92d Operations Group The 92d Operations Group ( 92 OG ) is the flying component of the 92d Air Refueling Wing , assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force . The group is stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base , Washington . During World War II , the group ' s predecessor unit , the 92d Bombardment Group was the first VIII Bomber Command B - 17 Flying Fortress heavy bombardment groups to carry out strategic bombardment operations against targets in Occupied Europe and Nazi Germany from RAF Bovingdon , England in September 1942 . The 92d Bomb Group was the first Bomb group to make a non - stop Atlantic flight to United Kingdom . Its 327th BS was the only unit in AAF to be equipped with YB - 40 for Combat . It tested the secret Disney rocket - assisted - bomb experimental mission early in 1945 , and led the Eighth Air Force on its last combat mission of the war . In the postwar era , the 92d Bombardment Group was one of the first USAAF units assigned to the Strategic Air Command on 4 August 1946 , prior to the establishment of the United States Air Force . The group being activated as a redesignation of the 448th Bombardment Group due to the Air Force ' s policy of retaining only low - numbered groups on active duty after the war . It was deployed to Far East Air Force in 1950 and its B - 29 Superfortress flew combat missions over North Korea early in the Korean War . The group was inactivated in 1952 when the parent wing adopted the Tri - Deputate organization and assigned all of the groups squadrons directly to the wing . Reactivated as the 92d Operations Group in 1991 when the 92d Wing adopted the USAF Objective organization plan . Overview . The mission of the 92d Operations Group is to provide the best air mobility for America through reliable air refueling and airlift worldwide . Dubbed as the new " tanker hub of the Northwest , " the group is capable of maintaining an air bridge across the nation and the world in support of US and allied forces . Components . The flying components of the 92 OG are equipped with the KC - 135R Stratotanker s . A black seahawk adorns the tails of the unit ' s aircraft . History . World War II . The unit was activated on 1 March 1942 at Barkesdale Field FL . After training at Sarasota AB May – July 1942 , the Air Echelon left for Westover AB , Massachusetts and moved to Dow AB , Maine on 29 June 1942 . In August , the squadrons flew to Newfoundland and then direct across the Atlantic to Prestwick . They were the first unit to make a non - stop Atlantic crossing from Gander , Newfoundland , to Prestwick , Scotland . The Ground echelon sailed on USS West Point on 6 August 1942 , and docked at Liverpool on 18 August 1942 . This was the same day the first aircraft of the 326th Bomb squadron arrived in Bovingdon . The last squadron - the 407th - arrived on 28 August 1942 . Assigned to VIII Bomber Command and assigned to RAF Bovingdon and was assigned to the 4th Combat Wing , at RAF Thurleigh . The 92d flew a few two combat missions in September and October 1942 , then was withdrawn from combat and its B - 17F bombers exchanged for the older B - 17E bombers being flown by the 97th Bomb Group . The 92d then acted as an operational training unit supplying combat crews to combat groups in the UK . However , in early 1943 , the diversion to Operation Torch of heavy bomber groups originally planned for the Eighth Air Force led to a decision to return the 92d to combat operations , although its 326th Bomb Squadron was left to continue the OTU mission . The 325th squadron was used to provide a cadre for H2S radar training , and its 327th squadron acquired a special mission . In January 1943 , the 92d was transferred to RAF Alconbury where it was reformed as an operational combat group . At Alconbury the group took the name " Fame ' s Favorite Few " , and its B - 17s acquired the tail code of " Triangle B " . The Group resumed operational flying missions on 1 May 1943 . From Alconbury , the 92d engaged in bombing strategic targets , including shipyards at Kiel , ball - bearing plants at Schweinfurt , submarine installations at Wilhelmshaven , a tire plant at Hanover , airfields near Paris , an aircraft factory at Nantes , and a magnesium mine and reducing plant in Norway . At Alconbury , the group ' s 327th Bombardment Squadron became the only squadron to be equipped with the experimental YB - 40 Fortress gunship from May through August 1943 . The YB - 40 was developed to test the escort bomber concept . Because there were no fighters capable of escorting bomber formations on deep strike missions early in World War II , the USAAF tested heavily armed bombers to act as escorts and protect the bomb - carrying aircraft from enemy fighters . Twelve of the 22 B - 17F bombers modified to the YB - 40 configuration were dispatched to Alconbury for testing and evaluation . The YB - 40 project failed because the aircraft were able to effectively defend only themselves , were too slow because of excess weight and drag to keep up with bomber formations returning from missions , and had basic flight characteristics altered by the added drag and centre of gravity changes resulting from the changes . After 14 operational missions , the 11 surviving YB - 40 ' s were taken out of combat service and returned to the United States . On 15 September 1943 , the 92d BG was moved to RAF Podington ( Station 109 ) , near Wellingborough in Bedfordshire when the decision was made to take Alconbury off operational bombing missions and change the airfield ' s mission to pathfinder and radar - guided bombing with the 482d and 801st Bomb Groups . From Podington , the group flew almost 300 operational missions over Nazi - Occupied Europe . Missions were flown to Wilhelmshaven , a tire plant at Hanover , airfields near Paris , an aircraft factory at Nantes , and a magnesium mine and reducing plant in Norway . Although handicapped by weather conditions , enemy fire , and insufficient fighter protection , the 92d bombed aircraft factories in central Germany on 11 January 1944 and received a Distinguished Unit Citation for the mission . The group took part in the intensive campaign of heavy bombers against the German aircraft industry during Big Week , 20 – 25 February 1944 . After that , it attacked V - weapon sites in France ; airfields in France , Germany , and the Low Countries , and industrial targets in France , Germany , and Belgium , making concentrated strikes on oil and transportation facilities after October 1944 . In addition to strategic missions , the 92d performed some interdictory and support operations . Assisted the Normandy invasion in June 1944 by hitting gun emplacements , junctions , and marshalling yards in the beachhead area . Supported ground forces at Saint - Lô during the breakthrough in July 1944 . Bombed gun positions and bridges to aid the airborne assault on the Netherlands in September 1944 . Participated in the Battle of the Bulge , December 1944 – January 1945 , by attacking bridges and marshaling yards in and near the battle area . Bombed airfields near the landing zone to cover the airborne assault across the Rhine in March 1945 . After V - E Day , was assigned to Green Project which was the movement of troops from Marseilles staging area at Casablanca . Moved to Istres , France , between May and early July 1945 . First personnel arrived on the third of June 1945 . The 327th Bomb Squadron detached to Port Lyautey , French Morocco . Between 15 June 1945 and 9 September 1945 they moved 19 , 935 troops while 5 , 672 Frenchmen returned to France . Displaced Greek Munich to Athens . The group run down during the winter of 1945 and 1946 were absorbed into the 306 BG on 28 February 1946 . Strategic Air Command . Reactivated later in 1946 for training in B - 29 Superfortress bombers at Fort Worth Army Air Field . In October 1946 the 92 BG moved again , this time to Smokey Hill Army Air Field , Kansas where they remained until June 1947 . The groups final move was to Spokane Army Air Field ( now Fairchild Air Force Base ) near Spokane , Washington . Elements deployed to alert commitments in the United Kingdom in early 1949 . During the early days of the Korean War , 92d BG B - 29s arrived from the United States at Yokota AB , outside of Tachikawa , Japan , with deployment completed on 13 July . By the time the entire group completed its deployment , its aircraft had already flown a leaflet mission to Seoul and a combat mission against the Wonsan marshalling yards in North Korea . Under control of the FEAF Bomber Command ( Provisional ) until 20 October , the 92d bombed factories , refineries , iron works , hydroelectric plants , airfields , bridges , tunnels , troop concentrations , barracks , marshalling yards , road junctions , rail lines , supply dumps , docks , vehicles and other strategic and interdiction targets . The 92d BG returned to Spokane AFB , Washington in late October and November 1950 . Five planes — 44 - 61617 , 44 - 61923 , 44¬62084 , 44 - 62211 and one serial number unknown — were lost during the deployment . In July 1951 the group converted to the B - 36 Peacemaker bomber . In June 1952 the unit was inactivated when the Air Force reorganized its wings into the tri - deputate system . Modern era . On 29 August 1991 , the 92d Bombardment Wing was redesignated as the 92d Wing under the " Objective Wing " concept adopted by the Air Force as the lines between tactical and strategic forces blurred . The flying components of the wing were reassigned to the newly established 92d Operations Group . As part of their new mission , the 92 OG also gained two squadrons of KC - 135 tankers . The 92 OG ended B - 52 alert duties in September 1992 , and from February 1993 , performed air sampling missions for the Department of Energy with modified B - 52Hs . The group ' s mission changed to solely air refueling in 1994 . During 1993 the group also had a UH - 1 helicopter squadron , but this unit was gone by 1994 as were the B - 52s . The 92 OG regularly deployed elements during the late 1990s to support overseas tanker task forces in support of humanitarian , peacekeeping , and contingency operations in the Balkans and Southwest Asia . Today the 92d Operations Group is only responsible for KC - 135 operations . In 1999 the Group became the 92d Air Expeditionary Group at Morón Air Base in Spain , tasked with providing fuel to Operation Allied Force . In addition to serving as the HQ 92 AEG ( serving units in France , Crete , Sicily and Spain ) , Morón hosted 37 tankers ( KC - 135 and KC - 10 ) and 800 personnel . The 92 AEG became the largest Tanker Wing since the Vietnam War and held the distinction of being the largest tanker base during the Kosovo war . Aircraft of the 92 OG took part in Operation Enduring Freedom ( OEF ) , and Operation Iraqi Freedom ( OIF ) in the 2000s ( decade ) . Today , elements of the 92d Operations Group are routinely deployed around the world as part of the Global War on Terrorism .