921st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron

World War II The squadron was first activated as the 21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron in September 1942 at Peterson Field, Colorado, but apparently was not fully manned until December. It trained there until April 1943, when the squadron was reassigned from the 5th Photographic Group and began its overseas movement. Flight A of the squadron also performed mapping missions over Thailand and Burma. The squadron redeployed from China at the end of 1945 and was inactivated at Fort Lawton, Washington, at the beginning of 1946. At Stewart, the squadron trained under ConAC's 2232d Air Force Reserve Training Center, but does not appear to have been fully equipped. President Truman’s reduced 1949 defense budget also required reductions in the number of units in the Air Force, and the 21st was inactivated in June 1949 and not replaced as reserve flying operations at Stewart ceased. for movement to other bases to provide Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker support to dispersed Boeing B-52 Stratofortress bombers. Cadre and aircraft for the squadron was drawn from the 96th Air Refueling Squadron, which was inactivated The decision to organize squadrons at Altus for movement elsewhere was reversed shortly after the 921st was organized, and the squadron was inactivated and its personnel and aircraft were returned to the 96th, which was reactivated. The 921st Air Refueling Squadron and the 21st Reconnaissance Squadron were consolidated in September 1985. The consolidated squadron was redesignated the 921st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron and converted to provisional status. Expeditionary operations In 2011, the 921st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron was deployed in support of Operation Unified Protector, serving at Moron Air Base, Spain, until November 2011. The AMC wing at Moron was the 313th Air Expeditionary Wing and it appears that the 921 EARS served under this wing. James B. Dermer served as squadron commander for a period in 2011 at Moron, who was then succeeded by Lt. Col. Phil Heseltine who was squadron commander from August to October 2011. ==Lineage==

21st Reconnaissance Squadron • Constituted as the 21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 14 July 1942 : Activated on 2 September 1942 : Redesignated 21st Photographic Squadron (Light) on 6 February 1943 : Redesignated 21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron on 13 November 1943 : Inactivated on 6 January 1946 • Redesignated the 21st Reconnaissance Squadron, Photographic on 11 March 1947 and allotted to the reserve : Activated on 1 October 1947 : Inactivated on 27 June 1949 • Consolidated with the 921st Air Refueling Squadron as the 921st Air Refueling Squadron on 19 September 1985. : Activated by August 2011 : Inactivated on 12 November 2011 Assignments • 5th Photographic Group (later 5th Photographic Reconnaissance and Mapping Group), 2 September 1942 • Fourteenth Air Force, June 1943 – 6 January 1946 • 74th Reconnaissance Group, 1 October 1947 – 27 June 1949 • Air Mobility Command to activate or inactivate as needed, 12 June 2002 :: Unknown August 2011 – 12 November 2011 Stations • Army Air Base, Colorado Springs (later Peterson Field), Colorado, 2 September 1942 – 27 April 1943 • Bishnupur Airfield, India, 27 June 1943 : Flights at Kunming Airport, China, 12 July 1943 – 22 August 1943 and Kweilin Airfield, China, 12 July 1943 – 12 September 1944) • Kunming Airport, China, 22 August 1943 : Flights at Suichwan Airfield, China, 26 October 1943 – 26 June 1944 and ca. 12 November 1944 – 22 January 1945, Liangshan Airfield, China, April 1944 – 18 October 1944, Kanchow Airfield, China, August 1944 – 20 November 1944, Liuchow Airfield, China,, 10 September 1944 – 6 November 1944, Hanchung Airfield, China, 18 October 1944 – 13 August 1945, Luliang Airfield, China, ca. 26 November 1944 – 13 May 1945, Hsian Airfield, China, 5 February 1945 – ca. 5 October 1945, Laifeng Airfield, China, 7 May 1945 – 16 August 1945, Shwangliu Airfield, China, 14 May 1945, Ankang Airfield, China, 25 June 1945 – ca. 5 October 1945, and Chihkiang Airfield, China, 16 August 2045 – ca. 15 October 1945 • Hanchow Airfield, China, 18 October 1945 – ca. 15 December 1945 • Fort Lawton, Washington, 5 – 6 January 1946 • Stewart Air Force Base, New York, 1 October 1947 – 27 June 1949 • Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma, 1 October 1960 – 15 December 1960 • Moron Air Base, Spain, by August 2011 – 12 November 2011 Aircraft • North American F-4 (P-51 Mustang), 1943–1945 • Lockheed F-5 (P-38 Lighting), 1943–1945 • North American F-6 (P-51 Mustang), 1943–1945 • Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, 1943–1944 • North American B-25 Mitchell, 1945 • Boeing KC-135A Stratoranker, 1960 Campaigns ==See also==