RAF Ahlhorn was situated in the southern suburbs of the town of Ahlhorn. It is approximately 36km south of Oldenburg, 50 km south-west of Bremen, and 80km north of Osnabruck.
Originally a German airbase for Zeppelins, it was occupied by the RAF towards the end of the war. At the end of hostilities in 1945 it was used for a short time before being extensively rebuilt in the early 1950s. It was handed back to the Luftwaffe in late 1958 with Jagdgeschwader 71 and Jagdgeschwader 73 taking up residence in 1959.
Home to:
British
418 Air Stores Park – 5th to 7th May 1945
No 427 Refuelling and Re-arming Party – Apr to May 1945 (1)
HQ, 146 Wing – 30th Apr to 6th Jun 1945
193 (Fellowship of the Bellows) Sqn – 30th Apr to 8th Jun 1945 (Hawker Typhoon 1B) (2)
6193 Servicing Echelon – 30th Apr to 8th Jun 1945
197 Sqn – 30th Apr to 8th Jun 1945 (Hawker Typhoon 1B)
No 6197 Servicing Echelon – 30th Apr to 3rd May 1945 and 5th May to 8th Jun 1945
263 (Fellowship of the Bellows) Sqn – 30th Apr to 8th Jun 1945 (Hawker Typhoon 1B) (2)
No 6263 Servicing Echelon – 30th Apr to ?? Jun 1945
266 (Rhodesia) Sqn – 4th to 8th Jun 1945 (Hawker Typhoon 1B)
No 6266 Servicing Echelon – 4th to 8th Jun 1945
No 8 Section, No 422 Aviation Fuel and Ammunition Park – 29th Jun 1945 to 1st Jun 1948
302 Sqn – 27th to 31st Aug 1945 and 16th Sep to 7th Oct 1946 (Spitfire XIV) (3) *
317 Sqn – 15th Sep 1945 to ?? Jul 1946 and 16th Aug to 7th Oct 1946 (Spitfire XVI) (4)
No 6302 (Polish) Servicing Echelon – 16th Sep 1945 to 16th Oct 1946
308 Sqn – 16th Sep 1945 to 22 Jan 1946 and 9th Feb to 7th Oct 1946 (Spitfire XIV) (5) *
No 6308 (Polish) Servicing Echelon – 16th Sep 1945 to 7th Oct 1946
16 Sqn – 8th to 20th May 1947 (Hawker Tempest F2)
33 Sqn – 8th to 20th May 1947 (Hawker Tempest F2)
96 Sqn – 17th Nov 1952 to 12th Feb 1958 (Gloster Meteor NF11)
256 Sqn – 17th Nov 1952 to 12th Feb 1958 (Gloster Meteor NF11)
2nd Tactical Air Force Tactical Development Unit – 18th Feb to 19th Oct 1953
HQ 125 Wing – 1st Apr 1953 to 1st Sep 1958 (6)
149 (East India) Sqn – 24th Aug to 17th Sep 1954 (English Electric Canberra B2)
213 Sqn – 1st Sep 1955 to 22nd Aug 1957 (English Electric Canberra B2)
20 Sqn – 23rd Sep 1957 to 30th Aug 1958 (Hawker Hunter F6)
14 Sqn – 26th Sep 1957 to 15th Sep 1958 (Hawker Hunter F6)
No 6014 Servicing Echelon – 26th Sep 1957 to 15th Sep 1958
26 Sqn – 7th Jun to 8th Sep 1958 (Hawker Hunter) (7)
German
Jagdgeschwader 73 (JG73) April 1959 to ?? (North American F-86 Sabre or Canadair Sabre Mk.6) (8)
Jagdgeschwader 71 (JG71) June 1959 to 1961 (Canadair Sabre Mk.6) (9)
Information on dates that Squadrons were at RAF Ahlhorn with the kind permission of Mr Malcolm Barass.
* One source gives 302 and 308 Squadron aircraft as being Spitfire Mk XIV, another source as Mk XVI. Information on the correct “Mark” gratefully accepted.(1) A detachment of this Unit was known to be stationed here during this period, exact dates are not known.
(2) Aircraft in 193 and 263 Squadrons were paid for (part or fully) from funds raised by the “Fellowship of the Bellows). See here and here for more information.
(3) 302 Squadron was also known as 302 (Polish) Fighter Squadron, and 302 “City of Poznan” Polish Fighter Squadron.
(4) 317 Squadron was also known as 317 (Polish) Fighter Squadron, and 317 “City of Wilno” Polish Fighter Squadron.
(5) 308 Squadron was also known as 308 (Polish) Fighter Squadron, and 308 “City of Krakow” Polish Fighter Squadron.
(6) 125 Wing was disbanded (again) in 1958, the original was disbanded in July 1945. Reformed again in 2006 as Expeditionary Air Wing based at RAF Leuchars
(7) The preceding 26 Squadron was disbanded in Oldenburg 10th September 1957, reforming at Ahlhorn 7th June 1958. Moved to Gutersloh in Sepember 1958, where it was again disbanded 30th December 1960.
(8) Formed at Ahlhorn and Oldenburg. Type of aircraft is uncertain at this time, but it could have been the Canadair variant as 225 were supplied to the German Air Force as well as 75 Mk.5 variants.
(9) Moved to Wittmund
Map of Ahlhorn Airfield whilst still known as B111
Courtesy of Wojtek Zmyslony
More photographs from Wojtek’s site will be added in due course. The site can be seen here in Polish and here in English. Click on Wielka Brytania 1940 – 46 on the left hand side of both versions.