The 133rd Air Refueling Squadron (133 ARS) is a unit of the New Hampshire Air National Guard 157th Air Refueling Wing located at Pease Air National Guard Base, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, United States. The 133rd, which previously operated the KC-135 Stratotanker, received its first KC-46A Pegasus tanker on 8 August 2019.
The squadron was first constituted during World War II, with bombardment and fighter roles—as the 383rd and 529th, respectively—until being inactivated in January 1946. It was then allotted to the New Hampshire Air National Guard as the 133rd Fighter Squadron in May 1946, being activated the following April. From 1960 until 1975, the 133rd went through several operational changes: air transport, military airlift, tactical airlift, and finally aerial refueling, which remains its current mission. The 133rd has been federalized and ordered to active service several times; 1951–52, 1961–62, and 1990–91.
History
World War II
Trained with V-72 Vengeance aircraft. Moved to India, via Australia, July–September 1943. Assigned to Tenth Air Force. Operating from India and using A-36A Apaches. The 529th Fighter Squadron having its markings as black vertical bands painted on a yellow tail. The red nose was also a squadron marking. Many planes of the squadron had a girl's name on the nose but very few had any artwork.
The squadron supported Allied ground forces in northern Burma; covered bombers that attacked Rangoon, Insein, and other targets; bombed enemy airfields at Myitkyina and Bhamo; and conducted patrol and reconnaissance missions to help protect transport planes that flew The Hump route between India and China.
Converted to P-51C Mustangs in May 1944. Moved to Burma in July and continued to support ground forces, including Merrill's Marauders; also flew numerous sweeps over enemy airfields in central and southern Burma.
Moved to China in August 1944 and assigned to Fourteenth Air Force. Escorted bombers, flew interception missions, struck the enemy's communications, and supported ground operations, serving in combat until the end of the war. Ferried P-51's from India for Chinese Air Force in November 1945. Returned to the US in December 1945.
Inactivated on 6 January 1946.
New Hampshire Air National Guard
The wartime 529th Fighter Squadron was re-designated as the 133rd Fighter Squadron, and was allotted to the New Hampshire Air National Guard, on 24 May 1946. It was organized at Grenier Field, Manchester, New Hampshire, and was extended federal recognition on 4 April 1947 by the National Guard Bureau. The 134th was equipped with F-47D Thunderbolts and was assigned to the Maine ANG 101st Fighter Group.
On 1 December 1948, under the command of First Air Force and Air Defense Command of the U.S. Army Air Force, the entire 101st was transferred to the Continental Air Command (CONAC) shortly after the U.S. Air Force was established on 18 September 1947 as a separate branch of the Armed Forces.
Air Defense Command
The mission of the 133rd Fighter Squadron was the air defense of New Hampshire. With the surprise invasion of South Korea on 25 June 1950, and the regular military's complete lack of readiness, most of the Air National Guard was federalized placed on active duty. The 133rd was federalized on 10 February 1951 and assigned to the federalized Maine ANG 101st Fighter-Interceptor Wing, although it initially remained stationed at Grenier AFB, mostly flying gunnery practice missions. Its mission was expanded to include the air defense of New England, although a majority of officers and a substantial number of airmen saw duty overseas in different theaters of operations including Korean combat missions. The squadron was then attached to the Air Defense Command 23rd Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Presque Isle AFB, Maine, on 1 April 1951 with no change of mission. It was reassigned to the 4711th Defense Wing on 6 February 1952 at Presque Isle AFB. It was released from active duty and returned to the control of the State of New Hampshire on 1 November 1952.
With the end of the Korean War, the squadron's aircraft were first upgraded to F-51H Mustangs then to the F-94 Starfire on 16 June 1954. With the 101st FIG consisting of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont Air Guard units, the group began holding summer camp at Otis Air Force Base after they began flying F-94s. New Hampshire's planes flew much more than those of Maine and Vermont. They logged 675 hours and a total of 752 pilot hours, which is approximately 250 more than the other two states.