RAF Wildenrath | BAOR Locations

RAF Wildenrath was an RAF Airbase which opened on the 15th of January 1952.

Wildenrath was the first of four ‘Clutch’ stations built for the Royal Air Force in Germany during the early 1950s. The other stations were at Geilenkirchen, opened on 24 May 1953, Brüggen, formed in 1 May 1953 and completed in July of that year and 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. To read further please click here.

In the 1980s until its closure in 1992, RAF Wildenrath was home to 21 Signal Regiment, 16 Sqn RAF Regt (Rapier), 19 Fighter Sqn (Phantoms), 92 Fighter Sqn (Phantoms) 12 FLT AAC (Gazelles) plus all the usual supply/admin etc. It also contained 60 Sqn which was mainly a communications and VIP transport squadron using Hunting Percival Pembroke aircraft, with the replacement Andovers arriving in 1987. We also performed visiting aircraft services and NATO cross servicing on various aircraft. Rumours about flying up the corridor spying on the Russkies I can neither confirm or deny 🙂

Closed 2 November 1992.

A plan of RAF Wildenrath without the airfield and MQA, which was published in Zulu, the station magazine.

Courtesy of David Brasier a former inmate at Kent School.

This was the HQ element for 21 Signal Regiment at RAF WIldenrath. They had detachments at other RAF bases.

Courtesy of Mr Simon Moore

This was the RAF Wildenrath flight of 25 Sqn RAF, which had its HQ at Bruggen. They used Bloodhound SAMs until withdrawn in the mid 80s to the United Kingdom.

Courtesy of Mr Simon Moore

A view from the street going through the officers MQ’s at Wildenrath.

Courtesy of Mr Simon Moore

oth (images) are from 16 Sqn RAF Regt with FSB1 Rapier. The first is I think an ‘A’ flight fire unit on exercise in Germany. A nice cold and frosty day what a surprise. 1986 I think.
Unusually, no one is wearing any NBC clothing as this was pretty normal for us – plus it kept you bit warmer.
The background is showing the fire unit, then the optical tracker where the operator sat and then the DN181 Blindfire radar tracker in the foreground. This gave the capability of all weather day/night operations – when it all worked!!
The second is actually showing a missile firing but this was in the Falklands ca 1984? It was actually firing at a target as of course hostilities where long over by then.
Each of the four Germany Rapier Sqns would do a 4 month tour of the Falklands before going back to Germany for a year and then returning. What fun I don’t think.

Courtesy of RRLogan