RAF Rheindahlen

RAF Rheindahlen
Part of JHQ Rheindahlen, British Forces Germany
Rheindahlen, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany
The Band of RAF Germany perform at the RAF Police Dog Trials on the RAF sports fields at JHQ Rheindahlen, September 1974
RAF Rheindahlen Location within North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Coordinates	51°10′28″N 06°18′34″E
Type	Royal Air Force station
Site information
Owner	Ministry of Defence (UK)
Operator	Royal Air Force
Controlled by	originally: RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) latterly: Royal Air Force Germany (RAFG)
Site history
Built	1954 (1954)
Built for	Air Ministry
In use	22 November 1954 (1954-11-22) to 1 April 1993 (1993-04-01)

The former Royal Air Force Rheindahlen, more commonly known as RAF Rheindahlen, was a non-flying Royal Air Force (RAF) military administrative base, becoming part of the Rheindahlen Military Complex (JHQ Rheindahlen) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; collectively a part of British Forces Germany (BFG). The Royal Air Force station was named after the nearby town and railway station of Rheindahlen. In the 1950s and 1960s, it was more commonly referred to as RAF Mönchengladbach; due to Rheindahlen being the Army's name for the same JHQ. It was unusual in that the RAF station land was publicly accessible, with public transport routes, and even German civilian mail service (Rheindahlen 2).

History

RAF Rheindahlen was established shortly after the headquarters of RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2TAF) moved from RAF Bad Eilsen when Joint Headquarters Rheindahlen opened in October 1954. It served mainly as the administrative support centre for the headquarters of Second Tactical Air Force until 1 January 1959, when it then became the headquarters of Royal Air Force Germany (HQ RAFG).

The Station Headquarters (SHQ) for RAF Rheindahlen was located on the south side of Queens Avenue, in a crescent of three buildings (nos 139, 141 and 143), with the RAF flagstaff on the small lawn in front. Most of the RAF Rheindahlen units (messes, billets, mechanical transport (MT), stores, medical and dental centre, and sports facilities) were located in the same area of Joint Headquarters Rheindahlen, though the many elements occupying JHQ were not confined to specific areas.

No. 11 Signals Unit (11 SU) was located at RAF Rheindahlen from 1 June 1975 to 31 December 1980.

Closure

RAF Rheindahlen (as a Royal Air Force station entity) was disbanded on 1 April 1993 (1993-04-01), becoming Rheindahlen Support Unit (Rheindahlen SU). On the same day, 1 April 1993, No. 2 Group RAF set up headquarters at the then former RAF Rheindahlen, HQ 2 Gp remaining there until 1 April 1996 (1996-04-01). After the disbandment of RAF Rheindahlen in 1993, all remaining RAF Rheindahlen facilities were subsequently amalgamated with and occupied by the existing British Army garrison, as HQ United Kingdom Support Command (Germany), the entire area becoming known as the Rheindahlen Military Complex. On 13 December 2013 (2013-12-13), all existing British military units left the base, and the whole Rheindahlen Military Complex was officially handed over to the German federal authorities on the same day.

Main units

RAF Rheindahlen main units

unit name	start date	end date	notes
HQ RAF Second Tactical Air Force (2 TAF)	22 November 1954	1 January 1959	an RAF Command
HQ RAF Germany (RAFG)	1 January 1959	1 May 1972	division of 2 TAF
No 11 Signals Unit	1 June 1975	31 December 1980
HQ RAF Germany (RAFG)	1 May 1972	1 April 1993	an RAF Command
HQ No 2 Group (2 Gp)	1 April 1993	1 April 1996	disbanded and absorbed into No 1 Group
Band of RAF Germany		1 April 1993
Joint Support Unit (JSU)	?? 1993	?? 2013

See also

• RAF Hospital Wegberg — the Royal Air Force hospital created nearby to serve RAF Rheindahlen and other nearby British military establishments
• List of former Royal Air Force stations

External links

• British Army in Germany — via Archive.org