The 133rd Air Refueling Squadron is a unit of the New Hampshire Air National Guard 157th Air Refueling Wing located at Pease Air National Guard Base, Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The 133rd, which previously operated the KC-135 Stratotanker, received its first Boeing KC-46A Pegasus tanker on 8 August 2019.
The squadron was first activated in March 1942 as the 383rd Bombardment Squadron. After training as a dive bomber unit in the United States, it deployed to the China-Burma-India Theater in the summer of 1943. It was redesignated the 529th Fighter Squadron and engaged in combat through V-J Day, remaining in the theater until December 1945, when it returned to the United States for inactivation.
The squadron was allotted to the National Guard in 1946 and organized as the 133rd Fighter Squadron the following April. In February 1951, it was called to active duty for the Korean War. As the 133rd Fighter-Interceptor Squadron it served in the air defense of the northeastern United States until returning to state control in December 1952. The squadron continued in the air defense mission until 1960, when it assumed an airlift mission as the 133rd Air Transport Squadron. In 1975, it became the 133rd Air Refueling Squadron, and has continued in the air refueling role since then.
History World War II Training in the United States
The squadron was first activated at Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma in March 1942 as the 383rd Bombardment Squadron, one of the four original squadrons of the 311th Bombardment Group.Maurer, Combat Squadrons , p. 636Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 186-87Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 472, 634-35, 637 The squadron moved to Georgia in July, where it trained at Hunter Field and Waycross Army Air Field for the following year. It primarily trained with Vultee V-72 Vengeance dive bombers, which had been ordered for the Royal Air Force, but which were impressed by the Army Air Forces after the United States entered World War II.Donald, p. 250 Toward the end of its training, it also flew some North American A-36A Apaches. In July 1943, the squadron left the United States for the China-Burma-India Theater via Australia.
Combat in the China-Burma-India Theater
The squadron arrived at Nawadih Airfield, India in mid-September 1943 and began to equip with A-36 Apaches, converting to the fighter version, the North American P-51 Mustang by 1944. Shortly after its arrival, the AAF redesignated its single engine bomber units and the squadron became the 529th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. The squadron flew its first combat mission on 16 October. The group provided air support to Allied ground forces in Northern Burma. It provided escorts for Consolidated B-24 Liberator and North American B-25 Mitchell bombers attacking Rangoon, Insein and other targets in Burma. It bombed Japanese airfields in Myitkyina and Bhamo. It conducted patrol and reconnaissance missions to protect transport planes flying cargo over The Hump between India and China. The squadron continued to support ground forces, including Merrill's Marauders. It also flew fighter sweeps over enemy airfields in central and southern Burma.
In late August 1944 the 311th Group was assigned to Fourteenth Air Force and the squadron moved to Kwanghan Airfield, China. The squadron escorted bombers, flew interception missions against attacking Japanese aircraft, struck the enemy's lines of communications, and supported ground operations. It provided fighter cover for Boeing B-29 Superfortresses returning from raids on Japan from advanced bases in China. The squadron continued combat operations until V-J day. It was credited with the destruction of eight enemy aircraft, including three by Flight Officer Hoyt M. Hensley.Newton & Senning, p. 671 The squadron remained in China, moving to Shanghai in October. It ferried P-51s from India to equip the Chinese Air Force in November. The squadron departed China in December 1945. Upon its arrival at Fort Lawton, Washington, the Port of Embarkation, in January 1946, it was inactivated.
New Hampshire Air National Guard
The squadron was redesignated the 133rd Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the National Guard on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Grenier Field, New Hampshire, and was extended federal recognition on 4 April 1947. The 133rd was equipped with Republic F-47D Thunderbolts and was assigned to the 101st Fighter Group. Until 1 December 1948 the squadron's training was supervised by Air Defense Command (ADC), when it was transferred to Continental Air Command.
Air defense operations
The mission of the 133rd Squadron was the air defense of New Hampshire. The 133rd was federalized on 10 February 1951 and redesignated the 133rd Fighter-Interceptor SquadronCornett & Johnson, p. 123 and was attached to the 101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing.Cornett & Johnson. p. 74 The squadron remained at Grenier, but was attached to the 33d Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts, on 21 July 1951Ravenstein, pp. 58-59
ADC had difficulty under the existing wing base organizational structure in deploying its fighter squadrons to the best advantage.Grant, p. 33 As it reorganized, The 33rd Wing was inactivated on 6 February 1952 and the squadron was transferred to the recently activated 4707th Defense Wing, a regional organization which replaced the 33rd Wing.Cornett & Johnson, p. 67 On 1 November 1952, the 133rd was released from active duty and returned to the control of the State of New Hampshire. It transferred its mission, personnel, and aircraft to the active-duty 48th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, which was activated on the same day.Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 208-09
On its return to state control, the squadron was assigned F-51H Mustangs. In June 1954, the squadron received Lockheed F-94 Starfiresand began holding summer camp at Otis Air Force Base. The mission of the 133rd was to provide air defense for the United States and to intercept unidentified aircraft. From October 1954 until 30 June 1956 the 133rd maintained a dawn to dusk runway alert.
Since 1950, the Air National Guard had been organized into wings, self-sustaining organizations, made up of functional groups. Because it was not practical to put an entire wing on a single installation for day to day operations, squadrons like the 133rd were located on bases as “augmented squadrons” containing support elements needed to sustain operations. By the law at the time Guardsmen could only be activated as members of a mobilized unit. This meant that, even when only operational and maintenance elements were needed for mobilization, the entire “augmented squadron” had to be called to active duty, including unneeded administrative personnel. The response was to replace the “augmented squadron” with a group including functional squadrons that could be mobilized as a group, or individually. ADC began to implement this reorganization in 1956, and on 1 May 1956, the 101st Fighter-Interceptor Group was redesignated the 101st Fighter Group (Air Defense). The 133rd became the group's flying squadron. New organizations of the group were the 101st Material Squadron (maintenance and supply), 101st Air Base Squadron, and the 101st USAF Dispensary.
By April 1958, the 101st counted nearly 700 officers and airmen. It began to replace its Starfires with 24 North American F-86L Sabre, a dedicated swept-wing interceptor which was equipped with data link and armed with Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets. The Sabre had speed, superb maneuverability, and a range.
Airlift operations
On 1 September 1960 the 133rd exchanged its Sabres for eight Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter aircraft, becoming the 133rd Air Transport Squadron. . Its parent 101st Fighter Group was redesignated the 157th Air Transport Group. With this change, Military Air Transport Command (MATS) became the squadron's wartime gaining command.
1961 Berlin Crisis On the night of 13 August 1961, the East German government erected barbed wire barriers around the periphery of West Berlin. In response, President John F. Kennedy federalized several Air National Guard units, including the 133rd. Although the squadron remained at Grenier during the crisis, its aircraft and crews ranged throughout the world The squadron also airlifted elements of the Turkish Army to South Korea and delivered essential communications equipment to South Vietnam. In 11 months, the crisis cooled and on 31 August 1962 the squadron's airmen were returned to State control.
In late 1965, 133rd personnel joined in Operation Christmas Star, airlifting some 23,000 pounds of gifts to United States forces in South Vietnam. Between 26 November and 1 December, with all-volunteer aircrews, three squadron C-97s delivered 23,000 pounds of cargo, collected in New Hampshire, to Saigon and Da Nang.
Move to Pease AFB On 1 January 1966, MATS was replaced by Military Airlift Command (MAC), and the 133rd was redesignated the 133rd Military Airlift Squadron. The 133rd was gained by MAC upon mobilization. In addition, the closure of Grenier meant that the squadron moved to a new home at Pease Air Force Base, New Hampshire. The closure of Grenier was the result of Air Force-wide downsizing directed by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. At Pease, the squadron was assigned to buildings on the north side of the base, hosted by the active duty 509th Bombardment Wing. At the first drill in February 1966, the unit received a formal welcome by the 509th.
Vietnam War
By March 1966, the 133rd began regular logistical support for American forces in South Vietnam. During the next five years, its aircrews averaged two flights a month to Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Cam Ranh Air Base, and Da Nang Air Base in South Vietnam as well as to other USAF-controlled bases in Southeast Asia, transporting air freight and military personnel on trips lasting 10 to 20 days. To help exhausted combat troops get their R&R, the Air National Guard, including the 133rd, flew more than 110,000 military personnel throughout the U.S. and overseas. In the 1,352 "Combat Leave" missions logged, approximately 38,300 military personnel were transported from Southeast Asia to the states and back again.
In December 1967, the 157th again changed aircraft, exchanging its C-97 Stratofreighters for the larger but slower C-124C Globemaster II. The C-124 had been the cargo workhorse of the Air Force since the Korean War. The first squadron C-124 arrived on 9 February 1968. By late fall, the ninth and last Globemaster touched down and crew transitioning was well underway. By September 1969 the group had retrained its pilots to the new aircraft and completed its first Operational Readiness Inspection as a C-124 unit, qualifying to resume global airlift support.
The 133rd hauled much large "out-size" cargo such as trucks, military vehicles, and missile components. It also carried troops and cargo that didn't require the speedy capability of MAC's all-jet Lockheed C-141 Starlifter and Lockheed C-5A Galaxy airlift fleet. Although two- and three-day flights within the U.S. were common, the squadron's overseas commitment was growing. In 1969 the unit transported more than 1,000 tons of cargo and 2,000 passengers, its aircrews logging 5,236 hours on 44 overseas missions to Vietnam, England, France, West Germany, Greece, Japan, Portugal, Newfoundland, Puerto Rico, and Taiwan.
Tactical airlift mission