F 16's based at Gutersloh.

[Av18tor]

Silly question time so sorry for asking as I am sure I know the answer to the queston anyway..

But...


Were there ever any F16's based at Gutersloh in 1975 to 1980 ish? They were supposedly USAF aircraft??

Were there ever German aircraft stationed there, flying what ever type, during this time either?

I did an attachment there in 1979 and can only recall there being Harriers and I think Wessex on the station.

What else would have been stationed there during this time period?

Is it possible they might have been from an agressor sqn?

Will help to clarify a few beer fuelled statements made last night.

[BEagle]

Probably the odd detachment or AMPLE GAIN turnround - but nothing 'stationed' there.

Mirage and F-15 detachments were there at the same time that we had a F4 det there in the early '80s. But don't forget that it was quite common in RAFG days to have other NATO a/c calling in on virtually a daily basis. Draken, 104, F-100 dropped into Wildenrath during the first week I was there on a holding posting in the mid '70s to name just a few - even in the '90s when we used to fly VC10K IRTs to Bruggen and Laarbruch you'd often see visitors from elsewhere flying in or out whilst the jet was on the turnround and we were off to the Duty Free shop!

All gone now though :(

[Tiger_mate]

During the time period that you quote, Gutersloh had its runway resurfaced and was closed for some time opening again in the Autumn of 1979. Virtually all NATO aircraft could be seen on turn-around exercises as has already been alluded to.

There was a major exercise held there every year whose name was always "Bold ........" the second name changed year by year. This would involve NATO transport and fighter aircraft being detached in for at least a week. In the timeframe you quote, RAF & USAF F4 and French Mirage III would have been resident for a short time. Into the eighties and F15 took the USAF F4 place.

Danish / Norwegian / Dutch and Belguim F16s would have passed through often during the 80s but in the 70s these air forces still used F104.

In fact the americans sent a det of F16 to Alconbury (UK) in May 1979 to trial the F16 in European climate conditions.

So I guess the answer is NO

PS Resident Sqns were 3 & 4 (Harrier) - 18 (Wessex)

[ShyTorque]

The F-16 didn't come into service until 1979 and the "European" ones didn't come until slightly later, which probably puts them out of that time frame.

Tiger_mate,
Were you based out there in the early 80's?

[ShyTorque]

TM,

Were you in sqn ops with the pipe or the windsurfer? I bumped into one of the many OC B flts last week; he was still looking for his fishing rod...... Kita Chari Jauh. :ok: