Mole hole

As SAC introduced newer bomber and aerial tanker aircraft into its inventory, the B-47 and KC-97 were later superseded by Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Convair B-58 Hustler, General Dynamics FB-111 or Rockwell B-1 Lancer bombers, augmented by Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker or McDonnell Douglas KC-10 Extender aerial refueling aircraft.

In 1958, Leo A Daly, an architect from Omaha, Nebraska, was hired to design buildings that would respectively hold 70, 100, and 150 men.

These standardized structures would eventually be nicknamed "mole holes" due to the fact that the men would run out onto the "Christmas Tree" through corrugated steel tunnels attached to the lower level of the building when the alert Klaxon sounded.

During their alert duty, they would fly no training missions, as they were to be kept always ready for an operational launch in the event of a nuclear strike.

[3] Readiness Crew Buildings designed to accommodate 150 Airmen were located at the following Air Force Bases: Readiness Crew Buildings designed to accommodate 100 Airmen were located at the following Air Force Bases: Readiness Crew Buildings designed to accommodate 70 Airmen were located at the following Air Force Bases: In addition to the United States Air Force bases listed above, Readiness Crew Buildings designed to accommodate 70 Airmen were also operated at the following Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy bases:

Diagram of the "Christmas Tree" at the former Glasgow Air Force Base , with the mole hole in the lower right-hand corner.
This photograph from the US Army Corps of Engineers shows the "molehole" corrugated steel tunnel attached to the housing complex.
This photograph is an example of a 150 man molehole located at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri . Notice the corrugated steel tunnels that appear on the front and the side of the building, allowing for rapid egress in the event of an alert.
Not all RCBs utilized the corrugated steel tunnels that provided the generic slang name for the housing unit. This example, from Homestead Air Force Base , shows that in some cases, external factors forced the Army Corps of Engineers to modify their plans to accommodate for local restrictions. In the case of this RBC, the building was built entirely above ground, and then the main floor was protected with an earthen berm . The first floor exits, rather than being tunneled, were simply concrete trenches.
A two story tan stucco building. The first floor is covered by an earthen berm. The stucco is being repaired.
Building 1225, the Readiness Crew Building at Blytheville AFB