RAF Butzweilerhof

Royal Air Force Butzweilerhof, commonly known as RAF Butzweilerhof was a Royal Air Force station in the middle west of Germany situated in the northern suburbs of Cologne (German: Köln).[2] The station's motto was Per Vires Pax, and the station badge depicts the Cologne cathedral rising above the waters.

RAF Butzweilerhof
Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany
RAF Butzweilerhof is located in North Rhine-Westphalia
RAF Butzweilerhof
RAF Butzweilerhof
Shown within North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
RAF Butzweilerhof is located in Germany
RAF Butzweilerhof
RAF Butzweilerhof
RAF Butzweilerhof (Germany)
Coordinates50°59′5.3″N 6°53′29.1″E
Site information
OwnerMinistry of Defence (UK)
OperatorRoyal Air Force
Controlled byRAF Second Tactical Air Force
Royal Air Force Germany
Site history
Built1951 (1951)
In useAugust 1951 - 27 January 1967 (1967-01-27)
Fateclosed
Airfield information
IdentifiersICAO: ETBB
Elevation48 metres (157 ft) AMSL
Runways
Direction Length and surface
04/22 650 metres (2,133 ft) asphalt
MottoPer Vires Pax (Latin: Peace through strength)[1]

History and the RAF

From the 1920s, Butzweilerhof was the main civil airport for Cologne, but was taken over by the Royal Air Force (RAF) during August 1951.[3](WP:SELFPUBLISH) RAF aircraft ceased flying in 1965, and the RAF formally left Butzweilerhof, closing down the station on 27 January 1967.[2][4] The few civilian employees remaining at the beginning of 1967 were required to leave by the end of January, and on 31 January 1967, Butzweilerhof airfield was officially handed over to the Bundeswehr.

In 1957, it was the home for The Band of RAF Germany.[2][4]

Units

Accidents and incidents
  • On 24 December 1944, as part of a larger group of Royal Air Force aircraft tasked with bombing targets around the city of Cologne, an Avro Lancaster ND388 was destroyed in the air, its tail section crash landed at Butzweilerhof.[21]

Butzweilerhof today

A very small part of the old airfield was used by the Bundeswehr (German army) until 30 December 2007, after which the Butzweilerkaserne was closed and turned into a mixed retail / residential area. The rest of the land was re-developed into film studios (MMC) between 1998 and 1999. On the film studio lot, a renovated hangar still bears the inscription of the Belgian Army who were stationed at Butzweiler. The remaining land has now been divided up for residential and office re-development. The Butzweilerhof main airport terminal building, opened in 1926 is protected as a listed building[2] and is undergoing renovations.[22]

The terminal building restoration has now (2007) been largely completed. In late December 2007, the bulldozers moved in to demolish most, if not all, of the remaining RAF site buildings. As of December 2008, the portion of the former Kaserne to the right of the main gate was completely cleared of the former military buildings. Most of the vacated property is being redeveloped into a strip mall consisting of a new IKEA store and several other retailers. The Kölner Verkehrsbetriebe (KVB) is also in the process of constructing a new 1.85 kilometres (1.15 miles) long extension from the current Ossendorf terminus into the Butzweilerhof/Gewerbegebiet Ossendorf area. Three new stations (Köhlstrasse, Butzweiler/IKEA and the new terminus, Von-Hünefeld-Strasse) will be added to the existing Line 5. This extension is scheduled to open in December 2010.[23]

References

Citations
  1. Pine, L G (1983). A Dictionary of mottoes. London: Routledge & K. Paul. p. 173. ISBN 0-7100-9339-X.
  2. Barrass, M B; Noad, Colin. "RAF Butzweilerhof". rafweb.org. Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  3. Ronald V. (14 March 2012). "Butzweilerhof". ForgottenAirfields.com. Netherlands: Abandoned forgotten & little known airfields in Europe. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  4. "RAF Butzweilerhof". BAOR Locations. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  5. Halley 1988, p. 50.
  6. Halley 1988, p. 167.
  7. Halley 1988, p. 219.
  8. "No 5 Signals Wing Butzweilerhof (renamed No 26 Signals Unit): unit badge". The National Archives. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  9. "No 477 Signals Unit (SU), Butzweilerhof". The National Archives. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  10. Sturtivant 2007, p. 287.
  11. "No 588 Signals Unit (SU), Butzweilerhof". The National Archives. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  12. "Work study: Forward Repair Unit, RAF Butzweilerhof". The National Archives. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  13. Sturtivant 2007, p. 269.
  14. "No 52 Repair Unit (Plant), Orsdorf, Germany moved to Lubeck, Germany, Sept. 1946 then..." The National Archives. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  15. Sturtivant 2007, p. 223.
  16. "Maintenance Unit: No 420 Repair and Salvage Squadron, Butzweilerhof". The National Archives. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  17. Sturtivant 2007, p. 219.
  18. "No 6209 Bomb Disposal Flight, Butzweilerhof. With appendices". The National Archives. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  19. Sturtivant 2007, p. 192.
  20. Sturtivant 2007, p. 260.
  21. Hermann Josef Falkenstein; Alan Hill; Bran Lewis; Mick Gill; Werner Müller. "The tragedy of Lancaster ND 388". koelner-luftfahrt.de. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  22. Von Heribert Rösgen (23 August 2009). "KstA Restoration works at Butzweilerhof". KstA.de (in German). Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. Archived from the original on 20 September 2011.
  23. de:Stadtbahn Köln#Butzweilerhof Line 5 Extension

Bibliography
  • Halley, J.J. (1988). RAF Squadrons. The Squadrons of the Royal Air Force & Commonwealth 1918-1988. Tonbridge, Kent, UK: Air Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-164-9.
  • Sturtivant, Ray (2007). RAF Flying Training and Support Units since 1912. Staplefield, West Sussex, England, UK: Air-Britain Historians Limited. ISBN 978-0-85130-365-9.
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