Lincoln Air Force Base - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

For the civil use of this facility and airport information, see Lincoln Airport (Nebraska)

Lincoln Air National Guard Base, previously Lincoln Air Force Base, is a Nebraska Air National Guard

Air National Guard

The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...

installation located approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) northwest of Lincoln

Lincoln, Nebraska

The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....

, Nebraska. The facility is a joint use civil airport/military base with the Lincoln Airport which provides airline, charter and general aviation

General aviation

General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...

service to the public. It is located within the city limits of Lincoln.

Overview

A World War II Army Airfield and later a United States Air Force Strategic Air Command base, today most of the original Airfield is now owned by the City of Lincoln, and is used for general, commercial, and military aviation, an industrial park and public and private housing. Lincoln Airport, established in 1960 was built on the east side of the former Lincoln Air Force Base main runway, and with the closure of the Air Force Base in 1966 assumed possession of the airfield facilities of the former military base

A portion of is home to the Nebraska Air National Guard

Nebraska Air National Guard

The Nebraska Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is based at Lincoln Air National Guard Base. The Adjutant General for the Nebraska Military Department is Brigadier General Judd H. Lyons...

's 155th Air Refueling Wing

155th Air Refueling Wing

The 155th Air Refueling Wing is the largest Air National Guard unit in the state of Nebraska. It currently operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker which has been tasked for numerous missions around the globe.-Mission:...

(155 ARW), an Air Mobility Command

Air Mobility Command

Air Mobility Command is a Major Command of the U.S. Air Force. AMC is headquartered at Scott AFB, Illinois, east of St. Louis....

(AMC)-gained Air National Guard

Air National Guard

unit flying the KC-135R Stratotanker. The 155 ARW is the nation's 2d oldest Air National Guard unit, being offered federal recognition on 26 July 1946 as the 173rd Fighter Squadron. It operates from a new facility built on the southeast side of the main runway. The 155th Air Refueling Wing is commanded by Colonel Richard J. Evans III.

Several Nebraska Army National Guard

Army National Guard

Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...

units are also collocated at the installation, located just east of Runway 36, alongside Taxiway Delta. The Air National Guard's tarmac is closed to general aviation and is guarded by the 155th Security Forces Squadron (155 SFS), an Air Force Security Forces

Air Force Security Forces

United States Air Force Security Forces are the Military Police, Base Security and Air Base Ground Defense forces of the United States Air Force...

unit, 24 hours a day.

Lincoln Airport previously served as an alternate landing site for the NASA

NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...

orbiter. Air National Guard and other military aircraft land on the same runways as the commercial airport, but their crews & passengers are never de-planed into the Lincoln Airport Terminal, with military aircraft taxiing directly to Air National Guard facilities.

History

What would become Lincoln Airport began in the early 1920s when the city selected a plot of land Northwest of the city to be used as a municipal airport. Charles Lindbergh

Charles Lindbergh

Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an American aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist.Lindbergh, a 25-year-old U.S...

learned flying at Lincoln Airfield in 1923. The airfield became an air mail stop in 1928 and became a United Airlines

United Airlines

United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...

stop during 1927, it continues its service to Lincoln to this day.

On 1 July 1939, the Lincoln Airplane and Flying School was established at Lincoln Airfield. It was one of nine civilian contract flight schools contracted by the United States Army Air Corps

United States Army Air Corps

The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...

for basic flight training of air cadets under the 4500 pilot training expansion program. It was operated by the Reverend J. E. Sias. However, due to the short summer flying season, it was closed on 15 November 1940. It was moved to Drane Field

Lakeland Linder Regional Airport

Lakeland Linder Regional Airport is a public airport located four miles southwest of the central business district of Lakeland, a city in Polk County, Florida, United States...

, Lakeland, Florida

Lakeland, Florida

Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States, located approximately midway between Tampa and Orlando along Interstate 4. According to the 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, the city had a population of 94,406...

where it reopened under the name "Lakeland School of Aeronautics" and continued Army contract pilot training. As part of the contract flying school, the Air Corps established the 47th Training Detachment to command the military flight cadets at the school, which apparently also moved to Lakeland along with the school.

World War II

With war clouds forming in 1941, the United States Army Air Corps

United States Army Air Corps

needed airfields for training flight and ground personnel. On 27 February 1942 Lincoln Airfield was announced to be home of an Army Airfield training field. Lincoln Army Airfield (AAF) was one of eleven USAAF training bases in Nebraska during World War II. Building construction was of wood, tar paper, and non-masonry siding. The use of concrete and steel was limited because of the critical need elsewhere. Most buildings were hot and dusty in the summer and very cold in the winter. Buildings consisted of hangars, barracks, warehouses, hospitals, dental clinics, dining halls, and maintenance shops. There were libraries, social clubs for officers, and enlisted men, and stores to buy living necessities. A large concrete aircraft parking ramp was poured along with four concrete runways. Their dimensions and directions were: 7000x150(N/S), 5500x150(NE/SW); 5500x150(E/W), and 7000x150(NW/SE).

The airfield was completed 151 days after the announcement with construction including barracks, paved streets, hangars and shops. 1,016 buildings and structures were constructed. Lincoln AAF was assigned to Army Air Forces Training Command

Army Air Forces Training Command

Army Air Forces Training Command was a command of the United States Army Air Forces. It was redesignated Air Training Command on 1 July 1946 as part of the reorganization of the Army Air Forces after World War II....

, Western Technical Training Command with a mission to conduct flying training, basic military training and technical training. The plan consolidated a number of technical schools that were scattered throughout the country at that time. The first trainees arrived on 2 June 1942. Classrooms functioned 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The 331st Army Air Force Base Unit commanded the support elements at Lincoln AAF as part of Air Technical Service Command, which was assigned to the 21st Bombardment Wing. It was also the home of the 12th Heavy Bombardment Processing Headquarters.

The 616th Flying Training Group provided flying training instruction to aircrews of B-17 Flying Fortresses, Consolidated B-24 Liberators and Boeing B-29 Superfortresses.

The 54th Training Sub-Depot provided indoctrination and basic training for 30,000 combat personnel; providing basic flight training for Army aviation cadets, and being a military separation center.

The 604th Training Group provided instruction to over 25,000 aircraft mechanics, specializing in Figher aircraft.

On 15 April 1944, the airfield was transferred to Second Air Force

Second Air Force

The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....

, initially providing B-25 Mitchell

B-25 Mitchell

The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...

medium bomber replacement training (10th Bombardment Squadron). It also was a testing center for the new P-80 Shooting Star

P-80 Shooting Star

The Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was the first jet fighter used operationally by the United States Army Air Forces. Designed in 1943 as a response to the German Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter, and delivered in just 143 days from the start of the design process, production models were flying but...

jet fighter (29th, 31st, 52d Fighter Squadrons) during April and May, with the squadrons moving to Muroc AAF California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

However in the summer of 1944, Lincoln AAF became a B-29 Superfortress

B-29 Superfortress

The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...

aircrew training and transition center. The 489th Bombardment Group

489th Bombardment Group

The 489th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the IV Bomber Command, stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....

arrived from Bradley Field

Bradley International Airport

Bradley International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Windsor Locks on the border with East Granby and Suffield, in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is owned by the State of Connecticut....

, Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

on 17 December 1944 for training. The group stayed until April 1945 then transferred to Great Bend AAF Kansas

Kansas

Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

. The group was alerted for movement overseas in the summer of 1945, but war with Japan ended before the group left the US. It was inactivated on 17 October 1945.

On 15 March 1945, Lincoln Field was reassigned from Second Air Force back to AAF Training Command and became a combat crew processing and distribution center until inactivated 15 December 1945 when Lincoln AAF was placed on inactive status. The airfield was transferred to the Army Corps of Engineers on 23 November 1946 for disposal.

Postwar years

In 1946 the facility was returned to its prewar civil use as an airport. Along with its civil use, Lincoln Airport became host to a flying unit of the newly formed Nebraska Air National Guard

Nebraska Air National Guard

along with a Naval Reserve

United States Navy Reserve

The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...

unit flying patrol aircraft. The 173rd Fighter Squadron became the host unit of what became known as Lincoln Air National Guard Base. Equipped with P-51 Mustang

P-51 Mustang

The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...

fighters in 1946, it was the second Air National Guard unit established. A few years later, F-80C Shooting Star jet fighters would replace the unit's F-51s until the advent of the Korean War.

Concurrently, the Naval Reserve

United States Navy Reserve

The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...

established Naval Air Station Lincoln (NAS Lincoln) on the airport, primarily as home to Patrol Squadron 762 (VP-762) and its P-2 Neptune

P-2 Neptune

The Lockheed P-2 Neptune was a Maritime patrol and ASW aircraft. It was developed for the United States Navy by Lockheed to replace the Lockheed PV-1 Ventura and PV-2 Harpoon, and being replaced in turn with the Lockheed P-3 Orion...

aircraft.

Strategic Air Command

With the outbreak of the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce proposed the idea to Nebraska Senator Kenneth S. Wherry

Kenneth S. Wherry

Kenneth Spicer Wherry was a Republican United States Senator from Nebraska.-Early life:He was born in Liberty, Gage County, Nebraska. He graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, in 1914...

to reactivate Lincoln Airport as an active United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

base. Senator Wherry fought for its activation and Lincoln Air Force Base was on a bill to be passed by the Congress until a few days before it was to be passed. Only an envoy of Lincoln residents and its mayor were between reactivation and failure. They lobbied only hours before the vote and were victorious. USAF Strategic Air Command

Strategic Air Command

The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...

officers would soon survey the land that would become Lincoln Air Force Base. On 21 February 1952 the provisional 4120th Air Base Group was activated at Lincoln AFB to begin work on the base. The unit was placed under the command of the Fifteenth Air Force

Fifteenth Air Force

The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....

.

On 1 February 1954 Lincoln AFB was officially activated and so was the 98th Air Base Group to assume control of the base and support units from the provisional 4120th ABG. On 16 April 1954, the 98th Air Refueling Squadron

98th Air Refueling Squadron

The 98th Air Refueling Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 92d Operations Group, based at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington. It was inactivated on 1 July 1998.-History:...

arrived at the new Lincoln AFB from Fairchild AFB, Washington with KC-97 Stratotanker

KC-97 Stratotanker

The Boeing KC-97 Stratotanker was a United States strategic tanker aircraft based on the Boeing C-97 Stratofreighter. It was succeeded by the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.-Design and development:...

s, being the first operational flying unit at the base.

On 25 July 1954, the B-29 Superfortress

B-29 Superfortress

-equipped 98th Bombardment Wing was reassigned to Lincoln from Yokota AB, Japan. The 98th BMW had been assigned to Far East Air Force during the Korean War, where it's 98th Bombardment Group had been engaged in combat operations since 1950. It's B-29s were somewhat war-weary after seeing combat in World War II and for the past four years over Korea, and the unit was brought to Lincoln to reorganize and re-equip.

Four months later, a second B-29 unit, the 307th Bombardment Wing arrived from Kadena AB, Okinawa, where it's group had seen combat in the Korean War under Far East Air Force. The 98th and 307th brought a total of six combat bombardment squadrons to Lincoln, including one air refueling squadron.

To complete the complement of SAC units at Lincoln AFB, Fifteenth Air Force activated the 818th Air Division

818th Air Division

The 818th Strategic Aerospace Division is an inactive United States Air Force organization. Its last assignment was with Strategic Air Command, assigned to Second Air Force, being stationed at Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska...

at the base on 11 October 1954. The 818th assumed control of the base support units from the 98th Air Base Group and was the intermediate command and control organization over the 98th and 307th Bombardment Wings. It's mission was to direct both wings in numerous tactical training exercises as directed by headquarters, Fifteenth Air Force and headquarters, Strategic Air Command.

On 15 October 1954, the 98th Bombardment Wing began receiving the new B-47E Stratojet, the replacement for its B-29s. The B-47 was the USAF's first swept-wing jet bomber, it was lightly armed however had a top speed of over 600 Miles Per Hour. It had a range of almost 5,000 miles and could fly at over 40,000 feet. It's mission was to penetrate the airspace of the Soviet Union and attack military targets. The 307th Bombardment Wing began receiving B-47Es in November and by the end of 1954, almost all B-29s had been sent to storage in Arizona.

With the arrival of the B-47s, Lincoln AFB, and the 818th Air Division was reassigned to SAC's Eighth Air Force

Eighth Air Force

The Eighth Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Global Strike Command . It is headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana....

on 1 January 1955. The 98th would become combat-ready with the new jet bomber in April 1955 and the 307th in June, with a total of 90 B-47s eventually being stationed at Lincoln. Throughout the 1950s, Lincoln AFB 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. Both wings conducted strategic bombardment training and air refueling operations to meet SAC's global commitments. On 1 January 1959, in a realignment of SAC units, the 818th AD was reassigned to SAC's Second Air Force

Second Air Force

The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....

.

To provide air defense of the base, United States Army Nike-Hercules Surface-to-air missiles of the 6th Missile Battalion, 43rd Artillery protected the base from 1960 to 1966. Batteries were constructed near Crete and Davey, Nebraska and were armed with 12 missiles each. Lincoln AFB was at its peak from 1960 to 1963, some of the hottest years of the Cold War

Cold War

The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...

. The planes stood on alert during the 1961 Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis

Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...

of 1962, maintaining readiness for their principal mission, the destruction of the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

.

Army Nike-Hercules Surface-to-air missiles of the 6th Missile Battalion, 43rd Artillery also protected the base from 1960 to 1966. Batteries were constructed near Crete (LL-50) 40°38′44"N 096°49′24"W and Davey (LL-01) 41°02′09"N 096°44′25"W, Nebraska and were armed with 12 missiles each.

In 1960, a third USAF combat organization was announced to be assigned to Lincon AFB. The 551st Strategic Missile Squadron

551st Strategic Missile Squadron

The 551st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 98th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska. It was inactivated on 25 June 1965.-World War II:...

was to be activated under the 818th Air Division on 1 April 1961. It would be headquartered at the base and control twelve SM-65F Atlas

SM-65F Atlas

The SM-65F Atlas, or Atlas-F, was the final operational variant of the Atlas missile. It first flew on 8 August 1961, and was deployed as an operational ICBM between 1961 and 1966. Following retirement as an ICBM, the Atlas-F, along with the Atlas-E, was refurbished for orbital launches as the...

Intercontinental ballistic missile

An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...

s. Planning for Atlas missile deployment at Lincoln had begun in 1958, and were originally slated to receive horizontal Atlas-E launchers. Site selection for three complexes of three missiles each (3 x 3) was completed in the fall of 1958. In early 1959, a decision to deploy Atlas-F missiles to nine separate sites as a defensive measure against an enemy first-strike attack required additional site surveys. The missiles and their launch crews would eventually be located near the towns of Elmwood, Avoca, Eagle, Nebraska City, Palmyra, Tecumseh, Cortland, Beatrice, Wilber, Seward, York and Brainard, Nebraska.

In 1963 the City of Lincoln and Strategic Air Command who used facilities of Lincoln Air Force Base, reached an unprecedented cooperative agreement in which the two entities shared base facilities. This was based on a similar arrangement executed at another SAC base the year prior, where McCoy AFB in Orlando

Orlando, Florida

Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...

, Florida opened up its airfield facilities to commercial jet traffic under a joint civil-military status as Orlando Jetport at McCoy, later Orlando International Airport

Orlando International Airport

Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...

. With this new arrangement, the City of Lincoln could then make expansion plans for their municipal airport.

On 15 May 1964, Secretary of Defense McNamara

Robert McNamara

Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...

directed the accelerated phase-out of Atlas and Titan I

LGM-25 Titan

The SM-68 Titan was the designation for two American intercontinental ballistic missiles, which were members of the Titan family of rockets...

ICBMs. Later that year, the 551st Strategic Missile Squadron received the last Operational Readiness Inspection (ORI) for such a unit. The Lincoln Atlas F missiles were deactivated on 12 April 1965, completing the phase-out of this weapon system.

Meanwhile, the B-47s were also being phased out of the SAC arsenal. In January 1965 the 307th Bomb Wing began phasing down and was inactivated on 25 March 1965, being reactivated at U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield

U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield

U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield is a military airfield of the Royal Thai Navy located approximately southeast of Bangkok, near Sattahip on the Gulf of Siam...

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

for forward deployed B-52 aircraft supporting combat operations in Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

.

The 98th Bomb Wing was inactivated on 5 June 1966 at Lincoln AFB, but activated the same day at Torrejon Air Base

Torrejon Air Base

Madrid-Torrejón Airport is a commercial airport in Spain. It is a joint-use facility between the Spanish Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Public Works. The civil part is dedicated primarily to executive and private aviation. The airport is located northeast of Madrid, west of Alcalá de...

, Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

replacing the 3970th Strategic Wing.

Lincoln Air Force Base was closed on 6 June 1966 and returned to its original role, that of a municipal airport with a collocated Air National Guard

Air National Guard

Base.

Today

Lincoln Airport and the Air National Guard facilities today use new facilities on the east and southeast side of the former SAC airfield. Located to the west side of the airfield, some of the large SAC hangars still are used, while others have being razed. The B-47 parking ramp is deserted, as well as the former B-47 alert pads, still in evidence along the 32 end of the northwest runway. The odd pieces of concrete in the airfield area, disconnected from the runways and taxiways are historic reminders of the World War II era, being parts of the old wartime airfield from the 1940s. What was the base area of the air force base today is a quiet place, largely unused.

The former Lincoln Air Force Base hangars and ground station are under private ownership of numerous businesses and individuals. The old Fire Station is still in use. The streets of the base still are in evidence, but many of the old military buildings have been torn down, leaving large vacant grass areas. The former military family housing area is now a part of the Arnold Heights Park community, and new housing has been built on the south side of the base. Some new construction of businesses has been made, but the sounds of SAC jet B-47 bombers taking off from Lincoln AFB with JATO bottles has long ago faded into history.

Previous names

Activated as Lincoln Army Airfield on 1 July 1939-23 November 1946
Lincoln Air Force Base, 9 June 1952-30 June 1966
Lincoln Air National Guard Base, 1 July 1966–present

Major commands to which assigned

Army Air Force Technical Training Command, 1 July 1939
Second Air Force
Second Air Force
The Second Air Force is a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command . It is headquartered at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi....

, 15 April 1944
Western Technical Training Command, 15 March 1945
Eastern Technical Training Command, 31 August-15 December 1945

Placed in Excess status and under control of Lowry AFB, CO 15 December 1945-23 November 1946

Assigned to Army Corps of Engineers for deposition, 23 November 1946

Strategic Air Command
Strategic Air Command
The Strategic Air Command was both a Major Command of the United States Air Force and a "specified command" of the United States Department of Defense. SAC was the operational establishment in charge of America's land-based strategic bomber aircraft and land-based intercontinental ballistic...

, 9 June 1952-30 June 1966

In Construction status (non-operational) until 1 February 1954

Placed in Excess status and under control of Offutt AFB, NE 1 October 1966-1 July 1971

Nebraska Air National Guard
Nebraska Air National Guard
The Nebraska Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is based at Lincoln Air National Guard Base. The Adjutant General for the Nebraska Military Department is Brigadier General Judd H. Lyons...

, 1 July 1971–present

Major units assigned

98th Air Base Group, 25 November 1953-25 June 1966 (Base Operating Unit)
10th Bombardment Squadron, 25 May-17 June 1944
29th Fighter Squadron, 8 April-25 May 1944
31st Fighter Squadron, 8 April-25 May 1944
52d Fighter Squadron
52d Fighter Squadron
The 52d Fighter Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the Western Air Defense Force, based at Hamilton Air Force Base, California...

, 8 April-25 May 1944
489th Bombardment Group
489th Bombardment Group
The 489th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Army Air Force unit. Its last assignment was to the IV Bomber Command, stationed at Drew Field, Florida. It was inactivated on 7 November 1945....

, 17 December 1944-28 February 1945
307th Strategic Wing/307th Bomb Wing, 20 November 1954-25 March 1955
98th Strategic Wing/98th Bomb Wing
98th Range Wing
The 98th Range Wing is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Air Combat Command Air Warfare Center. The unit is stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada as a tenant unit....

, 25 July 1954-25 June 1966
818th Strategic Aerospace Division, 11 October 1954-25 March 1965.
551st Strategic Missile Squadron
551st Strategic Missile Squadron
The 551st Strategic Missile Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 98th Strategic Aerospace Wing, stationed at Lincoln Air Force Base, Nebraska. It was inactivated on 25 June 1965.-World War II:...

, 1 April 1961-25 June 1965

SM-65F Atlas Missile Sites

The 551st Strategic Missile Squadron

551st Strategic Missile Squadron

Operated twelve missile sites, of one missile at each site

551-1 4.9 mi WNW of Avoca, NE 40°48′59"N 096°12′22"W
551-2 3.6 mi E of Eagle, NE 40°49′20"N 096°21′42"W
551-3 2.6 mi WSW of Nehawka, NE 40°48′32"N 096°02′01"W
551-4 4.5 mi W of Nebraska City, NE 40°40′36"N 095°56′43"W
551-5 0.8 mi SSE of Palmyra, NE 40°41′40"N 096°22′50"W
551-6 4.5 mi N of Tecumsch, NE 40°25′53"N 096°11′23"W
551-7 2.1 mi WNW of Firth, NE 40°30′59"N 096°38′24"W
551-8 3.4 mi E of Ellis, NE 40°13′40"N 096°48′42"W
551-9 6.7 mi W of Wilber, NE 40°29′02"N 097°05′18"W
551-10 3.3 mi ENE of Bradshaw, NE 40°53′43"N 097°41′09"W
551-11 3.0 mi NE of Tamora, NE 40°55′36"N 097°11′11"W
551-12 2.9 mi NE of Brainrd, NE 41°12′40"N 096°57′42"W

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Overview

History

World War II

Postwar years

Strategic Air Command

Today

Previous names

Major commands to which assigned

Major units assigned

SM-65F Atlas Missile Sites

See also

External links