Wunstorf Air Base
Wunstorf Air Base is a German Air Force military airfield, located south-southwest of Neustadt am Rübenberge and north-northwest of Wunstorf in Lower Saxony, Germany. Wunstorf Air Base is the home to Air Transport Wing 62, a unit operating all German Airbus A400M Atlas.
History
The airfield was opened in 1936 for the German Luftwaffe reconstituted by the National Socialist government in 1935. During the Second World War, it was seized by the British Army on 7 April 1945, in a fierce battle by elements of the 5th Parachute Brigade, 6th Airborne Division. During the battle, in which the 13th Battalion was also engaged, the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion lost six killed, and 21 wounded, most from the initial ambush of the four leading trucks of B Company. The airfield was captured with 19 Bf 109s, four Fw 190s, two Ju 88s, two Ju 52s and much other valuable equipment.After the battle, the base was taken over by the Royal Air Force, including Canadian Wing 126 of the British 2nd Tactical Air Force, and designated as Advanced Landing Ground B-116 Wunstorf.
The airfield features heavily in the book 13 - Lucky For Some, which is about the history of the 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion. There are many then and now photographs as well as maps and diagrams of battles that took place in the region.
It was later designated RAF Wunstorf and used by Royal Air Force Germany. RAF units assigned were:
- April 1947 - June 1950: 2 Sq with Spitfire F 14/PR 19
- 1950-1952: 4 Sq, 26 Sq with Vampire FB 5 later FB9
- August 1950 - September 1955: 11 Sq with Vampire FB 5, later Venom FB 1, later FB 4
- March 1952 - October 1955: 5 Sq with Vampire FB 5, later Venom FB 1, later FB 4
- July 1952 - October 1955: 266 Sq with Vampire FB 5, later Venom FB 1, later FB 4
- November 1955 - September 1956: 79 Sq with Meteor FR 9 and Swift FR 5
- November 1955 - September 1957: 541 Sq with Meteor PR 10
- 1956-1957: 5 Sq, 11 Sq, 266 Sq with Venom FB 4
The then-RAF Wunstorf also featured in the 1957 film "High Flight". Also in 1957, the airfield returned to the control of the German Air Force and became a NATO air base.
The airfield participated in Air Defender 23, the largest exercise of air forces in the history of NATO, held 12–23 June 2023 under the leadership of the German Air Force.
Use by German Air Force
German Air Force first stationed Nord Noratlas which by 1971 were replaced by Transall C-160D; those were disbanded from the local Air Transport Wing 62 in July 2015, now focussing on accepting and integrating Airbus A400M Atlas. Flight training for decades was executed using Dornier Do 28.Expansion in 2010s
As preparation for 40 Airbus A400M Atlas to be stationed at Wunstorf Air Base, the airbase underwent major expansion. Runway 08/26 was lengthened from mainly to the east. Parking positions were expanded, one maintenance hangar was erected, another one is under construction. A building to house the flight simulator has been added.Motorsport
Between 1964 and 1998, a temporary motor racing circuit was laid out on the Wunstorf airbase. It hosted the Interserie sports car racing championship between 1977 and 1979, and again between 1985 and 1990. The German Touring Car Championship competed at Wunstorf between 1984 and 1993, one of several temporary airfield tracks on the DTM calendar at the time. The series eventually began to move towards permanent racing facilities and the final DTM race at Wunstorf took place in 1993. The Super Tourenwagen Cup raced at the venue in 1994 and from 1996 to 1998.Besides the big-name national championships, Wunstorf hosted a series of annual club racing meetings until 1999, when motor racing on the airbase premises was finally halted due to the cost of preparation and administration for the events.