Royal Air Force Germany
| Royal Air Force Germany | |
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| 125px
Royal Air Force Germany badge
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| Active | 1 January 1959 - 1993 |
| Country | Germany |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch |  Royal Air Force |
| Part of | British Armed Forces, UK Ministry of Defence |
| Nickname(s) | RAFG |
| Motto | Keepers of the Peace |
| Royal Air Force Ensign | |
| March | Royal Air Force March Past |
The former Royal Air Force Germany (RAFG) was a command of the Royal Air Force and part of British Forces Germany. It consisted of units located in Germany, initially as part of the occupation following the Second World War, and later as part of the RAF's commitment to the defence of Europe during the Cold War.
From 1954 Canberra bombers equipped 69 (briefly), 102, 103, 104, 149 Squadrons, and later 59 Squadron at RAF Gütersloh. This force was under Bomber Command control from Britain and had been moved because of overcrowding of suitable airfields in the UK to Germany. With the establishment of the British nuclear bomber forces in the context of NATO's strategy of massive retaliation the Canberra bomber squadrons were again withdrawn from Germany.
After 1955, the majority of the air bases were handed over to the newly established German Air Force and RAF Bückeburg to the army of the German Armed Forces. The number of RAF squadrons were reduced. This was both because of the nuclear strategy of NATO and for financial reasons after the fiasco of the Suez crisis . From 1 January 1959, the command was officially called Royal Air Force Germany, the RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) renamed. At this time the focus was the flying units already on just six main use bases RAF Bruggen, RAF Geilenkirchen, RAF Gutersloh, RAF Jever (No. 2 Squadron, Swifts), RAF Laarbruch and RAF Wildenrath. Important aircraft types at this time were the Canberra as night fighting-suited fighter bombers to three and the Hunter as a day fighter stationed at two airports. From 1960, around the clock there were two on alert Canberra loaded with tactical nuclear weapons who were ready within 15 minutes. In addition there were two seasons that the Swift used them as scouts and four squadrons of Gloster Javelin all-weather interceptors. Two English Electric Lightning squadrons - No. 92 Squadron RAF and No. 19 Squadron RAF - arrived in Germany from 1965.
Jever was transferred in 1961 and Geilenkirchen in 1968, reducing the command to four flying bases. When Geilenkirchen closed, it appears there were two flying squadrons at the base. No. 3 Squadron RAF moved to Laarbruch and No. 92 Squadron RAF moved to Gutersloh.
RAF Germany was disbanded as a separate command in 1993 as part of the reduction of British Armed Forces presence in Europe at the cessation of the Cold War. The remaining RAF forces in Germany ceased to be a separate command, and instead became No 2 Group RAF, part of RAF Strike Command. No. 2 Group was then disbanded on 1 April 1996 by being absorbed into No. 1 Group RAF.
Contents
RAFG Stations & Establishments
| Name | Years active | Current use/Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RAF Ahlhorn | 1945-1958 | now German Airfield Ahlhorner heath |
| RAF Bad Kolgrub | ||
| RAF Barrel Mountain | Army Air Base Barrel Mountain | |
| RAF Blankensee | ||
| RAF Bruggen | 1958-2002 | (UK) Elmpt Station, Javelin Barracks |
| RAF Bückeburg | 1946-1960 | Bückeburg Air Base |
| RAF Butzweilerhof | August 1951 - 31 January 1967 | Residential/Retail Area |
| RAF Celle | 11 April 1945 – 29 November 1957 | Celle Air Base |
| RAF Fassberg | April 1945 - 1 January 1957 | Faßberg Air Base |
| RAF Fuhlsbüttel | ||
| RAF Gatow | 19 August 1945 – 7 September 1994 | General-Steinhoff Kaserne and Bundeswehr Museum of Military History - Berlin-Gatow Airfield |
| RAF Geilenkirchen | May 1953 - March 1968 | NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen |
| RAF Gütersloh | 27 June 1945 – 1993 | Princess Royal Barracks, Gütersloh |
| RAF Hambühren | ||
| RAF Hehn | 11 Signals Unit main communications centre for RAFG and BAOR land line communications | |
| RAF Hustedt | ||
| RAF Husum | a remote radar station on the coast near Husum, Schleswig-Holstein | |
| RAF Jever | April 1945 - 1961 | Jever Air Base |
| RAF Laarbruch | March 1945 - 1999 | Weeze Airport |
| RAF Lübeck | 1945 - 1997 | Lübeck Airport |
| RAF Lüneburg | ||
| RAF Nordhorn | 1945 - March 2001 | air weapons range |
| RAF Nörvenich | -mid-1950s | Nörvenich Air Base |
| RAF Oldenburg | -October 1957 | German Air Force |
| RAF Plantlünne | ||
| RAF Rheindahlen | October 1945 - December 2013 | |
| RAF Schleswigland | 1945 - October 1959 | Schleswig Air Base |
| RAF Sundern | ||
| RAF Sylt | 1945 - 16 October 1961 | Sylt Airport |
| RAF Uetersen | - November 1955 | From November 1948 to March 1950 HQ No. 85 Group RAF, RAF presence until end of November 1955. |
| RAF Wahn | ||
| RAF Hospital Wegberg | 1953 - 1 April 1996 | HQ British Forces Germany Health Service (BFGHS) |
| RAF Wildenrath | 15 January 1952 – 1 April 1992 | |
| RAF Winterberg | ||
| RAF Wunstorf | 7 April 1945 - 1957 | Wunstorf Air Base |
Commanders
- 1 January 1959 - Air Marshal Sir Humphrey Edwardes-Jones
- 7 January 1961 - Air Marshal Sir John Grandy
- 25 June 1963 - Air Marshal Sir Ronald Lees
- 6 December 1965 - Air Marshal Sir Denis Spotswood
- 16 July 1968 - Air Marshal Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris
- 10 November 1970 - Air Marshal Sir Harold Martin
- 4 April 1973 - Air Marshal Sir Nigel Maynard
- 19 January 1976 - Air Marshal Sir Michael Beetham
- 25 July 1977 - Air Marshal Sir John Stacey
- 30 April 1979 - Air Marshal Sir Peter Terry
- 2 February 1981 - Air Marshal Sir Thomas Kennedy
- 9 April 1983 - Air Marshal Sir Patrick Hine
- 1 July 1985 - Air Marshal Sir David Parry-Evans
- 13 April 1987 - Air Marshal Sir Anthony Skingsley
- 14 April 1989 - Air Marshal Sir Roger Palin
- 22 April 1991 - Air Marshal Sir Andrew Wilson
See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Royal Air Force. |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aircraft of the air force of the United Kingdom. |
References
External links
- Official web page listing current RAF stations
- gallery of images of Germany, from
- ServicePals.com
- RAF Winterberg website
Further reading
- British Garrison Berlin 1945 -1994, "No where to go", W. Durie ISBN 978-3-86408-068-5
| Preceded by | RAF Germany 1959–1993 |
Succeeded by No. 2 Group RAF |
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- Use dmy dates from July 2015
- Use British English from July 2015
- Pages with broken file links
- Commons category link is locally defined
- Military units and formations established in 1959
- Royal Air Force commands
- Royal Air Force overseas commands
- British forces in Germany
- Royal Air Force stations in Germany
- Military units and formations disestablished in 1993
