100th Air Refueling Wing
| 100th Air Refueling Wing | |
|---|---|
Dedication of wing KC-135 as Skipper III to honor a former 351st Bombardment Squadron B-17 | |
| Active |
|
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Air Force |
| Type | Operational wing |
| Role | Air refueling |
| Size | 15 aircraft |
| Part of | US Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa (Third Air Force) |
| Base | RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom |
| Nickname | Bloody Hundredth |
| Motto | Peace through strength |
| Engagements | European Theater of Operations |
| Decorations | Distinguished Unit Citation Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with V Device Air Force Outstanding Unit Award French Croix de Guerre with Palm |
| Website | Official website |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Colonel Steven Byrum |
| Notable commanders | Darr H. Alkire |
| Insignia | |
| 100th Air Refueling Wing emblem | |
| 100th Bombardment Group emblem | |
| Tail code | D |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Tanker | KC-135R Stratotanker |
The 100th Air Refueling Wing, nicknamed the Bloody Hundredth, is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Third Air Force, United States Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa. It is stationed at RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, United Kingdom. It is also the host wing at RAF Mildenhall.
The 100th is the only permanent U.S. air refueling wing in the European theater, operating the Boeing KC-135R/T Stratotanker.
During World War II, its predecessor unit, the 100th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was an Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress unit in England, stationed at RAF Thorpe Abbotts. Flying over 300 combat missions, the group earned two Distinguished Unit Citations (Regensburg, 17 August 1943; Berlin, 4/6/8 March 1944). The group suffered tremendous losses in combat, with 177 aircraft missing in action, flying its last mission on 20 April 1945.
One of the wing's honors is that it is the only modern USAF operational wing allowed to display on its assigned aircraft the tail code (Square-D) of its World War II predecessor.