Danny, how fickle is the Finger of Fate, and no more fickle than when wagged by RAF Postings. Sylt sounds almost as alluring as Thorney Island, well it's by the sea for a start, so to have it so rudely snatched from you only to be sent to the front line instead (Geilenkirchen would surely have counted as that in the Cold War) must have been somewhat of a rude awakening. However we have learned enough about you in your varied and various peregrinations about the globe to know that you will seek every positive advantage in your new surroundings to learn and to absorb all that they have to offer.
Having owned two Beetles I concur with your appreciation of it. The only problem I had was with the first, which had only a 6 volt battery. The renowned willingness of the flat four air cooled engine to spring to life on the coldest of mornings could thus be somewhat inhibited. No such problems with the 12volt one though, and it could soon be supplying a volcanic effect to the heating system in short order. What a pity that the "People" were denied such pleasures, due to a little unpleasantness getting in the way.