320th Air Refueling Squadron The 320th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit . It was last assigned to the 22d Bombardment Wing at March AFB , California , where it was inactivated on 15 September 1962 . The squadron had its roots during World War II , when the 320th Transport Squadron ( Cargo & Mail ) was activated as an airlift support unit for VIII Air Force Service Command in England . The squadron moved to the continent in the fall of 1944 and became an element of the 302d Transport Wing , supporting combat and occupation forces until it was inactivated in the fall of 1945 . The 320th Air Refueling Squadron was activated in the fall of 1952 to replace the inactivating 106th Air Refueling Squadron at March AFB . It continued to provide refueling support throughout the Boeing B - 47 Stratojet and the early Boeing B - 52 Stratofortress era at March . It was inactivated when Strategic Air Command dispersed its B - 52s to make it more difficult for the Soviet Union to knock out the entire fleet with a surprise first strike . This reduced the need for tankers at March to a single squadron , the 22d Air Refueling Squadron , and the 320th was inactivated . The squadrons were consolidated in 1985 , but have not been active since consolidation . History . World War II . The squadron had its roots during World War II , when the 320th Transport Squadron ( Cargo & Mail ) was activated as an airlift support unit for VIII Air Force Service Command in England . The squadron initially provided air transport and logistics support within the British Isles . The squadron moved to the continent in the fall of 1944 and became an element of the 302d Transport Wing , supporting combat and occupation forces until it was inactivated in the fall of 1945 . Cold War . The 320th Air Refueling Squadron had its origins when the 106th Air Refueling Squadron was activated by Strategic Air Command ( SAC ) in 1952 at March Air Force Base , California . The 106th was constituted on 18 June and activated on 8 July to serve as the air refueling element of the 106th Bombardment Wing . The 106th wing was a New York Air National Guard unit that had been called to active duty because of the Korean War , but had been converted to a Boeing B - 29 Superfortress wing and filled out by SAC with regular units . The squadron was short - lived , for on 1 December the 106th wing and its 102d and 114th Bombardment Squadron s were relieved from active duty and replaced by the 320th Bombardment Wing . The remaining operational units of the 106th wing were inactivated . The 320th Air Refueling Squadron assumed the mission , personnel , and Boeing KC - 97 Stratotanker aircraft of the 106th . The following year the 320th Wing converted from B - 29s to Boeing B - 47 Stratojet s . The squadron conducted multiple deployments from 1954 to 1958 , including wing deployments to RAF Brize Norton in 1954 and to Anderson Air Force Base in 1956 - 1957 . In addition to wing deployments , the squadron deployed to forward locations like Thule Air Base , Greenland and Elmendorf and Eielson Air Force Base s , Alaska . In 1958 the squadron won the Frank Ellis Trophy as the best air refueling squadron in Fifteenth Air Force and also earned an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award . In June 1960 the 320th Bombardment Wing inactivated and the squadron was transferred to the 22d Bombardment Wing at March . By 1962 the 22d was preparing to transition from B - 47s to Boeing B - 52 Stratofortress aircraft . This eliminated the need for two refueling squadrons at March and the 320th was inactivated on 15 September 1962 . The 320th Transport Squadron and the 320th Air Refueling Squadron were consolidated in 1985 but have not been active since then . Lineage . 320th Transport Squadron 320th Air Refueling Squadron