344th Bombardment Squadron

344th Air Refueling Squadron
"Raunchy", a B-24D of the 344th Bomb Squadron lost on the 1 August 1943 low-level mission to Ploiești, Romania
Active	3 February 1942 – 27 March 1946 1 July 1947 – 25 June 1966 1 October 1986 - Present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Air Force
Role	Air Refueling
Part of	Air Mobility Command 18th Air Force 22d Air Refueling Wing 22d Operations Group
Garrison/HQ	McConnell Air Force Base
Motto(s)	Anytime-Anywhere
Decorations	Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation
Commanders
Notable commanders	William Crumm
Insignia
344th Air Refueling Squadron emblem (approved 17 October 1994)
Patch with 344th Bombardment Squadron emblem (approved 17 August 1956)

The 344th Air Refueling Squadron (344 ARS) is part of the 22d Air Refueling Wing at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. It operates the KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft conducting aerial refueling missions.

Established as a B-24 Liberator heavy bomb squadron and trained by Third Air Force. Deployed to Egypt in June 1942 over South Atlantic Transport Route transiting from Morrison Field, Florida though the Caribbean to Brazil; performed trans-Atlantic crossing from Brazil to Liberia, then transited east across central Africa to Sudan. Lastly the group reformed with the ground echelon which traveled by ship around the Cape of Good Hope, joining with air echelon in British Palestine.

Assigned to the newly formed IX Bomber Command, the squadron operated from airfields in Egypt; Libya and Tunisia supporting the British Eighth Army in the Western Desert Campaign. Also staged long-range strategic bombardment of enemy military and industrial targets in Sicily; Italy and the Southern Balkans, including attacking the Nazi-controlled oilfields at Ploiești, Romania.