What today is known as Lincoln's Air
Park West Industrial Zone was once Lincoln Air Force Base. Strategic
bombers and missiles stood the guard here during the dark days of the
Cold War when nuclear war sometimes seemed only moments away. From its days of
a proud Strategic Air Command air base, it has and is slowly passing
into history which few will remember of today's generation. This
website was designed to counteract this decline in a great history that
has effected every life in this city and even the world.
-Webmaster
Lincoln
Air Force Base began its life during the early days of manned flight
during the 1920's when the city selected a plot of land Northwest of
the city to be used as a municipal airport. It was to be named after a
young Charles Lindbergh, noted for his famous flight across the
Atlantic in 1927. Lindbergh learned flying at Lincoln during 1923.
Lincoln became an air mail stop during the 1928 and became a United
Airlines stop during 1927, it continues flight service to Lincoln to this
day.
WORLD WAR II
Even before the outbreak of World War II on September
1st, 1939, The United States Army began surveying sites for army
air fields to train and equip airmen before being sent overseas. Army
officers began to search the Lincoln area during 1941. The Pearl Harbor attack
increased the need for personnel dramatically and soon on February 27th 1942 Lincoln
was announced to be home of an Army Air Field. During the course of
less than five months, Lincoln Army Air Field rose out of the fields
and became a fully functional air field.
Lincoln AAF was a noted
mechanics school but also trained air crews in the heavy bombers of
the period such as the B-17, B-24 and later the B-29. However Lincoln
was only one of 12 Army Air Fields around the state of Nebraska.
Alliance, Scribner, Scottsbluff, Omaha, Harvard, Fairmont, Bruning,
McCook, Ainsworth, Kearney and Grand Island trained airmen during World War II.
A
hospital, barracks, mess halls, hangars and an extensive air field were
built very quickly. At the insistence of Eleanor Roosevelt (the
president's wife of the time), chapels were constructed at all new airfields. Today the Lincoln
chapel is on the register of historic places and still resides
Northwest of Air Park.
Soon however, the war was ending and more
airmen returned home. Lincoln AAF began ending its training efforts
and became a homecoming transfer base for crews returning from Europe.
Immediately after war's end. Lincoln was closed along with most other
fields in the state (With the exception of Offutt, Kearney and Grand
Island) The last month of operations was December 1945 and the runways
became quiet.
1946-1950
The silence did not last as the newly formed Nebraska Air National Guard
moved into the former grounds along with a Naval Reserve unit. The
173rd Fighter Squadron was equipped with P-51 Mustang fighters in 1946
and were in fact the second air national guard unit ever created. A few
years later, F-80C Shooting-Star jet fighters would replace the F-51s
(Renamed from Pursuit to fighter) unit the advent of the Korean War.
The
former base hospital for Lincoln Army Air Field was soon converted
after the war. This plot of land along with its buildings soon became
Huskerville. A small town primarily consisting of married university students
who attended the University of Nebraska. The small area contained a grocer, theater and
many apartments. Perhaps the most infamous tale of Huskerville was the
Polio outbreak there in 1952 leaving 2 dead and 31 paralyzed.
In
1946 also, the Strategic Air Command was organized with the task of
managing American bomber forces and the nuclear deterrent that the
nation monopolized. Soon in 1948, SAC moved to Offutt AFB near Omaha,
Nebraska to set up its official headquarters. The command, consisting
of a few hundred B-29 bombers and many support types, was a skeleton fleet dwarfed by the huge numbers that served during World War II. If America would have a nuclear deterrent, SAC forces would have to be made larger and better.
1948-49
saw the first flare-up of the Cold War with the Berlin Blockade. Only
American airlift secured the city from falling into Communist hands.
The next year, the Soviets detonated their first nuclear bomb and the
Cold War threatened to get hot. SAC began its re-activation of old Army
Air Fields and began flying new advanced bombers. The B-36 and the B-50
(a new version of the B-29) were perhaps the pinnacles of propeller-driven bomber designs but were
simply outdated. A radical new design named the B-47 would soon
dominate the American bomber arsenal. The first jet bomber to be deployed in
numbers, its swept-back wings and sleek design allowed for high-speed
and maneuverability. Barrel rolls and loops were achievable by the
bomber and actually could out-run contemporary fighters of the period.
THE EARLY DAYS OF LAFB
June
25th 1950 saw the invasion of South Korea by North Korea and also
sparked the beginnings of Lincoln Air Force Base. The Lincoln chamber of
commerce first proposed the idea to Nebraska senator Kenneth Wherry who
in turn fought for activation. Lincoln Air Force Base was on a bill to
be passed by congress until a few days before it was to be passed. Only
an envoy of Lincoln residents and its mayor were between re-activation
and failure. They lobbied only hours before the vote and were
victorious. SAC officers would soon survey the land that would become
LAFB.
The city of Lincoln wanted the base so much that they in
fact re-channeled Oak Creek through the future base. They made it
straighter and longer to wrap around the end of the expected long
runway the base would demand. Curtis E. LeMay, commander of SAC and
aviation legend, demanded that SAC control the entire field. Thus,
construction began immediately across the field for new facilities
needed to house the Air National Guard and Naval Reserve units. On February 21st, 1952 the 4120th Air Base Group was activated at Lincoln to begin work on the base. The unit was placed under 15th Air Force control.
Construction
included new barracks for the airmen, mess halls, road improvements,
recreation facilities, warehouses, and expanded operations buildings.
Two giant hangars were built at the cost of 1 million each and concrete
bunkers were built to house the powerful weapons that would soon make
Lincoln AFB home. Construction continued for many years into the late
1950's on the base.
On February 1st 1954, Lincoln AFB was officially activated and so was the 98th Air Base Group,
in charge of running the field. The 98th Air Refueling Squadron was its
first aircraft unit, arriving from Kansas the same month. The first
major aircraft, a KC-97, made its appearance in Lincoln during April. During July, the 98th Bomb Wing
arrived from Davis-Monthan AFB where it had disposed of its war-warry
B-29 bombers from Japan where it served during the Korean War. Later,
during November 1954, the 307th Bomb Wing
had also arrived from Okinawa also after the unit's action over Korea.
The same month, the 98th Air Base Group was de-activated and the new 818th Air Base Group
took over its operations. The 818th Air Division took over control of
the base during the month and assumed responsibility over the 307th and
98th Bomb Wings, Their respective Air-Refueling Squadrons and the
entirety of Lincoln Air Force Base. Jurisdiction also moved that month
from the 15th to the famous 8th Air Force.
Other elements at the base that were activated during the period were the Field Maintenance Squadrons, Periodic (later Organizational) Maintenance Squadrons, Armament and Electronic Squadrons, Headquarters Squadrons, a Material (Supply) Squadron, a Motor Vehicle (Transportation) Squadron, an Air Police (Combat Defense) Squadron,
an Civil Engineering (Installations) Squadron, a Food Services
(Services) Squadron, a medical section, an Air Depot (Munitions Maintenance) Squadron as well as air-traffic control and air transport
detachments.
MAJOR OPERATIONS
On December 7th 1954, the first B-47 Stratojet
landed at Lincoln fresh from the factory. The 98th would become
combat-ready in April of 1955 and the 307th later in June. They soon
began their role in nuclear deterrence. 90 B-47 bombers would soon line the flightline of Lincoln AFB.
The
Air Base was a city in its own right (actually becoming later the 5th
largest town in Nebraska). Everything from barber shops to a credit
union to a dental clinic made the base great. Swimming pools, a gym,
tennis courts, baseball fields and clubs soon made their presence felt
as well. "Perry's Pond" otherwise known as Bowling Lake
was constructed during the airmen and officers "free time". The lake
was dug on the Northwest side of the base and was known for its fishing
qualities and boating events.
Of course, a base would not operate without its housing.
1,000 units of duplex, apartment and standard houses were built West of
Northwest 48th Street from 1955 through 1960. A small chapel and school
made the area complete. Although it should be said that airmen also
found homes inside of Lincoln, especially the Belmont neighborhood of
Northwestern Lincoln.
From 1955 through 1964, a considerable
number of accidents occurred at the base. Primarily with the B-47 jet
bomber. Crashes occurred near Ceresco and near Raymond during the time.
Bowling Lake was named for Russell Bowling who crashed in England
during 1956. His nuclear armed bomber skidded off the runway at
Lakenheath RAF into a nuclear weapons bunker and nearly caused a major
nuclear catastrophe, though not to his fault of the crew. The Major
Meeks incident was also a major crash where the Major made sure his
crew was out of the bomber that was then on fire and stayed long enough
with it to make sure the bomber would not crash into nearby farm houses
and a school. Unfortunately, his ejection seat failed and was the only
casualty on board, thanks to him there were no others.
Throughout
the 1950's Lincoln became a major Strategic Air Command base and a very
powerful asset to American nuclear forces. Its B-47 complement would
reach 120 before 1961 and news of missile deployment assured the area
that the base would be there long to come. (A welcomed sight to vendors
and businesses in the city who depended on the base to provide
customers to their stores) Of Course, not forgetting the KC-97 tanker
who made the bomber into a strategic one, also roared above the city
with a force of 30-40 aircraft. It provided much support with its dual
transport/refueling role. In 1959, news that the tanker force may be
re-deployed elsewhere hit Lincoln but also that the 2nd Air Force would
now control jurisdiction over the base. Making Lincoln one of the few
SAC bases to be under all 3 of the command's air forces. Lincoln Air
Force Base would move into the 1960's strong and proud.
ZENITH
During
1960, the 307th Air Refueling Squadron was re-deployed from Lincoln to
Michigan and the 98th ARS would be Lincoln's only tanker asset. New
missions arrived however, starting with the deployment of Nike-Hercules Surface-to-Air missiles sites
around Southeastern Nebraska. One site was located near Davey and
another near Crete, the other two sites defended the Offutt/Omaha
defense area. The supersonic missiles were deployed in 12 at each site
and were nuclear capable. The 6th Missile Battalion, 43rd Artillery
controlled the sites and was Army controlled.
1960 also saw the
start of missile silo construction at Lincoln with word that the base
would operate Atlas ICBMs soon. 12 silos were placed near Eagle,
Elmwood, Avoca, Nebraska City, Palmyra, Tecumseh, Cortland, Beatrice,
Wilber, York, Seward and Brainard. After a difficult construction the
sites were soon operational in late 1962 under the 551st Strategic Missile Squadron.
The massive ICBM contained a 3 megaton warhead and had the range to
strike targets in the Soviet Union. A five man crew watched over the
missile for many hours at a time, waiting for the call to raise the
missile out of its protective silo and to launch it at a predetermined
target.
Due to the new threat posed by Soviet ICBMs, the Air
Force began to develop a rapid-response alert program aimed at sending
several bombers airborne in a matter of minutes. This was realized at
Lincoln AFB with the alert pad in 1960. Here, 8 Stratojets sat on 24/7 alert for several years.
In
October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Lincoln dispersed its
bombers in case of attack and raised its new missile force out of the
ground on alert. The Army Nike missile sites also went on alert.Tense
moments arose but the crisis ended without major confrontation. This
would be the peak of Lincoln Air Force Base's time during the middle of
of our 20th century.
1962 also saw the beginnings of the 4362nd Support Squadron (later changed to Post-Attack Command and Control Squadron or PACCS)
where B-47 bombers were converted to serve as communication relay
aircraft in the event of nuclear war. The 4362nd came under 307th
control.
During the two years following the Cuban crisis,
Lincoln's downward continued with the last KC-97 tanker of the 98th ARS
leaving the base in 1963. It was announced the next year that Lincoln
would no longer be needed and be included in long list of base closings
during 1965-66.
CLOSURE
Soon during March 1965, the 307th Bomb Wing
was de-activated and so was the 818th Strategic Aerospace Division
(name changed after 551st SMS assigned). The sole major component of
Lincoln was once again the 98th, though this time under the name 98th
Strategic Aerospace Wing with the remaining 551st SMS transferred to
their control.
Even the mighty Atlas missile could not escape
deactivation and was pulled from its silos during June 1965. The 551st
Strategic Missile Squadron was the last active Atlas unit in the U.S.
December
7th, 1965, 11 years to the day the B-47 first landed in Lincoln, the
last 3 of the 98th SAW took-off into the Lincoln skies never to appear
again. The 98th lingered on at a now quieter Lincoln Air Force Base
until June 25th 1966 when the base officially closed. The two Nike
missile batteries stood down the same day, the last major weapon
systems to be stationed for Lincoln AFB. Caretaking hereafter
controlled by the 4255th Air Base Squadron and the end of major Air Force involvement in Lincoln.
On any particular Sunday at Air Park,
a key word is silence. The skies are no longer filled with the thunder
of jets sailing gracefully through the air. No more backed up traffic
at the base gates, traffic has decreased considerably however Air Park
has emerged from the 1960s to provide housing and work for the citizens
of Lincoln.
Lincoln Air Force Base during its day was once said to be one of the most crucial SAC bases
in the United States. It also was home to many airmen and provided an
economic powerhouse to the city of Lincoln. Though today it goes
unnoticed by the passer-byer, signs of its existence are passing every
day into history and so are the stories told by its veterans. The Cold
War was an extremely dangerous conflict, for never before a single war
threatened so many. It should not be forgotten.
And that proud
SAC base in Nebraska was Lincoln, contributing so much to local and
international history. SAC HQ in Omaha may of been the location of the
big red button, but Lincoln was the force behind it.
