RAF Celle - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The former Royal Air Force Station Celle (pron: tszella), more commonly known as RAF Celle , was a Royal Air Force

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

station, a military airbase, in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, situated in the south-western suburbs of Celle

Celle

Celle is a town and capital of the district of Celle, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town is situated on the banks of the River Aller, a tributary of the Weser and has a population of about 71,000...

, Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...

. 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

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

by a German NCO

Non-commissioned officer

A non-commissioned officer , called a sub-officer in some countries, is a military officer who has not been given a commission...

without having suffered any serious damage during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Until the Berlin Airlift the airfield remained in a secondary with mainly liaison flights to the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. 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 tank

Tank

A tank is a tracked, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility, tactical offensive, and defensive capabilities...

s.

During the airlift missions were flown by USAF 317th Troop Carrier Wing (Hvy)

317th Airlift Group

The 317th Airlift Group is a United States Air Force unit, stationed at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Assigned to Air Mobility Command Eighteenth Air Force, the 317 AG operates as a tenant unit to the 7th Bomb Wing, Air Combat Command ....

equipped with Douglas C-54 Skymaster

C-54 Skymaster

The Douglas C-54 Skymaster was a four-engined transport aircraft used by the United States Army Air Forces and British forces in World War II and the Korean War. Besides transport of cargo, it also carried presidents, British heads of government, and military staff...

.

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

British Armed Forces

The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...

until 1957.

The airfield was returned to the German government on 27 November 1957, and the site is now controlled by the German Bundeswehr

Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr consists of the unified armed forces of Germany and their civil administration and procurement authorities...

(Federal Defence Force).

Celle is now the "Celle Air Base

Celle Air Base

Celle Air Base is a military airbase of the German Army. The airfield is situated southwest of the city of Celle, Lower Saxony, Germany. It was opened in 1934 and has been in military use ever since...

", 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".

Celle squadrons

No. 4 Squadron RAF; de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...

FB6
No. 16 Squadron RAF
No. 16 Squadron RAF
No. 16 Squadron is a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force. It formed in 1915 at Saint-Omer to carry out a mixture of offensive patrolling and reconnaissance and was disbanded in 1919 with the end of the First World War...

;
No. 98 Squadron RAF; de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...

B35
No. 51 Squadron RAF Regiment
No. 51 Squadron RAF Regiment
No. 51 Squadron RAF Regiment is a field squadron of the RAF Regiment in the Royal Air Force. Its mission is protection of RAF bases from ground attack....
226 Signal Squadron Royal Corps of Signals
Royal Corps of Signals
The Royal Corps of Signals is one of the combat support arms of the British Army...

RAF units and aircraft

Unit	Dates	Aircraft	Variant	Notes
No. 2 Squadron RAF No. 2 Squadron RAF No. 2 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is currently one of two RAF squadrons operating in the reconnaissance role with the Tornado GR4A and GR4 and is based at RAF Marham, Norfolk.No. II Squadron holds claim to being "the oldest heavier-than-air flying machine squadron in the world", along with No...	1945	Supermarine Spitfire Supermarine Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...	XIV	Stationed twice
No. 2 Squadron RAF	1946	Supermarine Spitfire	PR19
No. 4 Squadron RAF	1945	Hawker Typhoon Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied...	FR 1B
No. 11 Squadron RAF	1949-1950	de Havilland Mosquito De Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...	FB6
No. 14 Squadron RAF No. 14 Squadron RAF No. 14 Squadron of the Royal Air Force currently operates the Beechcraft Shadow R1 in the ISTAR role from RAF Waddington.-World War I:...	1949-1950	de Havilland Mosquito	B35
No. 16 Squadron RAF No. 16 Squadron RAF No. 16 Squadron is a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force. It formed in 1915 at Saint-Omer to carry out a mixture of offensive patrolling and reconnaissance and was disbanded in 1919 with the end of the First World War...	1945-1946	Supermarine Spitfire	XIX, XIV and XVI
No. 16 Squadron RAF	1950-1955	de Havilland Vampire De Havilland Vampire The de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was a British jet-engine fighter commissioned by the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Following the Gloster Meteor, it was the second jet fighter to enter service with the RAF. Although it arrived too late to see combat during the war, the Vampire served...	FB5
No. 16 Squadron RAF	1954-1957	de Havilland Venom De Havilland Venom The de Havilland DH 112 Venom was a British postwar single-engined jet aircraft developed from the de Havilland Vampire. It served with the Royal Air Force as a single-seat fighter-bomber and two-seat night fighter....	FB1
No. 41 Squadron RAF No. 41 Squadron RAF No. 41 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is currently the RAF's Test and Evaluation Squadron , based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Its official title is "41 TES". The Squadron celebrates its 95th anniversary in 2011, and is one of the oldest RAF squadrons in existence.-First World War, 1916–1919:No...	1945	Supermarine Spitfire	XIV
No. 93 Squadron RAF No. 93 Squadron RAF No. 93 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force during World War II. It operated Turbinlite-equipped Bostons from RAF Burtonwood, making night attacks and towing aerial mine charges with steel cables....	1950-1952	de Havilland Vampire	FB5
No. 94 Squadron RAF No. 94 Squadron RAF No. 94 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force that served during World War I & World War II. The squadron has been formed a total of four times.The squadron was formed at RAF Harling Road on 1 August 1917, as a training unit for the Sopwith Camel...	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 No. 137 Squadron RAF No. 137 Squadron RAF existed briefly as a day bomber unit in World War I but it never became operational. During World War II it flew as one of the two Whirlwind squadrons before converting to Hurricane Mk.IV fighter-bombers and later the Hawker Typhoon in the same role. The squadron was disbanded...	1945	Hawker Typhoon Hawker Typhoon The Hawker Typhoon was a British single-seat fighter-bomber, produced by Hawker Aircraft. While the Typhoon was designed to be a medium-high altitude interceptor, and a direct replacement for the Hawker Hurricane, several design problems were encountered, and the Typhoon never completely satisfied...	1B
No. 145 Squadron RAF No. 145 Squadron RAF No. 145 Squadron was a Royal Air Force squadron that operated during World War I, World War II and the Cold War. Its motto was Diu noctuque pugnamus .-History:...	1952-1954	de Havilland Vampire	FB5
No. 145 Squadron RAF	1954-1957	de Havilland Venom	FB1
No. 268 Squadron RAF No. 268 Squadron RAF No. 268 Squadron RAF was a Second World War Royal Air Force squadron that operated the North American Mustang on missions over occupied Europe and in support of the D-Day landings.-History:...	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 Hawker Tempest The Hawker Tempest was a British fighter aircraft primarily used by the Royal Air Force in the Second World War. The Tempest was an improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, and one of the most powerful fighter aircraft used during the war....	V
No. 652 Squadron RAF No. 652 Squadron RAF No. 652 Squadron RAF was a unit of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War and afterwards in Germany.Numbers 651 to 663 Squadrons of the RAF were Air Observation Post units working closely with Army units in artillery spotting and liaison. A further three of these squadrons, 664, 665 and...	1946	Auster V Taylorcraft Auster The Taylorcraft Auster was a British military liaison and observation aircraft produced by the Taylorcraft Aeroplanes Limited company during the Second World War.-Design and development:...

External links

http://aviation.elettra.co.uk/rafmuseum/page.php?aircraft=mosquito98 Sqn Mosquito TJ138 at RAF Museum
RAF Museum
The Royal Air Force Museum London, commonly known as the RAF Museum, is a museum located on the former Hendon Aerodrome, dedicated to the history of aviation and the British Royal Air Force. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and a registered charity...

, Hendon]
Photo gallery of Celle from ServicePals
History of 51 Sqn RAF Regiment

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Celle squadrons

RAF units and aircraft

See also

External links