In this video the departure of a KC-135 Stratotanker of the United States Air Force. The aircraft was at Eindhoven for a few days. The KC-135 belongs to the 100th Air Refueling Wing and is stationed at RAF Mildenhall in the United Kingdom. The 100th ARW is the only permanent American air refueling wing in the European theater. Shortly after take-off the aircraft would fly to Poland for a refueling mission. The allied aircraft are nowadays highly involved in guarding the eastern European borders after the Russians invaded the Ukraine in March 2022.
During the Second World War, 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. The group suffered tremendous losses in combat with 177 Aircraft missing in action. The unit flew its last mission on April 20, 1945. To honor this period, the tankers are nowadays marked with the letter “D” on its tail. The 100th ARW is the only modern USAF operational wing which is allowed to display this marking of its Second World War predecessor.
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