Spangdahlem Air Base
Spangdahlem Air Base situated in Germany is the home of present day 52nd Fighter Wing and has been a prominent military presence in Eifel Mountain region of Germany for more than four decades. Shortly towards the end of the Second World War the diverse history of the place began. Spangdahlem Air Force Base is near the border of Luxembourg more towards the southwest Germany side. Millions of visitors come to this place every year to enjoy the beautiful scenery, nature, history and the view of the area. Trier, one of the most ancient cities in Germany, is about twenty minutes from Spangdahlem.
History
After the Second World War, the western allies including the USA, France, and UK occupied the western part of Germany under the Potsdam agreement. NATO was created in response to the cold war tensions that was going on in the Europe. Therefore USAFE decided to move its fighter units located in West Germany to the west of Rhein River in order to provide excellent air defense warning time. Spangdahlem Air Force Base cost about $27,000,000 to construct in the year between 1951 and 1953. It was built using French and German contractors who were working under the supervision of French government agency. It was believed that German Luftwaffe used the airbase at the time of second World War, but it was not so. It was never occupied by the French Air Force units also. Most of the construction took place between the years 1951 and 1953.
The reason why French were involved was for two reasons. Those being, the base was located in the French occupation zone, and the constructions costs were paid for the occupation funds. These were the reparation funds which were paid to the Allies by Germany by the end of World War II. It was because of this that the French decided to contract and design the construction of various other air bases to be located in this region of Germany including places like Hahn, Ramstein, and Bitburg.
Various wings have been occupied by the Spangdahlem Air Force Base for almost 46 years now. The arrival of the US air force was one of the initial military presence around September 1952 with some help from the Fuerstenfeldbruck Airbase. The base then became the home of the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing. At this time the base population was about 1,900 personnel.
The 10 TRW started operating RF-80A Shooting Star and also the RB-26C invader airplanes from the Spangdahlem air base. In the year October 1954 the wing has received an RF-57 Canberra and also acquired the RF-84 Thunderjets in the year July 1955. The unit also received RB-66 destroyer airplanes during the November of 1956 along with a WB-66 Destroyer aircraft after one year. The 10 TRW after six years ended its stay in the Eifel and had moved to RAF Alcon bury in the United Kingdom in August 1956. Also in the same month, the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing moved to the Spangdahlem air base and started taking up host duties. It moved from Etain-rouvres air base in France.
During this time, the 7149 Tactical Fighter Wing got activated at the base on 1 July 1968 and started serving as a caretaker unit for a large number of support organizations. They all remained behind after the departure of the 49 Tactical Fighter Wing. If the 49 Tactical Fighter Wing were ordered to return to Europe with a view to bolstering NATO air force, then the 7149 Tactical Fighter Wing would have served as a nucleus even though it did not have any assigned aircraft.
Spangdahlem air base right now includes almost 1,282 acres of land along with a 10,000-foot primary runway. It also consists of an 8,074-foot secondary runway and nearly 500 buildings. This base along with the Bit burg Annex now is home to close to 5,000 US active-duty military members. The “Team Eifel” consists of about 7,000 dependants who are its respected members and part of it.
In the year March 2003, a primary runway of about 148 foot was closed to make improvements. So the pilots began to land on the taxiway which is half as wide and also has a slight rise on the approach end which causes the aircraft to touchdown sooner than expected. The primary runway was closed till September 2003 until the time the drainage for that runway would be improved. This challenging task was done efficiently by all the skilled pilots.
After the renovations and up gradation to the primary Air Port of Embarkation (APOE) in the central region which is the Ramstein Air Base, it is now fully capable of meeting all the facilities and needs of deploying Army forces. Also, an alternative Airport Embarkation was identified and established towards the eastern division sector and also upgraded to meet the most urgent needs of deploying Army Forces. Also, a DPC has been set up here.
Background of the region:
The Spangdahlem Air Base is located in the southwest part of German land or rather in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate which is called the Rhineland-Pfalz in German. Also, the place is not far from the borders of France, Belgium, and even Luxembourg. To be more precise the Spangdahlem Air Base is situated around the Eifel region. A land of beautiful rolling hills and valleys which are created by ancient craters of the volcano.
The place was formed in the year 1946 from Prussian, Bavarian and Hessian lands which never actually belonged together. The place Rhineland-Palatinate consists of about 20,000 square kilometers with a population of about 4,00,000 people, it was initially one of the poor regions and today this state has one of the largest export quotas and also serves as the headquarter of the Europe’s most major chemical corporation called BASF. Even though it is one of the smaller states of Germany, this region contains almost two-thirds of all the famous vineyards in the federal republic. The most famous one is found along the River Mosel amidst the scenic cities of Trier and Koblenz as told earlier.
The zigzags of Mosel, which are located in the hills of Eifel has a peaceful landscape which consists of the most beautiful and scenic villages, forests, picturesque lakes and also gentle streams. The place even though is a quiet and rural area also has one of the most colorful histories like any other part of Europe. This Eifel region was once under the control of various rulers like the Romans, Count of Luxembourg, the Gauls, the king of Spain, Sweden, Prussia, and the King of Burgundy, Austria, Netherlands and also France along with several other German governments. Trier, which is one of the oldest city of Germany, and the principal city of Mosel River was established in 16BC as the capital for the administration of the Roman empire’s northern region.
The climate mostly in the place is very cool. You may experience light rain and also fog. Also, the temperature during winters can go close to freezing, and the summers are harsh as well. The place is beautiful and has lots to explore if you are ever planning a trip to Germany. The majestic Spangdahlem Air Base and the beautiful places around the state will definitely make the holiday memorable and worth all the money.