RAF Ahlhorn


Royal Air Force Ahlhorn or more simply RAF Ahlhorn, is a former Royal Air Force station located south east of the centre of Ahlhorn, Lower Saxony and north of Vechta, Lower Saxony, Germany
Originally, it was a German airbase for Zeppelins. The Royal Air Force disestablished the station and it was closed down in the autumn of 1958 and was transferred to the Bundeswehr.

History

World War I

Originally, the site was a German base for Zeppelins during World War I.

World War II and beyond

During World War II the airfield was used as an Advanced Landing Ground before becoming a permanent RAF station.
SquadronAircraftFromToToNotes
No. 14 Squadron RAFHawker Hunter F.4/F.626 September 195715 September 1958RAF Gütersloh
No. 16 Squadron RAFHawker Tempest F.28 May 194720 May 1947RAF Fassberg
No. 20 Squadron RAFHawker Hunter F.623 September 195730 August 1958RAF Gütersloh
No. 26 Squadron RAFHawker Tempest F.2
Hawker Hunter F.6		8 May 1947
7 June 1958		20 May 1947
8 September 1958		RAF Fassberg
RAF Gütersloh
Reformed here
No. 33 Squadron RAFHawker Tempest F.28 May 194720 May 1947RAF Fassberg
No. 96 Squadron RAFGloster Meteor NF.1117 November 195212 February 1958RAF GeilenkirchenReformed here
No. 149 Squadron RAFEnglish Electric Canberra B.224 August 195417 September 1954RAF Gütersloh
No. 193 Squadron RAFHawker Typhoon Ib30 April 19458 January 1945RAF Hildesheim
No. 197 Squadron RAFHawker Typhoon Ib30 April 19458 June 1945RAF Hildesheim
No. 213 Squadron RAFEnglish Electric Canberra B.61 September 195522 August 1957RAF BruggenReformed here.
No. 256 Squadron RAFGloster Meteor NF.1117 November 195212 February 1958RAF Geilenkirchen
No. 263 Squadron RAFHawker Typhoon Ib30 April 19458 June 1945RAF Hildesheim
No. 266 Squadron RAFHawker Typhoon Ib4 June 19458 June 1945RAF Hildesheim
No. 302 Polish Fighter SquadronSupermarine Spitfire XVI16 September 1945
31 August 1946		27 August 1946
7 October 1946		RAF Sylt
RAF Hethel
No. 308 Polish Fighter SquadronSupermarine Spitfire XVI16 September 1945
9 February 1946		22 January 1946
7 October 1946		RAF Sylt
RAF Hethel
No. 317 Polish Fighter SquadronSupermarine Spitfire XVI15 September 1945
16 August 1946		July 1946
7 October 1946		RAF Sylt
RAF Hethel

Current use

was formed at Ahlhorn and Oldenburg on 1 April 1959. Jagdgeschwader 71 of the German Air Force were to take residence from June 1959 with 50 Canadair Sabres, Germany's first operational jet fighter unit. They remained at Ahlhorn until 1961.
A number of solar panel are now located on the former site.

Citations