in 1940 as a World War II training base and was also used for coastal patrols during World War II....
, Florida (1955–1957) - Bates Field, Alabama (1959–1961)
- Deployed: Donaldson Air Force BaseDonaldson Air Force BaseDonaldson Air Force Base is a closed facility of the United States Air Force. Currently known as Donaldson Center, the former Air Force Base is located south of Greenville, South Carolina....
, South Carolina (August 14–28, 1960)
- Deployed: Donaldson Air Force Base
- Barksdale Air Force BaseBarksdale Air Force BaseBarksdale Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately east-southeast of Bossier City, Louisiana.The host unit at Barksdale is the 2d Bomb Wing , the oldest Bomb Wing in the Air Force. It is assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command's Eighth Air Force...
, Louisiana (1961–1973, 1981–1994) - McGuire Air Force BaseMcGuire Air Force BaseJB MDL McGuire is a United States Air Force base located approximately south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. McGuire is under the jurisdiction of the USAF Air Mobility Command...
, New Jersey (1994–Present)
Aircraft Operated
- C-53 Skytrooper (1943–1945)
- 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...
(1943–1945) - CG-4 Haig (1943–1945)
- Horsa GliderAirspeed HorsaThe Airspeed AS.51 Horsa was a British World War II troop-carrying glider built by Airspeed Limited and subcontractors and used for air assault by British and Allied armed forces...
(1943–1945) - 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...
(1944–1945, 1947–1951, 1952–1954, 1955–1957) - 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...
(1951–1952, 1959–1961) - 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....
(1961–1972) - A-37 DragonflyA-37 DragonflyThe Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is a United States light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer in the 1960s and 1970s...
(1972–1973) - KC-10 ExtenderKC-10 ExtenderThe McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender is the military adaptation of the three-engined DC-10 airliner for the United States Air Force . The KC-10 incorporates military-specific equipment for its primary roles of transport and aerial refueling. It was developed to supplement the KC-135 Stratotanker...
(1981–present)