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420th Air Refueling Squadron
Squadron History
Here is a link to the 420th AREFS Home Page with 420th photos and stories.
Squadron History Stuff
18 Mar 54: Activation at Alexandria AFB, La., under command of LTC F. R. Bates. First unit in TAC of its type.
20 Jun 54: First flight in KB-29P from Alexandria.
1 Sep 54: Maj J. F. Groom assumed command.
18 May 55: Maj J. B. Young in command.
4 Oct 55: Unit PCS to Sculthorpe RAF Station, Norfolk, England. Attached to
47th Bomb Wing, 49th Air Division. KB-50s assigned.
22 Jul 55: LTC J. R. Sheffield assumed command.
1 Aug 55 - 1 Jan 60: History not available.
1 Jun 60: LTC T. J. Tanner assumed command.
16 Jun 61: LTC L. J. Spears in command.
1 Oct 62: Unit assigned to 7375th Combat Support Group.
1 Sep 63: Unit assigned to 3rd Air Force.
14 Aug 63: LTC J. F. Mc Allister assumed command.
25 Mar 64: Deactivation, Sculthorpe RAF Station, England.
SQUADRON HISTORY
Lineage: Constituted 420th Night Fighter Squadron on 25 May 1943. Activated on 1 Jun 1943. Disbanded on 31 Mar 1944, Reconstituted, and consolidated (19 Sep 1945) 420th Air Refueling Squadron, Fighter-Bomber, which was constituted on 8 Dec 1953. Activated on 18 Mar 1954. Redesigned 420th Air Refueling Squadron, Tactical, on 8 Aug 1958. Discontinued, and inactivated, on 25 Mar 1964. Consolidated (1 Oct 1992) with the 6520th Test Squadron, which was designated, and activated, on 10 Mar 1989. Redesigned: 420th Test Squadron on 2 Oct 1992; 42Oth Flight Test Squadron on 1 Mar 1994.
Assignments: Air Defense Department, AAF School of Applied Tactics, 1 Jun 1943 (attached to 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 17-25 Jul 1943) Ninth Air Force, 18 Mar 1954 (attached to 366th Fighter-Bomber wing, 18 Mar 1954-22 Sep 1955); Third Air Force, 9 Oct 1955 (Attached to 47th Bombardment Wing, 15 Mar 1960-1 Jul 1961); Seventeenth Air Force, 1 Jul 1961 (Attached to 47th Bombardment Wing, 1 Jul-7 Nov 1961); 47th Bombardment Wing, 8 Nov 1961; Seventeenth Air Force, 22 Jun 1962 (attached to 7375th Combat Support Group, unk:n-30 Sep 1962); 7375th Combat Support Group, 1 Oct 1962-25 Mar 1964. 651Oth (later, 412th) Test Group, 10 Mar1989
Stations: Orlando AB, FL, 1 Jun 1943; Kissimmee, AAFld, FL, 1 Jun 1943; Dunnellon AAFld, FL, 20 Aug 1943; 481st Night Fighter Operational Training Group, 26 Jul 1943-31 Mar 1944. Hammer Field, Fresno,CA, 18 Jan-31 Mar 1944. -. Alexandria LA, (later, England) AFB,18 Mar 1954-22 Sep1955; Sculthorpe RAF Station (later, RAF Sculthorpe), England, 9 Oct 1955-25 Mar 1964. Edwards AFB, CA, 10 Mar 1989-. 420 Flight Test Squadron, Edwards A.F.B. Edwards, California. Flight testing of aircraft.
Operations: The first Tactical Air Commanded refueling squadron and first to be deployed to refuel F-84's fighter aircraft on the Great Britain, European and South Africa continent,
Aircraft: In addition to AT-il, A-20, and P-70 during 1943-1944, and PIYP-61, 1944, included BT-13 and C-78, 1943-1944. KB-29, 1954-1959; KB-5O, 1956-1964.
Emblem: 13 Apr 1944 (27299 A.C.) Sable above a demi globe issuant from base of the like gridlined Azure a pair of falcon feet displayed Or talons Argent surmounted in sinister by a mullet of four of the last below a pair of eyes affionty Gules, pupils Black, all within a diminished bordure Red. Replaced emblems approved on 20 Sep 1955 (153318 A.C.)
In accordance with AFF 900-3, 14 September 1955, the following emblem is approved for the 420TH Air Refueling Squadron:
SQUADRON EMBLEM: Over an Air Force blue disc, with white cloud and star, a caricatured gray elephant, with large outstretched ears, lined pink, resembling and aircraft's wings, on his body. The national aircraft marking in its proper colors; his mouth red, eyeballs white, with blue eyes: holding upward in his trunk a baby's bottle. Refueling a caricatured tiger standing on the elephant's head: the design encircled with a border white; all outlines black.
SIGNIFICANCE: The emblem whimsically portrays the squadron's primary mission of air refueling fighter aircraft, with a caricatured elephant feeding a tiger. The clouds, stars, and blue sky relate to accomplishment of the mission, in all weather, day or night.
WILD BLUE YONDER 420th Air Refueling Squadron Written By Bill Dietzel 7 June 1998
The 420th Air Refueling Squadron was formed 18 March 1954. The squadron personnel were shipped in from around the United States. All of the personnel were experience on many types of aircraft. I was transferred from George AFB, Victorville, California were I had been Crew Chief on A-26s in the 4th Tow Target squadron.
Going from the dry climate of the California Mojave desert were temperance's climbed everyday over 110 degrees to the swamps of Louisiana. September is the hottest time in the south and the humidity was almost unbearable. Sleeping on a army cot in an old wood barracks was a hold new experience for all of us. Nights you sleep between two sheets, in the morning you could ring them out from sweating all night long.
The 420th Air Refueling Squadron which conceded of ten KB-29P air refueling tankers aircraft and 120 personnel were preparing to move from Alexandria Air Force Base, Louisiana to Sculthorpe, England. The order of the day was to pack all the equipment necessary to support 165 members of the squadron and ten KB-29s air refueling tankers. We built crates, packed them and loaded them on four C-124s. With all the equipment packed the 420th Air Refueling Squadron was ready to go to England. This is the last night before the entire 420th Air Refueling Squadron would departed the United States Of American for Sculthorpe, England . Party Time 19:00 Hours
Uncle Sam's Bar
Alexandria, La.
"We all had one helluva of good time"
The following morning after the BIG GOING AWAY PARTY:
0700 Hours Ground crews Pre-Flighted and prepared their aircraft for a 1100 Hours take off, The ground crews had their aircraft in the best running condition possible. The fuel tanks filled to the maximum for the trip to England. I was assign as part of the ground crew on Captain Lightner's aircraft KB-29 44-69674
0900 Hours The flight crew arrives and pre-flights the airplane. The crew lines up for parachute inspection . Captain Lightner briefs the flight crew on the route and weather conditions: Alexandria AFB, LA to Goose Bay, Labrador, Newfoundland across the North Atlantic ocean to Scheluthorpe RAF Station, England.
1100 hours: The fire guards stood by for the pilots to start they engines, Captain Gerald Lightner looks out of the cockpit window, moving his fingers in a circle motion. The big propeller on number one begins to turn, faster and faster, and then the roar of the R-3350 engine coming a live. Then the other three engine are started, The noise level is intensified and then it turns into a continence HUMMMM. Looking down the flight line you now can see all ten KB-29s props turning and ready to roll out from their parking places.
1115 Hours. . Captain James L Brewer is aircraft commander. of the lead KB-29P aircraft which has the Squadron Commander of the 420th Air refueling Squadron Colonel Sheffield on board..
"Alexandria tower this is KB-29 Command Ship 69700 " requesting taxi instruction to the active runway for take off " The tower came back with " You are cleaned to active runway 36 Altitude setting 2990 winds north by north west at 10 knots, " You are cleared to the active for take off 69700."
The KB-29s lined up one after other in position for take off. With great pride one of the pilots window slides open and a Confederate Flag shows proudly out the cockpit window. With the Confederate flag flying high it taxis in front of the other KB-29s. Wonder who that was? following the lead aircraft the squadron of KB-29s moved out and formed in line for the active runway for take off.
"Alexandria Tower, this is KB-29 niner six seven four, ready for take off.", Captain Lightner said as he called the tower at Alexandria AFB on the radio microphone.
"Aircraft niner six seven four, you are next in line for take off, winds 10 knots North North West , Altimeter setting at two niner niner niner, KB-29 six seven four you are cleared to taxi onto run way 36 and hold your position."
"Roger that tower, niner six seven four, holding on active", Captain Lightner replied.
The command KB-29 with Captain Brewer at the controls pulled into position on the runway. The giant aircraft engines went to full power, You could feel the prop wash moving across the aircraft surface as the R-3350 s producing 2200 horse turned the 16' propellers which moved the aircraft down the runway.
"Niner six seven four you are cleared for take off and cleared for a left hand turn out."
Captain Lightner replied, "Niner six seven four rolling".
Captain Lightner calls over the intercom to the flight engineer, "Sgt. Sunden take her to full power". "Yes Sir", Sunden replies turning the booster pumps to high, moves the mixture controls to full rich, places his hand on the throttles and opens the engine to full power. Captain Lightner pushes on all four throttles as the KB-29 begins to roll down the runway. 50 75 100 120 miles per hour. Captain Lightner feels the aircraft become light and lifts the KB-29 tanker from the runway and 9674 became airborne.
"Gear up", Captain Lightner calls to the Co-pilot. Climbing out to 2500 feet. At 2500 feet of altitude Captain Lightner levels the aircraft out and after a short time makes a tight turn to the left and levels off. One after the other the 420th Air Refueling Squadron KB-29s take off, climbing out to 2500 feet of altitude and flying out about 20 miles before making a turn back to the base.
Captain Brewer turned to Colonel Sheffield smiled and asked, "Permission to put her on the deck Sir?" Colonel Sheffield looked at Captain Brewer, "Granted, put her on the deck.", Colonel Sheffield replied. Captain Brewer said, "Yes Sir". "Alexandria Tower this is 69700, permission to make a low pass fly by over the field." The tower came back, "69700 you are cleared for fly by".
The Command pilot Captain James Brewer dropped the nose of the KB-29 down into a 30 degree dive, pushing forward on the throttles. His face lite up with a big smile. "Hang on boys were going to go say 'good-bye' to the England AFB", he said into the intercom.
KB-29 68700 command ship descended and made the approach across the field at 100 feet.
A C-124 transport aircraft was setting on the ramp, so I make a bee line for it. Climbing up into the cockpit, I opened the hatch to the roof and climbed out of top of the aircraft. This my friend was the best seat in town. Far off in the distance you can hear the roar of the engines of KB-29s dropping in altitude in a single file. The mixture controls in full rich, throttles wide open the flight of KB-29s of the 420 Air Refueling Squadron start their low altitude pass, waving they wings in a farewell to the ground crew and squardron members below as they make their pass across the field.
Then off in the distance I spotted KB-29 44-69674 with Captain Lightner at the controls, lower and lower he made his approach to the ramp, still lower he placed the nose down. When the aircraft passed in front of the C-124 the KB-29 was at about 40 feet above the deck traveling well over 300 miles per hour. The KB-29 flashed across in front of the C-124. Captain Gerald Lightner was smiling from ear to ear, waving from the window as he pulled the aircraft up and made a sharp turn to the left and headed off to Sculthorpe, England.
1500 Hours.
Alexandria, LA to New York City
The Ground Crew, and other personnel of the 420 Air Refueling Squadron were loaded onto two C-124s and flew from England AFB, Alexandria, LA to McGuire AFB, New Jersey. That night it was "Hell-o New York City. The 420th Fly Boys are in town for a little fun... ". Boy did we have fun!
0700 Hours
At McGuire Air Force Base a blue Air Force bus picked up the squardron and hauled us to Sheep's Head Bay in New York City. We unloaded in front of this huge ship named the USS DARBY. This is the first time this Nebraska farm boy had ever seen a ship this size.
0900 Hours USS DARBY. United States Navy Ship Troop Carrier The squardron personnel were placed on board the USS DARBY for the trip across the Atlantic ocean and to dock 8 days later at South Hampton England. Once we were loaded on board the ship we were assigned sleeping quarters. After that it was back to the deck to wave good-by to who ever waved back.
1100 Hours The ship moved away from the dock and crossed Sheep's Head Bay on to the Atlantic ocean.
Walking around the deck I came upon a couple of guys playing guitars, I sat down with them and before you knew it we had a band. I checked with one of the Navy officers in charge of entertainment and found out their needed a band. We got the Job. While stationed at George Air Force Base Victorville, California I played a up right Kay base in a country western band The Navy officer issused me an up right KAY base from supply.
2100 Hours The band begins to play on board for the first class passages, Captain of the ship and military personnel and their dependents. The band played until 0100 hours in the morning, Good-Duly..
0130 Hours When the dance was over the whole band which consisted of Five People; Army, Navy, Marine and Two Air Force guys would go down in lower deck of the ship to the Navy gallery, Eating steak and playing card with the Navy boys until 0300 hours and then off to bed. This happened every night for next eight days. We docked at South Hampton, England and was transported to Sculthorpe RAF Station by bus.
Written by Bart M. O’Keeffe Navigator KB-29 44- 83999
It was the fall of 1956, about a year after the 420th Air Refueling Squadron was assigned to RAF Station Sculthorpe. England At that time we were a tactical air refueling squadron, assigned to NATO. Our mission was to support U.S. Air Force tactical operations in Europe. RAF Station Sculthorpe was located in the English countryside, in Norfolk County about 90 miles north of London. At Sculthorpe we had 10 B-29 bombers that had been converted to aerial tankers. The guns and the bomb racks had been taken out of the aircraft, and refueling tanks had been installed in the bomb bays. They were called KB-29Ps.
Each of the KB-29s were assigned a crew of eight, an aircraft commander (pilot), a copilot, a navigator, a flight engineer, a radio operator, a radar operator, a boom operator, and a scanner,(a boom operator trainee). Our crew was designated as crew A-2.
The second crew in “ A” flight, a flight of five planes. We were Joe Rowen, Aircraft Commander; Pete Orpeza, Flight Engineer; Bart O’Keeffe, Navigator; Sam Crawford, Radio Operator; Jim Lowry, Radar Operator; Holis Britt, Boom Operator; and Bott, Scanner. We were assigned to aircraft 83999 with Walter Jansen as our crew chief. I don’t remember who our co-pilot was at this time. We had several over this time period. Joe Rowen was a natural born pilot, and a very good instructor. Whenever a co-pilot needed special attention he was assigned to our crew. This could have been when he was ready to check out with his own crew and needed someone who could just sit back and watch him work, or perhaps it was someone who needed special attention. Our crew educated good pilots. I remember a few times when our airplane was in a difficult position, and Joe Rowen would just lean back, look over at the co-pilot, and say, “Well, what are you going to do with it”? Most aircraft commanders would be grabbing the controls.
At this time, our routine missions were in support of F-84F fighter planes that were stationed in Europe, mostly in England and in Germany. These planes had refueling capabilities and would go to the gunnery / bombing ranges in Morocco, North Africa for their training. Our routine mission was to go down about half way with them. Near Bordeaux, in Southwestern France we would refuel them, and they would continue on to the gunnery / bombing range. The fighter planes would go down for a two-week training session. We would refuel them on the way back, and refuel the next group going down.
Our routine mission would start with a 3 AM wakeup call. For some reason that still escapes me, our usual refueling time was about 10AM. It took us about 6 hours to get that airplane woke up, get it pressure checked, get it in the air and get down to Bordeaux. In a routine mission we would then land at Bordeaux. As there were no military housing facilities at Bordeaux we would spend the night at a downtown hotel. For reasons I don’t know they would put the officers up at one hotel and the enlisted men at another. This all went along well. We and possibly another crew or two on the same mission would find ourselves at a hotel in downtown Bordeaux maybe once every month or six weeks. We got to know the town, its restaurants, bars, marketplace and sightseeing tours. It was our kind of place. Then our State Department and the French Government had some kind of falling out about what, I do not know. Anyway the word came down, ”No more overnight stops in Bordeaux. Emergency landings only. Return to Scluthorpe after each mission”.
Anyway, this getting up at 3 AM, hauling fuel all the way to Bordeaux, pulling our refueling mission and getting back to Sculthorpe made for a very long day. An after dark landing with minimum fuel. This went on for two or three months and crew A-2 began to hatch a plan. We wanted to see our old haunts in Bordeaux, and after all those long missions we deserved an overnight stay. We would pull our next mission, give the aircraft a through examination and most probably would find a reason to declare an emergency and land in Bordeaux. We planned a two or three day stay. Next came the execution of the plan. No easy job getting a suitcase full of clothes out of the house for a mission that was scheduled to be out and back the same day. Of course we had to take crew chief Walt Jansen along with us as the aircraft would require some care while it was on the ground in Bordeaux. It quickly became an open secret among the enlisted men that something was up. We had five or six ground crew personnel who wanted to go. We wound up taking three of four. We got everyone and everything on board. Off to Bordeaux as scheduled. Pulled off our refueling mission as planned. Then flew over Bordeaux, gave the aircraft a through inspection, and sure enough an emergency causing condition existed, right on schedule. We declared an emergency, and landed in Bordeaux. Surely it would take two days to fix it. Now comes something I’m not to sure about. Secrets known only to flight engineers and crew chiefs. As a navigator I was not supposed to know about the detailed intricacies of a KB-29. Anyway, it seems that if someone should pull a cannon plug out of the aircraft engine analyzer, cut a certain pin off of the cannon plug and reinsert it, then the engine analyzer would register a “No Fly” condition until someone put on a new cannon plug. Every resourceful flight engineer and crew chief had an extra cannon plug in his kit bag. Two or three days in Bordeaux, back to our favorite haunts. I think the military calls it crew rest and relaxation. Even our favorite waiter wondered where we had been. Three days later we had spent most of our money and were ready to head home. Miraculously someone found the malfunctioning cannon plug. The hotels were checked out of, bags were packed and loaded on the aircraft, we were headed for home. As we taxied out, we got a call from the control tower. “Return to base operations for a message”. The message was from 420th operations, “Pull another refueling mission from Bordeaux”. We had a real problem though. We had blown a tire while we were taxing back to base operations. Someone else would have to pull that mission. In addition to that, someone would have to bring us down a new tire. If I remember right they had to bring us down a whole set of wheels, as there were no adequate tire repair facilities at Bordeaux. A trip to Bordeaux was the signal to another crew for another party at Bordeaux.
There was no shortage of volunteers. They had to take a tank out of a bomb bay on a KB-29P to make room for the wheels. The crew bringing the wheels down was going to stay and fix our plane and we were going to take their aircraft back to Sculthorpe. We were stuck for a couple of more days. The enlisted men had a real problem. They had not told anyone before, but they had had a falling out with the hotel management where they had been staying, and had pulled a prank as they left. They couldn’t go back there. Rowen said he would try to get them into the officers’ hotel, which he did. The crew bringing the wheels down stayed at the same hotel where we were staying. They were ready for their night on the town. Jim Lowry, our radar operator and I were sharing a room on the fourth floor, which was the top floor of the hotel. The rest of the two crews were scattered around the hotel. Two enlisted men from the other crew also had rooms on the fourth floor, down the hall from where Jim and I were staying. About 7:30 or 8:00 the next morning Jim and I were packing to go back to Sculthorpe. We had our door open, when a maid came running down the hall, shouting, “Fumar, Fumar”, French for “Fire”. Jim and I rushed down the hall and into the room where the two enlisted men had been staying. The room was empty, but there was a water soaked pillow smoldering in the bathtub. The maid pulled the fire alarm. It seems that one of the two men had been smoking in bed, and had caught the pillow on fire. They put the pillow in the bathtub and turned the water on. Then with the fire apparently out they went back to sleep. Early the next morning they went out sightseeing and the pillow began to smoke again. The fire department arrived, amid much excitement. Jim and I leaned over the balcony on the fourth floor and watched the whole bit. It seemed that there was no fire hose connection on the fourth floor. The only connection was in the hotel lobby. With much shouting, waving and gesturing the fire department spread hose from the lobby up the stairway to the fourth floor. When they got it turned on the water barely came out of the hose. It was like the keystone cops.
Then the gendarmes showed up, they were serious. They were looking for those Americans that had set fire to this hotel. Setting fire to a hotel in France was a serious offense; up to five years in a French prison. Other members of the our crews set out looking for their buddies on the sight seeing tours. Luckily our enlisted men found their buddies before the gendarmes did.
The so-called offenders were whisked out to the airport and loaded on the 420th aircraft that had been used to bring the wheels down to us. The aircraft departed immediately, headed directly out over the water, to get to international waters, and around France and back to England. Crew A-2 was still stuck in Bordeaux, but this time with some wheels for their aircraft. It took a couple of days to get it fixed and the aircraft ready to go again. By this time we had been gone for over a week, and wished we were home. Getting the wheels on and departing from Bordeaux was uneventful. But wait, we weren’t home yet. About an hour out of Bordeaux we lost an engine, had an engine failure. Blew a jug, swallowed a valve or something like that. We shut the engine down. A check of the weather showed it to be bad. Sculthorpe was down to near minimum landing conditions. We decided not to try it on three engines. We were directed to go to Chateroux, a base with maintenance facilities near Toulouse, France. Chateroux was bright and sunny and we touched down there without incident. However our troubles were not over. The engine that we had blown was some sort of an experimental engine and the factory representative wanted to look at it before we did anything. Another five days away from home. By the time that the factory representative arrived, inspected the engine, and we had a new one put on another ten days had elapsed. All told we had been gone for twenty one days. Do you think we learned anything?
Bart O'Keefe E-mail bokeefe@ecis.com
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