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This is a great shot of the Base Tuono museum showing how well it represents the main components of an active Nike Hercules facility. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
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Based upon an original article in Italian by Christian Vaccari
Following WWII, the Western-aligned nations soon realized that they needed to band together to create a formal alliance against the rising threat of Soviet aggression. This lead to the formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, better known as NATO, which has proven to be a vital essential element to maintaining the peace in Europe, and further afield, for the past seven decades. Twelve nations initially came together at NATO’s founding in 1949: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. All of these nations had paid a heavy price in blood and treasure during WWII. The European nations were exhausted from the physical and economic devastation which war had wrought upon their lands, and individually, could never had taken on the Soviet juggernaut. The need for a new bulwark against the Eastern Bloc, as the Soviet Union and its satellite states were then known, became of paramount importance once Russia became a nuclear power with the detonation of their first atomic bomb in August, 1949.
In the early days, each NATO nation had the opportunity to buy top-of-the-line American-made military hardware at heavily subsidized rates, which was essential in order to credibly counter the Soviet threat in short order. Italy was one of several nations which chose this opportunity to take part in a coordinated defense effort against the Soviets and potential communist dictatorship. Among the tangible results of this cooperation was Italy’s adoption of American military equipment. This included aircraft and, once they became reliable, Surface to Air anti-aircraft missile systems too.
In Italy, the risk of air raids from Eastern Bloc nations was most pronounced in the north-eastern sector of the nation, i.e. the regions of Lombardy, Veneto and Friuli. Therefore, the Italian Army set up short-range Hawk anti-aircraft missile batteries to counter the low and medium altitude threats to these regions, while the Italian Air Force handled the medium and high altitude menace with long range Nike missiles. The Hawk and Nike Surface to Air Missile (SAM) systems created a SAM restricted zone in north-eastern Italy, which officially came online on March 1st, 1959 when the 1st Air Brigade IT (Guided Interceptors) set up shop at Padua Airport in far north-eastern Italy. Initially, there were three groups and twelve squadrons equipped with Nike-Ajax SAMs. The 1st Air Brigade inherited its coat of arms from the Italian Air Force’s 1st Fighter Wing, which features an archer with his drawn bow and arrow ready to fire. It symbolized readiness and rapid response, both typical characteristics of fighter aircraft and unmanned interceptors (missiles).
With the adoption of the more potent Nike-Hercules missile, capable of destroying entire enemy bomber formations up to 90 miles away (when equipped with a W31 nuclear-tipped warhead instead of a conventional explosive charge), the 1st Air Brigade grew to include three Departments with four IT Groups each. Over time, the 1st Air Brigade’s configuration changed as a result of organic restructuring. This led to a progressive reduction in the number of Departments (later called Flocks) and Groups. The Nike-Hercules system endured for decades to become one of the oldest weapon systems within Italy’s Armed Forces by the time of its retirement on July 1st, 2007. The 1st Air Brigade made their last practice launch of a Nike Hercules at 17:54 hours on November 24th, 2006 when PISQ (Polygon Interforze of Salto di Quirra) fired missile number 16496 at a test target from their training range on the island of Sardinia.
Today, little remains of the infrastructure surrounding the Nike Hercules missile system. However, there is a NATO museum at one of the former Nike Hercules SAM bases in the alpine foothills of north eastern Italy which has recreated much of the look and feel of how the place would have been during its active years. Italian aviation photographer Christian Vaccari visited the base and reported the following….
It is not easy to imagine the daily life for our Alpine soldiers during the First World War, positioned as they were in trenches along Italy’s national borders on the high peaks that today, we roam freely with serenity and a spirit of adventure. These are difficult conditions, as those with experience of the mountain environment can attest.The often unforgiving climate, rough terrain and the simple logistics of long term survival would test anyone, even the bravest of fighters.
These situations are recorded in the history books about WWI and WWII, but due to security measures at the time, the local population knew little about what went on during the Cold War at Italy’s mountainside SAM stations. The nascent museum at Base Tuono aims to change that situation. Located in the Comune (municipality) of Folgaria, roughly a hundred miles from Croatia’s western border, the old Nike SAM station at Tuono once guarded the eastern frontier with the former Eastern Bloc nation of Yugoslavia (of which Croatia was once a part). Tuono (thunder in Italian) was operational between 1966 and 1977.
The Comune of Folgaria acquired Base Tuono in 2010, and opened it as a museum with support from the Autonomous Province of Trento, in collaboration with the Italian Air Force. Since then it has been educating the public about the history of Italy’s Cold War defense in collaboration with NATO. The base also receives a good number of organized student visits throughout the school year too. It is in a gorgeous mountainous setting roughly 4,200 feet up the slopes of the northeastern Alps, and about an hour from the little town of Trento. After years of being in disrepair, museum personnel have refurbished one section with original material (including three deactivated Nike Hercules missiles and associated radar equipment) to reveal a vivid impression of how the base would have looked when it was operational. As such, Base Tuono represents one of the best examples of “living history” in Italy.
Many thanks to Christian Vaccari for the article and photos. For more information, please visit www.basetuono.it
The entry sign to Base Tuono. The bottom text on the billboard translates roughly to — ‘Twinned with the Monte Soratte bunker (in Rome) from 1967 to 1993 the anti-atomic shelter of the Government and the Presidency of the Republic.’ (photo by Christian Vaccari)
Some of the restored
radar and tracking antennae from the Nike Hercules SAM site at Base Tuono in the so-called Integrated Fire Control area (IFC). Originally, these were located further up on the top of Mount Toraro, but that site was dismantled some time after the base decommissioning. It made more sense to keep the equipment in the museum more centrally located, hence the setting up of the IFC at its present position. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
Three restored, though non-functional Nike Hercules SAMs stand as if on alert in the Launch Control Area (LCA) at Base Tuono, much as they once did during their operational days in the Cold War. This is the restored ‘Alpha’ pad, but there were originally two others nearby, ‘Bravo’ and ‘Charlie’, which have been completely removed. A small pond now sits where they once stood. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
An original transport carriage for the Nike Hercules missile core. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
An original transport container for one of the Nike Hercules missile warheads. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
An example of one of the Nike Hercules missile warheads on its specially designed trailer. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
One of the mobile lifting cranes poised over an inert Nike Hercules missile on its transport trailer (minus its first stage). These cranes were used to assemble the rockets, amongst other things. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
The base observation tower. This is actually an example removed from a U.S. base in Northern Italy, but is essentially identical to the towers which once stood at Base Tuono. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
The Launch Control Trailer (LCT) as seen from the outside. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
The plotting boards (horizontal on left and altitude on right) of the Battery Control System inside the Launch Control Trailer, or LCT. The operators inside the LCT would program the missile targeting and calculate firing solutions.(photo by Christian Vaccari)
One of the missile launch control consoles. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
The LCT in monochrome to give it a Cold War feel. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
A Nike Hercules missile ‘ready-to-go’. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
One of the Radar Control Trailers
. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
Inside the Radar Control Trailer, or RCT. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
A former Italian Air Force F-104 Starfighter is on display inside a temporary shelter at Base Tuono. As you can tell, the aircraft is presently undergoing restoration. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
Another view of the Starfighter inside the restoration tent. This aircraft is an F-104S-ASA which served in the Italian Air Force as MM6781. Until May, 2017, this aircraft had spent many years on external display, mounted on concrete blocks at the Aviosuperficie Guido Paci in Montegiorgio Ascoli Picenoa. A Fiat G.91R is expected to join the Starfighter at the museum before too long. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
A closeup of the F-104’s main landing gear, which is presently covered in plastic sheeting… most likely to keep it from getting covered in paint during the markings respray. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
The F-104’s cockpit glaring has been masked in orange tape, as has the cannon port… presumably to facilitate painting the fuselage. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
One of the earlier Nike Ajax rockets on its transport trailer outside the hardened shelter which housed Base Tuono’s main command and control facility. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
The iconic NATO symbol (above the Italian national flag) is present a several locations on the base, indicative of its being part of NATO’s defense of Europe infrastructure. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
A ‘no smoking’ sign in the missile storage and maintenance building. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
One of the warheads on a display stand inside the missile assembly shed. The faded light blue sign on the wall displays the iconic symbol for NATO, as this facility was part of the infrastructure for the NATO defense of Europe. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
Inside the Base Tuono missile storage and assembly building, there are many displays depicting the history of the base and the Nike SAM system alongside artifacts from the time period, such as the missile on its transport carrier. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
A diagram on one of the walls vividly depicting how the Nike SAM system worked. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
Some of the Italian Air Force uniforms on display at Base Tuono. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
A sign on the wall states that, ‘The Air Force recognizes Base Tuono as an example of a faithful reconstruction of the Nike air defense system, used by the AF from 1959 to 2007.’ Indeed, the Italian Air Force provided many of the artifacts, such as the missiles and ground equipment, on display at Base Tuono. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
Some of the books on hand in the museum gift shop
explaining the Nike Hercules system and Base Tuono. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
A Nike Hercules missile with parts of its skin cut away to show the internal components. Some of the missiles internal systems are on display in front of the rocket. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
Looking inside the open doors of the missile storage and assembly building. You can see the set of rails leading into the building from the left. These were to facilitate the easy reloading of the rocket launchers once the earlier rockets had been fired. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
The rail system behind the rocket launchers would allow for the rapid reloading of missiles onto launchers once the previous rockets had been fired. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
This is a great shot of the Base Tuono museum showing how well it represents the main components of an active Nike Hercules facility. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
A view showing the hardened command center with the Launch Control Trailer outside. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
A more distant view of Base Tuono displaying just how beautiful and remote the landscape is. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
This shallow pond is all that remains to mark the spot where the ‘Bravo’ and ‘Charlie’ pads once sat. They were bulldozed sometime after the site was decommissioned in the late 1970s, with only the ‘Alpha’ launch site remaining. (photo by Christian Vaccari)
Born in Milan, Italy, Moreno moved to the U.S. in 1999 to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His aviation passion began early, inspired by his uncle, an F-104 Starfighter Crew Chief, and his father, a military traffic controller. Childhood adventures included camping outside military bases and watching planes at Aeroporto Linate. In 1999, he relocated to Atlanta, Georgia, to obtain his commercial pilot license, a move that became permanent. With 24 years in the U.S., he now flies full-time for a Part 91 business aviation company in Atlanta. He is actively involved with the Commemorative Air Force, the D-Day Squadron, and other aviation organizations. He enjoys life with his supportive wife and three wonderful children.