RAF Gütersloh

Royal Air Force Station Gütersloh
Active	June 1945 – 1993
Country	Germany
Allegiance	UK: British Armed Forces
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Flying station
Role	Fighter attack and defence
Part of	RAF Second Tactical Air Force, then Royal Air Force Germany, finally No. 2 Group RAF
Located near	Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Nickname(s)	"Gütersloh", "Gut", "Gutters" "Sunny Gutters"
Motto	Vallis Vesperis
Royal Air Force Ensign
March	Royal Air Force March Past
Equipment	English Electric Lightning, BAe Harrier, Boeing Chinook, Puma HC1

RAF Gütersloh
IATA: GUT – ICAO: ETUO
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	Ministry of Defence
Operator	formerly: Royal Air Force, now: British Army
Location	Gütersloh, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Elevation AMSL	236 ft / 72 m
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 09/27 7,388 2,252 Asphalt

Stadtmuseum Gütersloh

Royal Air Force Station Gütersloh, more commonly known as RAF Gütersloh, was a Royal Air Force Germany military airfield, the nearest Royal Air Force airfield to the East/West German border, in the vicinity of the town of Gütersloh. It was constructed by the Germans prior to World War II. The station was captured by the Americans in April 1945 and was handed over to the RAF in June 1945 as Headquarters No. 2 Group RAF.

History

Its early history is largely undetermined. It is known that construction began in 1935, and the station was active in 1944-45 with Ju-88 Nightfighters of 5./NJG 2 (Nachtjagdgeschwader 2) as part of the Defense of the Reich defensive aerial campaign fought by the Luftwaffe.

The tower of the Officers' Mess contains a room known as Göring's Room. Legend has it that Hermann Göring used this room to relive his wartime exploits with the new generation of flyers. Reportedly a favourite expression of his was "If I should lie, may the beam above my head crack". In response to this a junior officer arranged that the beam be sawn through and, by a system of pulleys, that the beam should appear to crack in response to the Reichmarschall's challenge. The restored mechanics still allow the 'trick' to be employed and we certainly know that the original pre-dates British occupancy. No evidence has yet established the veracity of the story but it certainly deserves to be true. Certainly the story was popular with the Luftwaffe officers of World War II. (Although an article appearing in the aviation magazine FLIGHT in 1946 has the same story with "an elderly station commander" featuring in the Göring role). From interviews with Luftwaffe personnel of the period, it appears that Göring made a number of visits to the station both before and during the war. A photograph of the Reichmarschall supposedly at Gütersloh is displayed in the Officers' Mess. Despite the date on which the airfield was established, throughout a large part of 1955-1956, an authentic looking sign not far from the main gate, stated that 'The Red Baron' and his squadron operated from this base during the 1914-18 war.

The station was captured by the Americans in April 1945 and designated as "Advanced Landing Ground Y-99". The Americans laid down a 4,000' SMT hardened runway and the Ninth Air Force operated F-4 Lightning and F-5 Mustang reconnaissance aircraft of the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Group in late April. Also the P-38 Lightning-equipped 370th Fighter Group operated from Gütersloh until the German Capitulation on 8 May 1945. The 370th remained until the airfield was turned over to the RAF as part of the formation of the British Occupation Zone of Germany on 27 June 1945.

RAF Control

The RAF established Headquarters No. 2 Group RAF after the Americans moved south. From 1958 RAF Gütersloh fell under the operational command of 2d ATAF, like all other RAFG stations. The RAF initially built a 1,830 metres/meter long runway, which was later lengthened to 2,252 metres/meters

During its history as an RAF station, it was home to two squadrons of the English Electric Lightning F2/F2A - No. 92 Squadron RAF and No. 19 Squadron RAF from 1968 to 1976. These provided two aircraft for the Quick Response Alert, able to scramble within minutes. It then became home to No. 3 Squadron RAF and No. 4 Squadron RAF which flew successive variants of the BAe Harrier. After the Harriers departed, the RAF continued to operate helicopters, No. 18 Squadron RAF with the Boeing Chinook and No. 230 Squadron RAF with the Puma HC1.

RAF units and aircraft

English Electric Lightning in the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune, Scotland. It is displayed in the colours of No 92 Squadron, located at RAF Gutersloh with whom it served until 1977.

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 2 Squadron RAF	1952-1953 1961-1970	Gloster Meteor Hawker Hunter	PR.10 FR.10
No. 3 Squadron RAF	1948-1952 1977-1992	de Havilland Vampire Hawker Siddeley Harrier	FB.1, FB.4 GR.3, GR.5, GR.7
No. 4 Squadron RAF	1961-1970 1977-1992	Hawker Hunter Hawker Siddeley Harrier	FR10 GR.3, GR.5, GR.7
No. 14 Squadron RAF	1958–1962	Hawker Hunter	F.4
No. 16 Squadron RAF	1947 1948 1948	Hawker Tempest	F.2
No. 18 Squadron RAF	1965-1968 1970-1980 1983-1993	Westland Wessex Westland Wessex Boeing Chinook	HC.2 HC.2 HC.1	1992/1993 also with Puma HC.1
No. 19 Squadron RAF	1965–1976	English Electric Lightning	F.2, F.2A
No. 20 Squadron RAF	1958–1960	Hawker Hunter	F.6
No. 21 Squadron RAF	1945 1946	de Havilland Mosquito	VI	Based three times in 1946
No. 26 Squadron RAF	1947 1948 1958-1960	Hawker Tempest Hawker Tempest Hawker Hunter	F.2 F.2 F.6	Based three times in 1948
No. 33 Squadron RAF	1947 1948 1948	Hawker Tempest	F2
No. 59 Squadron RAF	1956–1957	English Electric Canberra	B.2, B(I).8
No. 67 Squadron RAF	1950–1952	de Havilland Vampire	FB.5
No. 69 Squadron RAF	1954	English Electric Canberra	PR.3
No. 71 Squadron RAF	1950–1952	de Havilland Vampire	FB.5
No. 79 Squadron RAF	1951-1954 1956-1960	Gloster Meteor Supermarine Swift	FR.9 FR.5
No. 80 Squadron RAF	1948	Supermarine Spitfire	F.24	Based twice
No. 92 Squadron RAF	1968–1977	English Electric Lightning	F.2, F.2A
No. 102 Squadron RAF	1954–1956	English Electric Canberra	B.2
No. 103 Squadron RAF	1954–1956	English Electric Canberra	B.2
No. 104 Squadron RAF	1955–1956	English Electric Canberra	B.2
No. 107 Squadron RAF	1945 1946 1946 1947	de Havilland Mosquito	VI	Based three times in 1947
No. 149 Squadron RAF	1954–1956	English Electric Canberra	B.2
No. 230 Squadron RAF	1963-1964 1980-1992	Westland Whirlwind Westland Puma	HC.10 HC.1
No. 541 Squadron RAF	1952 1954	Gloster Meteor Gloster Meteor	PR.10 PR.10

Gütersloh today

Following the withdrawal by the Royal Air Force in 1993, the base became a British Army Garrison, called the Princess Royal Barracks, Gütersloh, a base for British Army helicopters, and Royal Logistic Corps Regiments.

• HQ Gütersloh Garrison
• HQ 102 Logistic Brigade
• 1 Regiment, AAC
  • 652 Squadron, AAC
  • 661 Squadron, AAC
• 1 Logistic Support Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
  • 74 HQ Squadron
  • 2 Close Support Squadron
  • 12 Close Support Squadron
  • 23 General Support Squadron,
• 2 Logistic Support Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
  • 27 HQ Squadron
  • 22 Close Support Squadron
  • 45 Close Support Squadron
  • 76 General Support Squadron
• 6 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps
  • 600 HQ Squadron
  • 62 Material Squadron
  • 64 Fuel and General Transport Squadron
• 30 Squadron (part of 24 Regiment, Royal Logistic Corps)
• 5 Regiment, Royal Military Police
  • 114 Provost Company (now a Det. of 110 Provost Company, 1 RMP)
• 262 Brigade Signal and HQ Squadron, Royal Signals

See also

• Royal Air Force station
• List of former Royal Air Force stations
• List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
• List of aircraft of the RAF
• Advanced Landing Ground

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

External links

• Spotting Group Royal Air Force Gütersloh
• aerial photo of RAF Gütersloh
• Article on Gütersloh Hunters
• British Forces Germany HIVE - Gütersloh
• Gallery of Gütersloh images
• Gutersloh - From ARRSEpedia, The British Military Open Encyclopedia