Celle Air Base

Infobox Airport
name = Celle Air Base
nativename = Heeresflugplatz Celle

---

caption =
IATA = ZCN
ICAO = ETHC
type = Military
owner = Federal Ministry of Defence
operator = German Army
city-served =
location = Celle, Germany
built = 1934
used = 1934 - present
commander = Lieutenant Colonel Andreas Thun
occupants = German Army Aviators School, German Army Aviators Corps
elevation-f = 129
elevation-m = 39 .4
coordinates = coord|52|35|28|N|010|01|20|E|type:airport|display=inline
website =
metric-elev = yes
metric-rwy = yes
r1-number = 08/26
r1-length-f = 6,007
r1-length-m = 1,831
r1-surface = Asphalt
r2-number = 08/26
r2-length-f =
r2-length-m =
r2-surface = several gras lanes
stat-year =
stat1-header =
stat1-data =
stat2-header =
stat2-data =
footnotes =

Celle Air Base (German: "Heeresflugplatz Celle", IATA: ZCN, ICAO: ETHC) is a military airbase of the German Army. It is situated southwest of the city of Celle, Lower Saxony, Germany close to the district Wietzenbruch. The air base was opened in 1934 and has been in military use ever since. Nowadays the aerodrome is used by a helicopter trainig school, a helicopter liaison and reconnaissance unit and a helicopter maintenance unit utilising the type Bölkow Bo-105. The training facilities on Celle Air Base are used by prospective helicopter pilots for the types Bölkow Bo-105 and Bell UH-1D.

From the beginning of the planning of the air base in 1933 until the capture by British troops on 11 April 1945, the base was called "Fliegerhorst Celle-Wietzenbruch" (Air Base Celle-Wietzenbruch). After World War II, it was used by the Royal Air Force and known as "R.A.F. Station Celle" (see main article RAF Celle) until being handed over to the German Army Aviators Corps on 29 November 1957, when it was renamed "Heeresflugplatz Celle" (Army Air Base Celle). On 28 July 1967 it was given the additional name "Immelmann-Kaserne" (Immelmann Barracks) after German World War I pilot Max Immelmann.

Location and approach

location map many
Germany
width=200
lat_deg=52 |lat_min=35 |lat_sec=28.32
lon_deg=10 |lon_min=01 |lon_sec=19.68
float=left

Celle Air Base is located 2.4 nautical miles (4.5 kilometers) southwest of the city centre of Celle and 16 nautical miles (30 kilometers) northeast of the city centre of Hannover. To the west the Wietzenbruch is situated, a boggy area named after the river Wietze and the surrounding wood. This geographical feature gave name to the district of Wietzenbruch directly to the north of the air base. To the east and the south it borders on the railway line Hannover-Hamburg. The field elevation at the reference point is 129 feet (39.4 meters) above sea level.

Celle Air Base can be approached via a connection road to the Landesstraße 310 which is used as a feeder road to the autobahns 7 and 352. Apart from the the autobahn, Celle as well the air base can be approached via the Bundesstraße 3, 191 and 214. Since 2006 a bus stop called "Wietzenbruch Kaserne" is located in front of the main gate of the base.

The air base is organisationally seperated into barracks and air field. The entire base is a military security area and completely surrounded by a fence and therefore not open to public. General admittance to the barracks area is granted to members of the Bundeswehr and allied forces. In this part administrative, social, sports and medical facilities as well as the quarters are situated. The air field is specially fenced in and contains the movement area, aprons and hangars as well as facilities for the operation of the airfield (e.g. radar, tower and POL). As on civil aerodromes access to this part is granted only for employees working there, crew members and passengers.

History

Wehrmacht 1933 - 1945

The Treaty of Versailles in 1919 prohibited Germany to have her own air force. To get around this prohibition, the Nazis founded the "Deutscher Luftsportverband" ("D.L.V.") in 1933 as a disguise to accelerate the building of an air force. Therefore, throughout Germany possible locations for air bases were sought. One of these locations was close to the Celle suburb Wietzenbruch.

After exhaustive construction works, during which the boggy terrain was drained by creating several ditches, the flying school entered service in 1934. Due to its boggy subsurface, the air base was known to pilots as "rubber meadow" ("Gummiwiese").

In the course of time, the type of aircraft stationed at Celle became larger and larger and crews were trained on almost all current military aircraft. The extent of the training activities necessitated the construction of external landing strips at Hustedt and Scheuen. The training in blind flight, the precursor of instrument flight, even had to be moved to Wesendorf.

Following the begin of World War II the training school was relocated to Leipzig and the Celle Air Base was used by varying units that were not stationed there for a longer period.

Due to this secondary role during World War II, the air base and the city of Celle did not become serious targets for allied strategic bombing and in 1945 the air field was handed over to the British Army peacefully without having suffered any serious damage.

British occupation 1945 - 1957

Under British occupation the air field was initially only of secondary importance. This, however, changed with the start of the Berlin Airlift in 1948 when the air field came under American control. Celle Air Base became one of the air fields from where supply flights to Berlin were carried out. In order to be capable to handle the enormous traffic the air base was extended, received a rail siding and for the first time a runway with an asphalt surface.

Next to the road leading to Celle Air Base, a monument to commemorate the Berlin Airlift was erected in 1988.

Following the end of the Berlin Airlift in 1949, the air base was returned to the British Forces. The Royal Air Force stationed several squadron in the course of time at Royal Air Force Station Celle which from 1950 onwards were equipped with jet engined fighters of the type Vampire and Venom.

Bundeswehr 1957 - today

One year after the establishment of the Bundeswehr, Celle Air Base was handed over to the German Army Aviators Corps in 1957. Celle became thus the second location of this recently founded branch of the German Army, the first one being at Niedermendig. Over the years numerous squadrons, battalions and regiments have been stationed at Celle.

However, a German Air Force unit was also stationed at Celle Air Base, namely Air Force Transport Wing 63, which led to the peculiar situation, for a long time unique within the German Armed Forces, that an air base was used by units of two different branches of the forces. Air Force Transport Wing 63 was relocated to Rendsburg-Hohn in 1967. Air traffic control, however, was still managed by a mixed unit of soldiers from both Army and Air Force.

In the 1970s German Army Aviators Test Squadron 910 tested the newly developed ant-tank helicopter Bo 105 at Celle Air Base leading to an increase of espionage on the part of the KGB which used special aerials mounted on boats floating on the Elbe-Seitenkanal in order to eavesdrop on the tactical flights of this new type of helicopter

Following the end of the Cold War air traffic control was reduced and the capability of instrument flights abandoned in 1991. The German Air Force withdrew completely from the air base, the last remaining air force soldier, however, only went into retirement in 2002.

The only remaining flying unit was Army Aviators Regiment 16 equipped with anti-tank helicopters which was dissolved in 2003. The regiment was replaced by units of the German Army Aviators School and newly established Army Aviators Support Squadron 14, which was dissolved only six months later, as well as Army Aviators Liaison and Reconnaissance Squadron 100 and Army Aviators Maintenance Squadron 100.

With the beginning of training activities on Celle Air Base, the instrument flight capabilities of the air base were re-established.

Two types of helicopters are currently in use on Celle Air Base, the Bell UH1D, relocated in 1979, and Bo 105.

Use

Occupants of the air base are parts of the German Army Aviators School, namely Training Centre C (flying instruction), as well as Army Aviators Liaison and Reconnaissance Squadron 100 and Army Aviators Maintenance Squadron 100 and Army Aviators Squadron 109 which is part of Army Aviators Light Transport Helicopter Regiment 10 "Lüneburger Heide" stationed in Faßberg.

The flying units are equipped with helicopters of the types MBB Bo 105 and Bell UH1-D.

Being a military installation, Celle Air Base can be used in principle by any aircraft of the police force, border police as well as military aircraft of NATO member states. However, this right is restricted by the so-called "Prior Permission Required-Rule" (PPR). For take-offs and landings of civil aircraft a formal request and permission in writing is required. Emergency landings are exempt from this.

See also

*German Army Aviators Corps
*History of the German Army Aviators Corps
*German Army
*Bundeswehr
*RAF Celle

External links

* [http://www.deutschesheer.de Official site of the German Army]
* [http://www.bundeswehr.de Official site of the German Armed Forces]
* [http://www.heeresflieger.com German website dedicated to the German Army Aviators Corps]
* [http://www.hubschraubermuseum.de/hubmus_/index.jsp?bsLangCode=EN Helicopter museum in Bückeburg]