activated 306th Bombardment Wing at MacDill and continued the wing's training mission. The 307th Bomb Wing was inactivated at MacDill on 16 June 1952 and the 307th Bomb Group was permanently reassigned to Kadena Air Base upon the inactivation of the wing at MacDill. 306th Bombardment Wing On 1 September 1950, the 306th Bombardment Wing was activated at MacDill AFB and became SAC's first operational B-47 jet bomber wing. Upon activation, operational units of the wing were the 367th, 368th, and 369th Bombardment Squadrons under the 306th Bombardment Group, which was transferred from the 307th BMW. Deliveries of the new Boeing B-47A Stratojet to the Air Force and SAC began in December 1950, and the aircraft entered service in May 1951 with the 306th Bombardment Wing. The 306th was intended to act as a training unit to prepare future B-47 crews. As such, the B-47As were primarily training aircraft and were not considered as being combat ready. None of the B-47As ever had any operational duty in front-line SAC combat squadrons. On 19 November 1951, the 306th received its first operational Boeing B-47B and christened it The Real McCoy in honor of Colonel Michael N. W. McCoy, USAF, the wing commander of the 306th, who flew it from the Boeing Wichita plant to MacDill. During 1952, the 306th developed combat procedures and techniques for the new bomber and the wing soon emerged as a leader in jet-bombardment tactics and strategies. The first Boeing KC-97E Stratofreighter assigned to SAC was delivered to the 306th Air Refueling Squadron at MacDill on 14 July 1951. In-flight refueling operations started in May 1952 with KC-97s refueling B-47s on operational training missions leading toward combat-ready status. In 1953, the 306th became the first operational B-47 bombardment wing. The wing became the backbone of the US nuclear deterrence strategy by maintaining high levels of ground alert in the US and at overseas bases. The wing was also awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award for its role as a pioneer and leader in jet bombardment tactics. B-47Bs from the 306th Bomb Wing began a 90-day rotational training mission to England in June 1953, marking the first overseas deployment of the B-47. Captain (Major selectee) Glenn A. McConnell led the first four B-47s to RAF Brize Norton, UK. For its role in advancing jet bombardment tactics, the wing was again awarded the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.