RAF Gütersloh

Coordinates: 51°55′31.4″N 8°18′23.3″E / 51.925389°N 8.306472°E / 51.925389; 8.306472
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

RAF Gütersloh
AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
09/27 2,252 metres (7,388 ft) Asphalt
Stadtmuseum Gütersloh

Royal Air Force Gütersloh, more commonly known as RAF Gütersloh, was a

military airfield, the nearest Royal Air Force airfield to the East/West German border, in the vicinity of the town of Gütersloh. It was constructed by the Germans prior to the Second World War. The station was captured by the Americans in April 1945 and was handed over to the RAF in June 1945 as Headquarters No. 2 Group RAF
.

History

Its early history is largely undetermined. It is known that construction began in 1935 for a paratroop unit using

Defense of the Reich defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe
.

The tower of the Officers' Mess contains a room known as Göring's Room. Legend has it that Hermann Göring used this room to relive his wartime exploits with the new generation of flyers. Reportedly a favourite expression of his was "If I should lie, may the beam above my head crack". In response to this a junior officer arranged that the beam be sawn through and, by a system of pulleys, that the beam should appear to crack in response to the Reichmarschall's challenge. An article appearing in Flight magazine in 1946 has the same story with "an elderly station commander" featuring in the Göring role. From interviews with Luftwaffe personnel of the period, it appears that Göring visited the station before and during the war. A photograph of the Reichmarschall supposedly at Gütersloh is displayed in the Officers' Mess.[2]

RAF Gütersloh Officers' Mess 1991

The station was captured by the Americans in April 1945 and designated as "Advanced Landing Ground Y-99". The Americans laid down a 4,000-foot SMT hardened runway and the

363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group in late April. Also the P-38 Lightning-equipped 370th Fighter Group operated from Gütersloh until the German capitulation on 8 May 1945. The 370th remained until the airfield was turned over to the RAF as part of the formation of the British occupation zone in Germany
on 27 June 1945.

RAF Control

The RAF established Headquarters No. 2 Group RAF after the Americans moved south. From 1958 RAF Gütersloh fell under the operational command of 2 ATAF, like all other RAFG stations. The RAF initially built a 1,830 metres/meter long runway in 1946, which was later lengthened to 2,252 metres/meters

During its history as an RAF station, it was home to two

No. 33 Wing RAF Regiment.[3]

RAF Gütersloh closed and was transferred to the British Army on 30 June 1993.[4]

RAF units and aircraft

English Electric Lightning in the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune, Scotland. It is displayed in the colours of No 92 Squadron, located at RAF Gütersloh with whom it served until 1977.
Unit Dates Aircraft Variant Notes
No. 2 Squadron RAF 1952–1953
1961–1970 		Gloster Meteor
Hawker Hunter 		PR.10
FR.10
No. 3 Squadron RAF 1948–1952
1977–1992 		de Havilland Vampire
Hawker Siddeley Harrier 		FB.1, FB.4
GR.3, GR.5, GR.7
No. 4 Squadron RAF 1961–1970
1977–1992 		Hawker Hunter
Hawker Siddeley Harrier 		FR10
GR.3, GR.5, GR.7
No. 14 Squadron RAF 1958–1962 Hawker Hunter F.4
No. 16 Squadron RAF 1947
1948
1948 		Hawker Tempest F.2
No. 18 Squadron RAF 1965–1968
1970–1980
1983–1993 		Westland Wessex
Westland Wessex
Boeing Chinook 		HC.2
HC.2
HC.1 		1992/1993 also with Puma HC.1
No. 19 Squadron RAF 1965–1976 English Electric Lightning F.2, F.2A
No. 20 Squadron RAF 1958–1960 Hawker Hunter F.6
No. 21 Squadron RAF 1945
1946 		de Havilland Mosquito VI Based three times in 1946
No. 26 Squadron RAF 1947
1948
1958–1960 		Hawker Tempest
Hawker Tempest
Hawker Hunter 		F.2
F.2
F.6 		Based three times in 1948
No. 33 Squadron RAF 1947
1948
1948 		Hawker Tempest F2
No. 59 Squadron RAF 1956–1957 English Electric Canberra B.2, B(I).8
No. 67 Squadron RAF 1950–1952 de Havilland Vampire FB.5
No. 69 Squadron RAF 1954 English Electric Canberra PR.3
No. 71 Squadron RAF 1950–1952 de Havilland Vampire FB.5
No. 79 Squadron RAF 1951–1954
1956–1960 		Gloster Meteor
Supermarine Swift 		FR.9
FR.5
No. 80 Squadron RAF 1948 Supermarine Spitfire F.24 Based twice
No. 92 Squadron RAF 1968–1977 English Electric Lightning F.2, F.2A
No. 102 Squadron RAF 1954–1956 English Electric Canberra B.2
No. 103 Squadron RAF 1954–1956 English Electric Canberra B.2
No. 104 Squadron RAF 1955–1956 English Electric Canberra B.2
No. 107 Squadron RAF 1945
1946
1946
1947 		de Havilland Mosquito VI Based three times in 1947
No. 149 Squadron RAF 1954–1956 English Electric Canberra B.2
No. 230 Squadron RAF 1963–1964
1980–1992 		Westland Whirlwind
Westland Puma 		HC.10
HC.1
No. 541 Squadron RAF 1952
1954 		Gloster Meteor
Gloster Meteor 		PR.10
PR.10

Gütersloh under the British Army

Following the withdrawal by the

helicopters and Royal Logistic Corps
Regiments.

In September 2016 the final Soldiers left Princess Royal Barracks for the last time.[8][9]

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency

Citations

  1. ^ Jackson 1986, p. 22.
  2. ^ 'Flugplatz Gütersloh 1937–1987 A Short History' by Gerry Lewis
  3. ^ Jackson 1986, p. 23.
  4. ISBN 1-899808-06-X
    .
  5. ^ British Army: Gütersloh Garrison Archived 1 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ 1 Regt Army Air Corps Archived 14 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ 6 Regt Royal Logistic Corps
  8. ^ "Soldiers Bid Farewell To Germany After Half A Century". Forces.net. 10 June 2015.
  9. ^ "Deployments: Germany". British Army. Retrieved 11 May 2018.

Bibliography

  • Jackson, P. (1986). Britain's Armed Forces Today: 4 RAF Germany. Shepperton, UK: Ian Allan.
    ISBN 0-7110-1579-1
    .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flughafen Gütersloh.
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