(Image: Ruud Jakobs via Panoramio; abandoned areas of the former RAF Laarbruch)
The end of the Second World War brought major changes to Germany. Her borders had been carved up between occupying powers, and her capital was left floating amidst a sea of Communism. As tensions began to mount between the Soviet states and the West, Germany’s democratic half suddenly found itself a key strategic player in the new Cold War.
British bases used for peacekeeping following the war suddenly found themselves preparing to engage a new enemy. Up and down the length of the country, the RAF established airfields for precision nuclear strikes and to act as a deterrent. Today, some of those air bases lie abandoned, while others have transitioned to army or civil aviation use. This article examines five former British airfields once under the command of RAF Germany (RAFG).
RAF Wildenrath
(Image: Mick Gladwin; RAF Wildenrath photographed in 1984)
(Images: Google Earth; abandoned RAF Wildenrath today)
(Image: Rob Schleiffert; an F-4 Phantom FGR2 at Wildenrath in 1991)
(Image: Jo; abandoned Hangar 7. Part of the site is now occupied by Siemens)
RAF Wildenrath was one of four bases at the very forefront of NATO’s European expansion project. Designed in the post-war years, construction began in earnest in 1950, following the creation of the German Democratic Republic as a socialist state.
At its height, Wildenrath housed hundreds of personnel prepared to defend the West against Soviet occupation. As a bulwark against the spread of Communism, the base was considered a likely target, and daily life was frequently held up by bomb-detecting operations. In the event, there were no attacks there during the whole of the Cold War; either from Soviet agents or disgruntled ex-Nazis.
Following its closure in 1991, Wildenrath was slowly given back to nature. Soil was piled high over its abandoned runways, buildings lost behind a wall of green, and hangers torn down. Today, there appears to be very little physical evidence left of Wildenrath’s once-pivotal role – the occasional pile of muck and debris notwithstanding.
RAF Laarbruch
(Image: Ruud Jakobs via Panoramio – top, bottom; ramps are private property, no public access)
(Image: Paul Schaller; two F-4J (UK) and Harrier decoys at Laarbruch, 1994)
(Image: FWnetz; RAF Laarbruch’s abandoned base swimming pool)
In spring 1945, the Second World War was entering its bloody endgame. Allied forces had crossed the border from the Netherlands, the British bombing campaign was leveling entire cities, and the Nazis had been pushed back to their German heartland. It was in these dark times that RAF Laarbruch first saw the light of day.
A tiny airstrip designed to allow two planes to take off at any one time, Laarbruch was active for only two months of the year. Beginning operations on March 4, it saw its role end by the last days of April, as the imminent capitulation of the Nazi state became clear. And there its story should have ended, were it not for the Cold War.
Suddenly in need of as many airbases as possible in NATO Europe, RAF Germany (RAFG) rebuilt Laarbruch in 1954 as a counter to a possible Soviet invasion. It remained active right up until 1999, when the RAF finally abandoned it. Today, the former base is mostly in the hands of Weeze Airport. But look closely as you come in to land, and you may yet noticed the remnants of this once-vital holdout against German and Soviet aggression.
RAF Bruggen
(Images: Badmuts88; Badmuts 88; Netheravon1; Google Earth)
The history of RAF Bruggen is one of intervention, doomsday weapons, and narrowly-avoided apocalypses. Built across a vast expanse of formed marshland in 1952, its purpose was an open secret. If the Cold War ever heated up, four planes were to take off, fly into Soviet territory, and each deposit a single nuclear weapon onto the people below.
The four bombs were kept on site continuously until the early 1990s. Although there was never any need for them to be deployed, there was still at least one hair-raising incident. As one of the nukes was being transported across the base in 1984, it broke free from its truck and clanged heavily to the ground. While it didn’t explode (you’d probably know if it had), the incident caused a minor panic. At eight times the power of the Hiroshima device, the bomb would have at least killed a few thousand people. Had NATO command mistaken it for a Soviet attack and launched a counterstrike, it could have inadvertently killed hundreds of millions.
The base’s story didn’t end with the conclusion of the Cold War. As late as 1999, NATO jets were using Bruggen to provide air-support in Kosovo. It finally closed down in 2001, becoming a British Army barracks, putting an end to half a century of action and near-misses.
RAF Gütersloh
(Images: Google Earth; Daniel Brockpahler)
(Image: Alan Wilson; former RAF Gütersloh Harrier ZD667)
Unlike most on our list, RAF Gütersloh was in operation before the Cold War, or even the Second World War. Built by the Germans in 1935, it was originally used by the Luftwaffe to intercept and destroy Allied aircraft.
The Defence of the Reich initiative saw a massive build-up of planes on the base to fuel high-casualty air combat. As the cities of Dresden and Hamburg burned, the Luftwaffe strafed Allied aircraft and tried their damnedest to fight fire with fire. Hermann Goering even personally visited the airfield to encourage the troops, but all to no avail. The base fell to the US Army in April 1945, and was quickly turned over the British.
RAF Gütersloh wound up staying part of the RAF Germany command until 1993, at the conclusion of the Cold War. Today, little remains to indicate its fraught history, or the lives of all of those who passed through there. The abandoned RAFG base remains in use with the British Army.
Lübeck Airport (Former RAF Lübeck)
(Image: Google Earth; the former RAF Lübeck, now Lübeck Airport, today)
(Image: IWM; Avro Lancaster at Lübeck aerodrome on May 11, 1945)
(Image: Alan Lebeda; Hungarian budget carrier Wizz Air serves Lübeck today)
In terms of history, no old RAF Germany airbase can compare to what is now Lübeck Airport. Before Gütersloh was even a glint in Goering’s eye, Lübeck was flying missions over the trenches of the Western Front during World War One, showcasing the might of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Although the airport wrapped up with the end of the war, it didn’t completely fade from memory. When the Luftwaffe were looking to establish new bases in the 1930s, it was chosen as an ideal location. Although actual mission details are hard to come by, its proximity to the ocean suggests bombing runs into the UK may have launched from there, contributing to the Blitz. More certain is the airport’s fate after the fall of the Nazi regime. As Germany was carved up into opposing states, the need for round-the-clock access to West Berlin became paramount to the integrity of Europe. Thanks to its relatively close location, Lübeck became one of the main suppliers to the beleaguered city.
Although Lübeck was emptied of all military personnel and equipment at the close of the Cold War, it was never fully abandoned. Today, it serves as a small commercial airport connecting the region to the rest of the world.
Related – 5 Abandoned Cold War Airfields of Britain
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