Cold War Infrastructure for Strategic Air Command-The Bomber Mission
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COLD WAR INFRASTRUCTURE FOR STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND: THE BOMBER MISSION Prepared for Headquarters, Air Combat Command Langley Air Force Base, Virginia November 1999 Table of Contents Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................................ vii List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................................... ix Introduction....................................................................................................................................... xi Chapter 1: Cold War Events and the Operational Infrastructure of the Air Force.....................................1 1946-1950......................................................................................................................................1 The Germans ..............................................................................................................................1 The Major Commands and First Generation Infrastructure .............................................................3 ADC and ANG.........................................................................................................................4 SAC ........................................................................................................................................5 The 1950s.......................................................................................................................................6 Evolution of the Directorate of Civil Engineering ..........................................................................6 Achieving Standardized Design .................................................................................................7 Prefabricated Structures, the Steel Industry, and Mobilization......................................................8 The Major Commands and Second Generation Infrastructure .........................................................9 ADC and TAC .........................................................................................................................9 SAC ...................................................................................................................................... 11 After 1960.................................................................................................................................... 14 Chapter 2: Evolution of Key Property Types ...................................................................................... 19 First Generation Maintenance Hangar for the B-36 ......................................................................... 20 Second Generation Maintenance Hangar for the B-36, B-47, and B-52 ............................................. 35 Prefabricated, Mobilization Infrastructure....................................................................................... 62 Nose Docks, Temporary Shelters, and Wing Hangars .................................................................. 62 Prefabricated Airmen Dormitories .............................................................................................. 84 Pavement Experimentation for the Very Heavy Bomber.................................................................. 92 Q Areas........................................................................................................................................ 97 A Structures............................................................................................................................ 100 C Structure ............................................................................................................................. 104 Plants I and II (A and B).......................................................................................................... 104 Command and Control Building............................................................................................... 106 S Structure.............................................................................................................................. 106 Alert Apron Configurations and Crew Quarters ............................................................................ 107 Headquarters Command Post and the SAC Chapel........................................................................ 124 Command Post........................................................................................................................ 124 SAC Chapel............................................................................................................................ 126 Late Cold War SAC Infrastructure............................................................................................... 128 Chapter 3: Character-Defining Features and National Register Integrity ............................................. 145 First Generation Maintenance Hangar: the Thin-Shell, Concrete Structure...................................... 145 Second Generation Maintenance Hangar: the Steel, Double-Cantilever Series................................. 147 Prefabricated, Mobilization Infrastructure..................................................................................... 150 Wing Hangars......................................................................................................................... 150 SAC Airmen Dormitories......................................................................................................... 152 Experimental Pavement............................................................................................................... 153 Q Areas...................................................................................................................................... 154 Alert Aprons and Moleholes ........................................................................................................ 155 SAC Command Post and Chapel.................................................................................................. 158 Command Post........................................................................................................................ 158 Chapel.................................................................................................................................... 158 Late Cold War Infrastructure....................................................................................................... 158 i Chapter 4: Real Property Management of Historic SAC Infrastructure ............................................... 159 Barksdale Air Force Base ............................................................................................................ 161 Beale Air Force Base .................................................................................................................. 162 Cannon Air Force Base ............................................................................................................... 163 Davis-Monthan Air Force Base ................................................................................................... 164 Dyess Air Force Base.................................................................................................................. 165 Ellsworth Air Force Base ............................................................................................................ 166 Holloman Air Force Base ............................................................................................................ 167 Langley Air Force Base .............................................................................................................. 168 Minot Air Force Base.................................................................................................................. 169 Moody Air Force Base................................................................................................................ 170 Mountain Home Air Force Base .................................................................................................. 171 Nellis Air Force Base.................................................................................................................. 172 Offutt Air Force Base.................................................................................................................. 173 Seymour Johnson Air Force Base ................................................................................................ 174 Shaw Air Force Base .................................................................................................................. 175 Whiteman Air Force Base ........................................................................................................... 176 Chapter 5: Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 177 Current ACC Installations: Issues of Inventory ............................................................................. 178 Nose Docks and Wing Hangars................................................................................................ 178 Experimental Airfield Pavement............................................................................................... 178 Alert Crew Trailers.................................................................................................................. 178 Current ACC Real Property: Issues of Documents and Drawings 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