RAF Butzweilerhof

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name = Royal Air Force Station Butzweilerhof


caption = Station crest
dates = August 1951 – 27 January 1967
country = Germany
allegiance = UK: British Armed Forces
branch = Royal Air Force
command_structure = RAF Second Tactical Air Force,
then Royal Air Force Germany
type = Flying station
role =
size =
current_commander =
garrison = Köln, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
garrison_label = Based near
ceremonial_chief =
ceremonial_chief_label =
colonel_of_the_regiment =
colonel_of_the_regiment_label =
nickname = "Butzweilerhof", "Butz"
motto = "Per Vires Pax"
colors =
colors_label = Royal Air Force Ensign
march = Royal Air Force March Past
mascot =
equipment = Gloster Meteor NF11,
English Electric Canberra PR7
battles =
notable_commanders =
identification_symbol = Köln cathedral above the waters
identification_symbol_label = Station crest
anniversaries =

Infobox Airport
name = RAF Butzweilerhof
nativename =
nativename-a =
nativename-r =


image-width =
caption =
IATA =
ICAO = ETBB.OLD
type = Military (Airport no longer in operation)
owner = formerly: Ministry of Defence, now: Bundeswehr
operator = formerly: Royal Air Force, now: Bundeswehr
city-served =
location = Köln, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
elevation-f =
elevation-m =
coordinates =
website =
metric-elev =
metric-rwy =
r1-number = 04/22
r1-length-f = 2,133
r1-length-m = 650
r1-surface = was Asphalt, now removed
r2-number =
r2-length-f =
r2-length-m =
r2-surface =
stat-year =
stat1-header =
stat1-data =
stat2-header =
stat2-data =
footnotes =

The former Royal Air Force Station Butzweilerhof, commonly known as RAF Butzweilerhof was a Royal Air Force airbase in Germany situated in the northern suburbs of Cologne (Köln). The stations' motto was "Per Vires Pax", and the station crest depicts the Cologne cathedral rising above the waters.

History and the RAF

Butzweilerhof was originally the main civil airport for Köln, but was taken over by the RAF sometime during August 1951. RAF aircraft ceased flying in 1965, and the RAF formally left Butzweilerhof, closing down the station on 27 January 1967. The few civilian employees remaining at the beginning of 1967 were required to leave by the end of the month of January, and on 31 January 1967, Butzweilerhof airfield was officially handed over to the Bundeswehr.

In 1960 it was the base for 5 Signals Wing, The Band of RAF Germany and 420 Recovery & Salvage Squadron.

Butzweilerhof squadrons & aircraft

*No. 68 Squadron RAF - operating Gloster Meteor NF11
*No. 87 Squadron RAF - operating Gloster Meteor NF11

Butzweilerhof today

Although a very small part of the old airfield still remains in the hands of the German Bundeswehr (not in use), the rest of the land has been re-developed into film studios (MMC). On the film studio lot, a renovated hangar still bears the inscription of the Belgium 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 and is undergoing renovations.

The terminal building restoration has now (2007) been largely completed. In late December 2007, the bulldozers moved in to tear down most, if not all, of the remaining RAF site buildings.

External links

* [http://www.butzweilerhof.de www.Butzweilerhof.de] dedicated to the restoration of the historic airport buildings
* [http://www.servicepals.com/index.cfm/pcms/site.gallery.view_tag/tag/Butzweilerhof Gallery of RAF Butzweilerhof images] from [http://www.servicepals.com/ ServicePals.com]
* [http://www.koelner-luftfahrt.de/raf_2007.htm Photos of the remaining RAF buildings in 2007]

ee also

*Royal Air Force station
*List of aircraft of the RAF