Cold War Bunkers Photograph by Jon Burch Photography

Cold War Bunkers

by Jon Burch Photography

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Title

Cold War Bunkers

Artist

Jon Burch Photography

Medium

Photograph - Digital Capture & Enhancement

Description

Empty bunkers once holding atomic weapons still stand near Salina, Kansas and the former Schilling Air Force Base. I remember hearing the aircraft crews starting up their jet engines very early in the morning as I prepared to go to school. The place has changed considerably since then.

During World War II, "Smoky Hill Army Airfield" was in the first group United States Army Air Forces bases for training on the B-29 Superfortress aircraft in the summer of 1943. The 58th Bomb Wing was the first B-29 combat wing of World War II and engaged in the first long-range strategic bombardment of the Japanese Home Islands beginning in March 1944 from bases in India.

In 1946, the base was one of the first airfields transferred to the Strategic Air Command, and in 1947 of the newly established United States Air Force. During the Cold War era, it hosted two B-47 Stratojet Bombardment Wings, and the headquarters of an Air Division and an ICBM squadron.

The crew training program at Smoky Hill and the other Kansas B-29 bases was one of the more difficult aspects of the entire B-29 program. Because of the complexity of the B-29 aircraft, a lengthy process of crew integration was required before combat operations could begin. There was no time to start from scratch, so volunteers were called for from B-24 crews returning from operations in Europe and North Africa. In addition, there were very few bombers ready to receive them. At that time, there was only one Superfortress for every twelve crews, and most crews had to train on Martin B-26 Marauders or Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses. Many gunners did not even see their first B-29 until early 1944. As production ramped up at Boeing-Wichita, Seattle and Bell-Marietta, more and more aircraft were delivered through 1944.

On 16 March 1957, Smoky Hill AFB was re-designated Schilling Air Force Base to honor Colonel David C. Schilling.

However, on 15 May 1964, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara directed the accelerated phase-out of Atlas and Titan I ICBMs located at Schilling. Later that year, the 550th Strategic Missile Squadron received the last Operational Readiness Inspection. The Atlas F missiles were deactivated on 25 June 1965, completing the phase-out of this weapon system. The B-47s were also phased out of the SAC arsenal, being sent to Davis-Monthan AFB in early 1965; the 310th BMW was inactivated on 30 June 1965. On 1 October 1965 Schilling AFB was officially closed.

A portion of the property once occupied by the base has been partly transferred to the Salina Airport Authority through a base redevelopment plan and is operated as the Salina Municipal Airport.

To accommodate the huge aircraft of the Strategic Air Command, the original main runway at Schilling had to be made over two miles long! The concrete runway is about two feet thick and if you are in a light aircraft landing at the airport, you always requested permission from the tower to "Land Long" so you wouldn't have to taxi forever to get to your hanger.

Image copyright 2019 by Jon Burch Photography.

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