RAF Bruggen
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Royal Air Force Brüggen, more commonly known as RAF Brüggen, (
317 Supply and Transport Column
In 1953, the 317 Supply and Transport Column arrived at RAF Brüggen from
Throughout its life, 317 carried out a number of humanitarian operations; the first being medical supplies to Bergen-Belsen. This was followed in 1947 by Operation Woodpecker in which timber and peat were supplied to the civilian population of northern Germany[citation needed] in one of the coldest winters on record. This was followed by the return of displaced persons and
1954–1998 – Strike/attack role
From c.1954 – 1957 the fighter squadrons at Bruggen were 67, 71E, 112 & 130, equipped initially with Canadair Sabre F.4s, later re-equipped with the Hawker Hunter F.4s. These squadrons were either redeployed or disbanded in 1957 with the arrival of 87 Squadron, equipped with Gloster Javelin FAW.1s.
The initial strike capability at RAF Brüggen was provided by the
1984 – Nuclear incident
On 4 September 2007, the British military admitted that there had been an accident with a nuclear weapon at RAF Brüggen on 2 May 1984.[6][7] The nuclear weapon fell from a transport truck, as the missile wasn't securely attached to the truck. The weapon was 8 times more powerful than the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima in 1945. The casing was X-rayed after the incident, and found to have been undamaged. The six people who were responsible for the accident, received a reprimand for their actions in the incident.[8]
1998–2001 – Attack role
Following
The decision to remove all RAF assets from Germany was taken in 1996. As a result of the Strategic Defence Review No. 17 Squadron disbanded on 31 March 1999 and began the gradual drawdown of the base. No. 14 Sqn relocated to RAF Lossiemouth in January 2001. A formal ceremony on 15 June officially ended a continuous Royal Air Force presence in Germany since World War II and all of the remaining Tornados had left for RAF Marham by 4 September 2001.
Brüggen squadrons
- No. 9 Squadron RAF from 1 October 1986[9] until July 2001) – operating Panavia Tornado GR.1, GR.4.
- No. 14 Squadron RAF – operating:
- Phantom FGR.2 between 1 July 1970 and 30 November 1975
- SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1 between 1 December 1975 and 1 November 1985
- Panavia Tornado GR.4 from 1 November 1985[10]
- No. 17 Squadron RAF – operating:
- Phantom FGR.2 between 1 September 1970 and 30 January 1976
- SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1 between 1 February 1976 and 1 March 1985
- Panavia Tornado GR.1 from 1 March 1985[11]–99)
- No. 20 Squadron RAF – operating SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1 between 1 March 1977 and 30 June 1984[12]
- No. 25 Squadron RAF – operating Bristol Bloodhound missiles[13]
- No. 31 Squadron RAF – operating:
- Phantom FGR.2 between 20 July 1971 and 30 June 1976
- SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1 between 30 June 1976 and 1 November 1984
- Panavia Tornado GR.1 from November 1984[14]
- No. 67 Squadron RAF – operating:[15]
- Canadair Sabre F.4s between 5 July 1955 and March 1956
- Hawker Hunter F.4s between January 1956 and 31 May 1957
- No. 71 Squadron RAF – operating:[15]
- Canadair Sabre F.4s between 7 July 1955 and May 1956
- Hawker Hunter F.4s between April 1956 and 31 May 1957
- No. 80 Squadron RAF – operating English Electric Canberra PR.7 until 30 September 1969[16]
- No. 87 Squadron RAF – operating:[17]
- Gloster Javelin FAW.1 between August 1957 and January 1961
- Gloster Javelin FAW.5 between September 1958 and October 1960
- Gloster Javelin FAW.4 between November 1959 and January 1961
- No. 112 Squadron RAF – operating:[18]
- de Havilland Vampire FB.5 between July 1953 and February 1954
- Canadair Sabre F.4s between January 1954 and April 1956
- Hawker Hunter F.4s between April 1956 and May 1957
- No. 130 Squadron RAF – operating:[19]
- Canadair Sabre F.4s between August 1953 and May 1956
- Hawker Hunter F.4s between April 1956 and May 1957
- No. 213 Squadron RAF operating English Electric Canberra B(I).6 between 22 August 1957 and 31 December 1969[20]
- No. 37 Squadron RAF Regiment – operating BAC Rapier.[2]
- No. 431 Maintenance Unit RAF.[2]
Handover to Army
With the Royal Air Force having no use for site of the former RAF Brüggen, the base was handed over to the British Army on 28 February 2002 to become Elmpt Station, Javelin Barracks. The 18-hole RAF Brüggen Golf Club became West Rhine Golf Club.
Former units
- 7th Signal Regiment
- 16th Signal Regiment
- Support Squadron
- 207 Signal Squadron
- 230 Signal Squadron
- 255 Signal Squadron
- 628 Signal Troop
- 1st Military Intelligence Battalion
- HQ Company
- Operations Support Company
- 15 Military Intelligence Company
- 16 Military Intelligence Company
Final closure
The barracks was closed in November 2015 and the site returned to German authorities. Since December 2015 the accommodation units have been used by the
The 882 hectares (2,180 acres) area is currently owned by the Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben (BImA). In 2020 negotiations are under way to sell it to Entwicklungsgesellschaft "Energie- und Gewerbepark Elmpt" mbH (EGE), a company founded in 2016 with the objective of converting 150 hectares (370 acres) of the area into an energy and industry park.[22]
See also
- Advanced Landing Ground
- List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force
- List of former Royal Air Force stations
- List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
Citations
- ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
- ^ a b c d Jackson 1986, p. 20.
- ^ Airport information for BGN / EDUR at Great Circle Mapper.
- Aviation Safety Network
- ^ a b Robert S. Norris and Hans M. Kristensen (November–December 2004), U.S. nuclear weapons in Europe, 1954–2004 (PDF), Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, retrieved 11 June 2009
- ^ GlobalSecurity.org British military confirms atomic bomb incident at base in Germany
- ^ TimesOnline.co.uk Britain drops nuclear bomb. Fortunately it doesn’t go off
- ^ "Incident at RAF Brüggen – A Viewpoint (MoD) – PDF" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 27.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 29.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 30.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 31.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 33.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 35.
- ^ a b Jefford 1988, p. 46.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 49.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 51.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 56.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 59.
- ^ Jefford 1988, p. 71.
- ^ "Britische Streitkräfte verlassen Niederkrüchten früher". Britenabzug (in German). Bundesanstalt für Immobilienaufgaben. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ^ https://www.ege-elmpt.de/
Bibliography
- Jackson, P. (1986). Britain's Armed Forces Today: 4 RAF Germany. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-1579-1.
- Jefford, C. G. (1988). RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912. ISBN 1-85310-053-6.
External links
- BBC News – RAF ends 56 years in Germany
- Last days at Bruggen from AirSceneUK.org.uk
- RAF Brüggen at GlobalSecurity.org
- RAF Brüggen, British Army Of the Rhine – Locations
- 317 MT Sqn history