Royal Air Force Germany

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Royal Air Force Germany
Royal Air Force Germany badge
Active	1 January 1959; 65 years ago (1959-01-01)–1 April 1993; 31 years ago (1993-04-01)
Country	Germany
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Royal Air Force command
Part of	British Armed Forces, UK Ministry of Defence
Headquarters	RAF Rheindahlen[1]
Nickname(s)	RAFG
Motto(s)	Keepers of the Peace[2]
March	Royal Air Force March Past

Royal Air Force Germany, commonly known as RAF Germany, and abbreviated RAFG, is a former

airbases with flying units in 1989 (all located in North Rhine-Westphalia)
Tornado GR1 Harrier GR5 Phantom FGR2

The command's number of airfields was reduced by one in 1961, when Jever was returned to the West German federal authorities, followed by Geilenkirchen in 1968, and consolidating operations to four RAF stations. In between times, RAFG received a dedicated interceptor force with the arrival of 19 and 92 Squadrons from the United Kingdom with their English Electric Lightning's.

From 1969, RAFG began receiving new equipment befitting its place on the frontline of the

Further change came with the arrival of the SEPECAT Jaguar in 1975, with the three Bruggen squadrons all converting to the single-seat, twin-engined, strike and ground attack aircraft, and was later joined there by 20 Squadron which moved over from the Harrier. II Squadron would also receive the Jaguar, albeit remaining at Laarbruch in its reconnaissance role.

In 1977, Wildenrath and Gutersloh swapped roles as 19 and 92 Squadrons converted to the Phantom, now redeployed in the

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Warsaw Pact stimulated major changes in British defence policy, and RAF Germany was no exception. The Options for Change paper announced a downsizing of the command; Wildenrath was to close and its Phantom squadrons disbanded, Gutersloh was to be transferred to the British Army and its squadrons relocated to Laarbruch, which in turn would have its three strike-attack Tornado squadrons disbanded.

These proposals were quickly overtaken by events in the Gulf, following the

• Royal Air Force Germany, headquartered at RAF Rheindahlen, doubles as commander of NATO's Second Allied Tactical Air Force
  • 4 Wing, administrative control of RAF Regiment Rapier squadrons based in West Germany (or Federal Republic of Germany - FRG)
  • 33 Wing, administrative control of RAF Regiment Light Armour squadrons based in West Germany
  • RAF Bruggen, FRG
    • No. 9 Squadron, tactical nuclear strike role, 12× Tornado GR1^{note 1}
    • No. 14 Squadron, tactical nuclear strike role, 12× Tornado GR1^{note 1}
    • No. 17 Squadron, tactical nuclear strike role, 12× Tornado GR1^{note 1}
    • No. 31 Squadron, tactical nuclear strike role, 12× Tornado GR1^{note 1}
    • air defence, 8× Rapier
      launch stations
    • No. 51 Squadron RAF Regiment, light armour, 15× Spartan, 6× Scorpion
  • RAF Gütersloh, FRG
    • No. 3 Squadron, 16× Harrier GR5
    • No. 4 Squadron, 16× Harrier GR5
    • No. 18 Squadron, 16× CH-47 Chinook supporting British Army of the Rhine
    • No. 230 Squadron, 16× Puma HC1 supporting British Army of the Rhine
    • No. 63 Squadron RAF Regiment
      , air defence, 8× Rapier launch stations
  • RAF Laarbruch, FRG
    • No. 2 Squadron, aerial reconnaissance role 12× Tornado GR1A
    • No. 15 Squadron, tactical nuclear strike role, 12× Tornado GR1^{note 1}
    • No. 16 Squadron, tactical nuclear strike role, 12× Tornado GR1^{note 1}
    • No. 20 Squadron, tactical nuclear strike role, 12× Tornado GR1^{note 1}
    • No. 1 Squadron RAF Regiment, light armour, 15× Spartan, 6× Scorpion
    • No. 26 Squadron RAF Regiment, air defence, 8× Rapier launch stations
  • RAF Wildenrath, FRG
    • No. 19 Squadron, 16x Phantom FGR2
    • No. 92 Squadron, 16x Phantom FGR2
    • No. 60 Squadron, Andover CC2 transport planes
    • No. 16 Squadron RAF Regiment, air defence, 8× Rapier launch stations

Note 1: Unit with nuclear strike role with 18x WE.177 tactical nuclear weapons.

RAFG stations and establishments

See also

• List of Royal Air Force commands
• Royal Air Force station
  • List of Royal Air Force stations
  • List of former Royal Air Force stations
• RAF Regiment
  • List of RAF Regiment units
• Military of Germany (disambiguation)
  • Wehrmacht
  • National People's Army
  • German Air Force

References

Further reading

• Brookes, A.J. (1994). "The Royal Air Force in Germany changing for the better?". The Royal United Services Institute Journal. 139 (2): 22–85.
• Durie, William (2012). The British Garrison Berlin 1945 - 1994: nowhere to go ... a pictorial historiography of the British Military occupation / presence in Berlin.
  OCLC 978161722
  .

• Current RAF stations — at RAF.MoD.uk