RAF Celle

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Coordinates: 52°35′28″N 010°01′20″E / 52.59111°N 10.02222°E / 52.59111; 10.02222

Royal Air Force Station Celle
Active	11 April 1945 – 29 November 1957
Country	Germany
Allegiance	UK: British Armed Forces
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Flying station
Part of	RAF Second Tactical Air Force
Based near	Celle, Lower Saxony, Germany
Nickname	"Celle"
Royal Air Force Ensign
March	Royal Air Force March Past
Equipment	de Havilland Mosquito

RAF Station Celle
IATA: ZCN – ICAO: ETHC
Summary
Airport type		Military
Owner		formerly: Ministry of Defence, now: Bundeswehr
Operator		formerly: Royal Air Force, now: German Army
Location		Celle, Lower Saxony, Germany
Built		1934
Elevation AMSL		129 ft / 39 m
Coordinates		52°35′28″N 010°01′20″E / 52.59111°N 10.02222°E / 52.59111; 10.02222
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
08/26	6,007	1,831	Asphalt

The former Royal Air Force Station Celle (pron: tszella), more commonly known as RAF Celle , was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, in Germany, situated in the south-western suburbs of Celle, Lower Saxony. RAF Celle was also known as "Wietzenbruch airbase", named after the close-by district Wietzenbruch.

On 11 April 1945 the airfield surrendered and was handed over to the British Army by a German NCO without having suffered any serious damage during World War II.^[1]

Until the Berlin Airlift the airfield remained in a secondary with mainly liaison flights to the United Kingdom. After some flight movements in 1945 and 1946, no flights were recorded in 1947 and the hangars were instead used as storage facilities for furniture and tanks.^[1]

During the airlift missions were flown by USAF 317th Troop Carrier Wing (Hvy) equipped with Douglas C-54 Skymaster.

Following the end of the Berlin Airlift in 1949, the airfield was again used exclusively by the British Armed Forces until 1957.

The airfield was returned to the German government on 27 November 1957, and the site is now controlled by the German Bundeswehr (Federal Defence Force).^[1]

Celle is now the "Celle Air Base", and home to the German Army Aviation Corps "Army Aviation Training Centre C", "Army Aviation Liaison and Reconnaissance Helicopter Squadron 100" and "Army Aviation Maintenance Squadron 100".^[2]

Contents 1 Celle squadrons 2 RAF units and aircraft 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Celle squadrons

• No. 4 Squadron RAF; de Havilland Mosquito FB6
• No. 16 Squadron RAF;
• No. 98 Squadron RAF; de Havilland Mosquito B35
• No. 51 Squadron RAF Regiment
• 226 Signal Squadron Royal Corps of Signals

[edit] RAF units and aircraft

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 2 Squadron RAF	1945	Supermarine Spitfire	XIV	Stationed twice
No. 2 Squadron RAF	1946	Supermarine Spitfire	PR19
No. 4 Squadron RAF	1945	Hawker Typhoon	FR 1B
No. 11 Squadron RAF	1949-1950	de Havilland Mosquito	FB6
No. 14 Squadron RAF	1949-1950	de Havilland Mosquito	B35
No. 16 Squadron RAF	1945-1946	Supermarine Spitfire	XIX, XIV and XVI
No. 16 Squadron RAF	1950-1955	de Havilland Vampire	FB5
No. 16 Squadron RAF	1954-1957	de Havilland Venom	FB1
No. 41 Squadron RAF	1945	Supermarine Spitfire	XIV
No. 93 Squadron RAF	1950-1952	de Havilland Vampire	FB5
No. 94 Squadron RAF	1950-1954	de Havilland Vampire	FB5
No. 94 Squadron RAF	1954-1957	de Havilland Venom	FB1
No. 98 Squadron RAF	1949-1950	De Havilland Mosquito	B35
No. 130 Squadron RAF	1945	Supermarine Spitfire	XIV
No. 137 Squadron RAF	1945	Hawker Typhoon	1B
No. 145 Squadron RAF	1952-1954	de Havilland Vampire	FB5
No. 145 Squadron RAF	1954-1957	de Havilland Venom	FB1
No. 268 Squadron RAF	1945	Supermarine Spitfire	XIVe	Stationed twice
No. 350 Squadron RAF	1945	Supermarine Spitfire	XIV
No. 414 Squadron RAF	1945	Supermarine Spitfire	XIV
No. 486 Squadron RAF	1945	Hawker Tempest	V
No. 652 Squadron RAF	1946	Auster V

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: RAF Station Celle

• Royal Air Force station
• List of RAF stations
• List of aircraft of the RAF
• List of former units and aircraft of Celle Air Base
• 40th Airlift Squadron
• Berlin Airlift

[edit] References

• Document AIR 55/108: Operation "Plainfare": a short history of RAF Celle, 1949 from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

1. ^ ^{a b c} Traditionsbeauftragter des Heeresfliegerregiment 16 (2003), Chronik des Heeresfliegerregiment 16 und der Immelmann-Kaserne, Celle  (German)
2. ^ Standortdienstfeldwebel Celle (2008), Mein Standort Celle, Bad Schussenried: Druckerei ABT  (German)

[edit] External links

• 98 Sqn Mosquito TJ138 at RAF Museum, Hendon
• Photo gallery of Celle from ServicePals
• History of 51 Sqn RAF Regiment

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