RAF Geilenkirchen
{{Short description|Former Royal Air Force station in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}
{{no footnotes|date=February 2013}}
{{Infobox military installation
| name = RAF Geilenkirchen
| ensign = Ensign of the Royal Air Force.svg
| ensign_size = 90px
| native_name =
| partof =
| location = Geilenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia
| nearest_town =
| country = Germany
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| image2 =
| alt2 =
| caption2 =
| type = Royal Air Force station
| coordinates = {{coord|50|57|36.7|N|6|2|32.6|E|display=title,inline|region:DE_type:airport}}
| gridref =
| pushpin_map = Germany
| pushpin_mapsize =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Shown within Germany
| pushpin_relief =
| pushpin_image =
| pushpin_label = RAF Geilenkirchen
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_mark =
| pushpin_marksize =
| ownership = Ministry of Defence
| operator = Royal Air Force
| controlledby = RAF Second Tactical Air Force
Royal Air Force Germany
| open_to_public =
| site_other_label =
| site_other =
| site_area =
| code =
| built = {{Start date|1952}}/3
| used = May 1953 – 28 January {{End date|1968}}
| builder =
| materials =
| height =
| length =
| fate =
| condition =
| battles =
| events =
| current_commander =
| past_commanders =
| garrison =
| occupants =
| designations =
| website =
| footnotes =
| IATA = GKE
| ICAO = ETNG
| FAA =
| TC =
| LID =
| GPS =
| WMO =
| elevation = {{Convert|90|m|0}}
| r1-number = 09/27
| r1-length = {{Convert|10010|m|0}}
| r1-surface = Concrete
| h1-number =
| h1-length =
| h1-surface =
| airfield_other_label = Motto
| airfield_other = Celer Respondere
}}
Royal Air Force Geilenkirchen more commonly known as RAF Geilenkirchen is a former Royal Air Force station in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany, built by the British who used the facility mainly as an airfield for RAF fighter squadrons from May 1953 until 21 January 1968.
History
=Geilenkirchen squadrons=
- No 2 Squadron RAF – 1955–1957; operated the Gloster Meteor FR.9 and later the Supermarine Swift FR.5.{{sfn|Jefford|1988|p=00}}
- No. 3 Squadron RAF – 1953–1957 and 1959–1961, 1961–68; operated the Hawker Hunter F.4, the Gloster Javelin FAW.4 and the English Electric Canberra B(I).8 (1961–68).
- No. 5 Squadron RAF – 1962–1965; operated the Gloster Javelin FAW.9.
- No. 11 Squadron RAF – 1959–1965; operated the Gloster Meteor NF.11 and later the Gloster Javelin FAW.4, FAW.5, FAW.9.
- No. 59 Squadron RAF – 1957–1961; operated the Canberra B.2 and B(I).8 (1957–61).
- No. 92 Squadron RAF – 1965–1968; operated the English Electric Lightning F.2, F.2A.
- No. 96 Squadron RAF – 1958–1959; operated the Gloster Javelin FAW.4.
- No. 234 Squadron RAF – 1954–1957; operated the Canadair Sabre F.4 and later the Hawker Hunter F.4.
- No. 256 Squadron RAF – 1958-1958; operated the Gloster Meteor NF.11.
=Post RAF history=
The RAF handed over the station to the West German Luftwaffe in March 1968. The Germans used the airfield as home for a surface-to-surface missile wing equipped with Pershing missiles with support from the United States Army.
Current use
In 1980, the station became NATO Air Base Geilenkirchen, the main operating base for NATO's Airborne Early Warning and Control force, operating 14 Boeing E-3A Sentry aircraft.
See also
References
=Citations=
{{Reflist}}
=Bibliography=
- {{cite book |last1=Jefford |first1= C.G. |title= RAF Squadrons. A comprehensive record of the movement and equipment of all RAF squadrons and their antecedents since 1912 |year=1988 |publisher= Airlife |location= Shrewsbury |isbn= 1-85310-053-6 }}
External links
- [http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/oldstuff/2002/sentinel/sentinel.htm Silent Sentinel – brief history of 92 Sqn Lightning F2s] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102182116/http://www.airsceneuk.org.uk/oldstuff/2002/sentinel/sentinel.htm |date=2 November 2011 }}
- [http://www.heritageaviation.com/index.php/miss-demeanour/ "Miss Demeanour", a (now famous) former RAF Geilenkirchen Hunter F.4]
- [http://www.e3a.nato.int/ NATO AWACS Homepage]
{{Royal Air Force}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geilenkirchen}}
Category:Military units and formations established in 1953
Category:Royal Air Force stations in Germany
Category:Military units and formations disestablished in 1968