RAF Wildenrath
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| Royal Air Force Station Wildenrath | |
|---|---|
| Active | 15 January 1952 – ?? 1992 |
| Country | Germany |
| Allegiance | UK: British Armed Forces |
| Branch | Royal Air Force |
| Type | Flying station |
| Role | Fighter attack and air defence |
| Part of | RAF Second Tactical Air Force, then Royal Air Force Germany |
| Based near | Wildenrath, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
| Nickname | "Wildenrath", "Wilders" |
| Motto | Immer Bereit |
| Royal Air Force Ensign |  |
| March | Royal Air Force March Past |
| Equipment | English Electric Canberra, Phantom FGR.2, Harrier |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders |
Gp Capt JE "Johnnie" Johnson |
| RAF Wildenrath | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: WID – ICAO: EDUW.OLD | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Military (Airport no longer in operation) | ||
| Owner | formerly: Ministry of Defence | ||
| Operator | formerly: Royal Air Force | ||
| Location | Wildenrath, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| was Asphalt, now removed | |||
The former Royal Air Force Station Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force military Airbase which opened on 15 January 1952. Wildenrath was the first of four 'Clutch' stations built for the RAF in Germany during the early 1950s. The other stations were at RAF Geilenkirchen, opened on 24 May 1953, RAF Brüggen, formed in 1 May 1953 and completed in July of that year, and RAF Laarbruch, opened on 15 October 1954. RAF Wildenrath, with RAF Bruggen and RAF Laarbruch were clustered fairly closely together and came under the auspices of NATO's 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force (2ATAF).
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[edit] RAF service
RAF Wildenrath housed numbers 19 Sqn, which re-formed at Wildenrath in October 1976, and 92 Sqn which formed there in April 1977. Both units flew F-4 Phantom II's, providing air defence for RAF Germany (RAFG) and its allies. A communications flight was provided by 60 Sqn, initially with Hunting Percival Pembrokes which were replaced by Hawker Siddeley Andovers in the mid to late 1980s. RAF Germany Communications Squadron also operated dH Devon and dH Heron aircraft.
In the 1960s to 1970, Wildenrath was home to No's 14 and 17 Squadrons; the former flew B(I)8 Canberras and was part of the 2nd ATAF tactical nuclear strike force. The locations of their quick-readiness dispersals can still be seen to the south of the old main gate. No. 17 Squadron flew the PR7 Canberra and the two squadrons' "in house" T4 training aircraft were combined into the so-called "T4 Flight" as a separate sub-unit, forming a useful additional resource for 2ATAF senior officers to use to maintain their flying hours!
At this time, the CO of 2ATAF (former Battle of Britain fighter pilot, Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris) had a Vickers Valetta aircraft as his personal transport, its lower fuselage and wings kept highly polished by the ground-crew of the RAF Germany Communication Flight (who later took the colour of ex-Singapore Gloster Javelin No. 60 Squadron RAF). The aircraft was eventually declared un-airworthy due to many of its rivet-heads having being polished off! It can be seen today in the RAF Museum at Hendon, London. In addition to its other overt and covert functions, 60 Squadron also acted as visiting aircraft flight for Wildenrath, hosting almost every type of RAF and NATO aircraft and civilian "trooper" BAC-111s and Boeing 747s.
The Pembrokes had a second, more covert, role of taking photographs of Russian and East German armed forces while flying along the Berlin air corridors.
In 1953 the station Commanding Officer was Group Captain JE "Johnnie" Johnson - a top scoring British "Ace" Fighter pilot of the Second World War. There were two North American F-86E Sabre squadrons, and a Sabre conversion flight. Also on site were 724 Signals Unit (Fighter control radar) 402 Air Stores Park, a unit of the RAF Regiment and an Army detachment that maintained land lines (AFS).
In the 1970s, Wildenrath became the home to the RAF Harrier Force which included 21(AS) Signal Regt.
[edit] Wildenrath squadrons
- No. 4 Squadron RAF; Harrier Jump Jet
- No. 14 Squadron RAF; English Electric Canberra B(I)8 (62-70), T4
- No. 17 Squadron RAF; English Electric Canberra PR7, T4
- No. 19 Squadron RAF; F-4 Phantom II FGR.2
- No. 20 Squadron RAF; Harrier Jump Jet
- No. 60 Squadron RAF; Percival Pembroke, Hawker Siddeley Andover
- No. 88 Squadron RAF; English Electric Canberra B(I)8
- No. 92 Squadron RAF; F-4 Phantom II FGR.2
- No. 16 Squadron RAF Regiment
- No. 25 Squadron RAF; Bloodhound surface to air missiles
[edit] Wildenrath Today
Wildenrath is now much more reduced in size. It is now an amalgamation with the nearby former RAF Bruggen, now Javelin Barracks/Elmpt Station. The domestic site is now predominantly military. It is a community housing estate for both the Joint Heaquarters for NATO and Javelin Barracks/Elmpt Station. A very small part of the runway still exists, however, much of it is overgrown. Unlike other former RAF airbases in Germany (such as Airport Weeze, previously named Niederrhein), it was not turned into a commercial airport. Of the technical site, virtually all but one of the bigger buildings are now knocked down. The station itself still has a NAAFI but more reduced in size; and now moved to where the YWCA had previously been. The Astra cinema was knocked down in late 2005. The community has a youth club, hair dresses, Pub/Club/Bar venue, Library. Until 2006, a YWCA Shop and Cafe existed; but this has now been removed as the YWCA has left the forces community.
The original airfield site and immediate environs are now used by Siemens AG under their Transportation and Automotive business arm (Siemens TS), as their railway testing centre; known as the Wegberg-Wildenrath Test Center. By 2007, the railway test tracks have taken over considerable areas of the airfield. All but the western threshold and over-run of the runway has been obliterated, and the eastern runway threshold is now a Golf course rather than the site of Bloodhound surface to air missiles. The north-east dispersal is completely taken over by sidings, workshops and shunting loops. Of the southern dispersals, the central and eastern are bisected by the main railway oval test track. Only the south western dispersal and Hardened Aircraft Shelters remain.
[edit] External links
- Aviation Photos: Wildenrath (EWUW/WID) (closed)
- British Forces Germany HIVE - Wildenrath Station
- Siemens Test Center Wegberg-Wildenrath
- MSN Groups picture gallery (inc 92sqn Phantoms)
- gallery of images of RAF Wildenrath from ServicePals.com
[edit] See also
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