404th Bombardment Squadron
| 904th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron | |
|---|---|
,_USA_-_Air_Force_AN1872336.jpg)
|
|
| Active | 1940–1947; 1959–1989 |
| Country |
 United States
|
| Branch |
 United States Air Force
|
| Role | Air Refueling |
| Engagements |
American Theater of World War II Pacific Theater of Operations |
| Decorations |
Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
| Insignia | |
| 904th Air Refueling Squadron emblem (Approved 19 April 1960) |  |
| 404th Bombardment Squadron emblem (Approved 21 November 1942) |  |
The 904th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 320th Bombardment Wing at Mather Air Force Base, California, where it was inactivated on 30 September 1986.
The squadron was first activated in January 1941 as the 14th Reconnaissance Squadron, which participated in anti-submarine warfare patrols after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in the Gulf of Mexico before being redesignated the 404th Bombardment Squadron and moving to Alaska to participate in combat in the Aleutian Islands, where it earned a Distinguished Unit Citation. After the war, the squadron remained in Alaska until it was inactivated in 1947.
The 904th Air Refueling Squadron was activated at Mather in 1959 and provided air refueling support for its wing's Boeing B-52 Stratofortresses and other USAF aircraft until it was inactivated in 1989. In 1985 the two squadrons were consolidated into a single unit.
In 2002, the consolidated squadron was converted to provisional status as the 904th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron and assigned to Air Mobility Command. There have been no known deployments of the squadron as an expeditionary unit.
The squadron was first activated in January 1941 as the 14th Reconnaissance Squadron (Heavy) in the Southeast Air District at Miami Municipal Airport and attached to the 44th Bombardment Group. The squadron was equipped with Consolidated B-24 Liberators. In June the squadron moved to MacDill Field, Florida, where the 44th Group and its three assigned squadrons were located. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron began to participate in antisubmarine patrols.
...
Wikipedia