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RAF Wildenrath these days (photos)

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RAF Wildenrath these days (photos)

Old 11th Dec 2013, 08:52
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Pembrokes

Have a look at these sites, google Part 1 & Part 2, very informative re the Pembrokes.
www.16va.be/pembrokes_part1_eng.html‎
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Old 11th Dec 2013, 19:38
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Originally Posted by SAMXXV
When I was there in 1982/83 there were only 2 Sqns of F4's at Wildenrath. (certainly 19 sqn & if I remember correctly, 56)
19 and 92 Sqns flying the mighty Phantom over that time period. I was a brat there '81-'84.
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Old 11th Dec 2013, 21:32
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Nutloose wrote:
……... if you go to Gutersloh a lot there, apparently when building the Chinook hangar on of the German drivers stated that it was on part of the site where they buried a lot of axis aircraft after the war, I believe some was found when digging the foundations, but not the main site?
When a second railhead siding was built in the early 70's (to offload rail tankers) a lot of ex-Luftwaffe aircraft bits were dug up during the excavations. (Looking a Google earth it appears the two sidings are still there). The German civvy who looked after the BFI's had served at Gutersloh during WWII and he confirmed that that area was part of an aircraft burial site - as a former aircraft fitter, he was able to identify bits of Junkers and Focke-Wolfe. As aircraft preservation was not in-vogue at the time, all the bits that were dug up went into the scrapyard for disposal.
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Old 11th Dec 2013, 23:59
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There's plenty of ordnance still lying around in the Hochwald.
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Old 12th Dec 2013, 10:12
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SAMXXV
To my knowledge, 60 Sqn never ever used cameras - & why would they need to with the U2 in use?


PMSL your so right SAMXXV I mean camera in Pembroke's n chipmunks, from them that know lol
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Old 12th Dec 2013, 13:14
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I'm not seeing the pictures so here are a few I took earlier this year when I passed through.

The good old days. Runway 09


The exit neck from Delta Dispersal now



92 Sqn Battle Flight HAS on Bravo
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Old 12th Dec 2013, 20:08
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Now don't laugh here, but when serving at Bruggen we had the identical HAS as the one above, and I always thought that post station closure etc they might make nice houses... Doing an upmarket estate with a squadron site..

You probably think I am barking, but take off those blast doors and totally glaze the front face with a mezzanine floor stepped back slightly from the glazed wall and a then some skylights set in the roof... With proper insulation inside and heating I think it would be energy efficient. Some could be grassed over and others have various external finishes from tile to zinc cladding...

Yes no?
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Old 12th Dec 2013, 22:36
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Plenty of space for a Weber or two out the front as well.............!!
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Old 13th Dec 2013, 02:34
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Nutloose ....When compared with the old open ended contraptions that we used at Bruggen during the 60's they are absolutely luxurious.Ours were just the job for letting all the snow and ice in.
Then again I suppose it did give the crews, both air and ground, something to do on cold winter nights de-icing and snow sweeping etc.
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Old 13th Dec 2013, 10:23
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Nutloose. You should, we hope, have a bit of a problem putting in the skylights. However, we have the technology!
Operation Desert Storm | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Looks like this thread is going sideways now!
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Old 13th Dec 2013, 11:11
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It had crossed my mind that it would be a bit of a bitch to cut through, but you could open up one side on some to a deck at mezzanine level.

Look on the bright side, it will be standing long after the majority of the housing boxes built these days have fallen down.
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Old 13th Dec 2013, 11:12
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Sorry for the drift.
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Old 13th Dec 2013, 15:49
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Interesting thread. I was on Canberra PR7s at Wildenrath (17 Sqn) from 61 to 63. The Pembroke stuff was always much higher priority than ours! Though we had much more fun with most of West Germany to explore from not above 250ft. Woe betide us though if we went too far east.
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Old 13th Dec 2013, 20:46
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Wildenrath

Four Turbo, correct I was on 17 (PR) Sqd with the PR7 from 1966 to disbandment, agree that 60 Sqd had a far greater priority in developing / printing & interpretation of images than we had, after 17's disbandment I then moved up the road to 14 Sqd with BI8's, then they disbanded so then I went down the road & finished my tour on 60 Sqd, got about a bit !!!!!!. PH.
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Old 13th Dec 2013, 22:15
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bosnich71
Nutloose ....When compared with the old open ended contraptions that we used at Bruggen during the 60's they are absolutely luxurious.Ours were just the job for letting all the snow and ice in.
Then again I suppose it did give the crews, both air and ground, something to do on cold winter nights de-icing and snow sweeping etc.
We might of had walls but they were not heated, well in theory they were to plus one degrees, as in snow you do not want warm aircraft going out in it, because it would melt and then freeze. At least they were dry, though having two Jags in one, the engines would blow against the internal walls meaning you were breathing 100% exhaust all the time on departures.
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Old 14th Dec 2013, 07:42
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The Wildenrath trains tracks are used by Siemens, the train makers, not DB. Some of the hangars are now used as sets for film and TV, I think
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Old 14th Dec 2013, 12:56
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What about the old bracht bomb dump site, think there is any old WW2 artifacts there?
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Old 14th Dec 2013, 13:22
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Wildenrath

Went there last year, how it is changed, the guardroom/cafe does a lovely lunch, had some difficulty finding my way around though, 17 & 14 Sqd hangars still there, had to go out through the main drag under the bridge past the golf course onto the main road to get back in past the pig farm & Peterscholtz gate to gain access to quarters, swimming pool by the NAAFI gone, the old Barrack Stores building still standing but bowling alley & motor club building gone, found our old house on the Einbanstrasse by the school but all of GSO is gone, lots of big fences blocking access to places, nostalgia just not what it used to be !, will be out there again next year on a Wildenrath, Wegberg pilgrimage to see how much it has changed again, although did fill up the car at Willy Ottens garage but he is long gone !, PH.
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Old 14th Dec 2013, 13:40
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Willy Ottens
Would that be the same Willi who was also employed as an MTD at Wildenrath before it closed?

Last edited by BEagle; 14th Dec 2013 at 14:00.
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Old 14th Dec 2013, 18:38
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Zetec 2:

Was the Zur Post there in the Village? (before the BP Garage, IIRC). Did a mean Balkan Platter which was washed down with an orange liquer.
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