RAF Wildenrath
Encyclopedia
The former Royal Air Force Station Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force
military
airbase which opened on 15 January 1952. Wildenrath was the first of four 'Clutch' stations built for the RAF in Germany
during the early 1950s. The other stations were at RAF Geilenkirchen
, opened on 24 May 1953, RAF Brüggen
, formed in 1 May 1953 and completed in July of that year, and RAF Laarbruch
, opened on 15 October 1954. RAF Wildenrath, with RAF Bruggen and RAF Laarbruch were clustered fairly closely together and came under the auspices of NATO's 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force (2ATAF).
RAF Wildenrath housed numbers 19 Sqn, which re-formed at Wildenrath in October 1976, and 92 Sqn
which formed there in April 1977. Both units flew F-4 Phantom II
's, providing air defence for RAF Germany
(RAFG) and its allies
. A communications flight was provided by 60 Sqn
, initially with Hunting Percival Pembroke
s which were replaced by Hawker Siddeley Andovers in the mid to late 1980s. RAF Germany Communications Squadron also operated dH Devon
and dH Heron
aircraft.
In the 1960s
to 1970, Wildenrath was home to Nos. 14
and 17 Squadrons; the former flew B(I)8 Canberra
s, and was part of the 2nd ATAF tactical nuclear strike force. The locations of their quick-readiness dispersals can still be seen to the south of the old main gate. No. 17 Squadron flew the PR7 Canberra, and the two squadrons' "in house" T4 training aircraft were combined into the so-called "T4 Flight" as a separate sub-unit, forming a useful additional resource for 2ATAF senior officers to use to maintain their flying hours.
At this time, the CO
of 2ATAF (former Battle of Britain
fighter pilot
, Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris
) had a Vickers Valetta
aircraft as his personal transport, its lower fuselage and wings kept highly polished by the ground-crew of the RAF Germany Communication Flight (who later took the colour of ex-Singapore Gloster Javelin
No. 60 Squadron RAF
). The aircraft was eventually declared un-airworthy due to many of its rivet-heads having being polished off. It can be seen today in the RAF Museum
at Hendon
, London
. In addition to its other overt and covert functions, 60 Squadron also acted as visiting aircraft flight for Wildenrath, hosting almost every type of RAF and NATO aircraft and civilian "trooper" BAC-111
s and Boeing 747
s.
The Pembrokes had a second, more covert, role of taking photographs of Russia
n and East German armed forces while flying along the Berlin air corridor
s.
In 1953, the station Commanding Officer
was Group Captain
JE "Johnnie" Johnson - a top-scoring British "Ace
" fighter pilot
of the Second World War
. There were two North American
F-86E Sabre
squadrons [67 and 71], and a Sabre conversion flight. Also on site were 724 Signals Unit (Fighter control radar) 402 Air Stores Park, a unit of the RAF Regiment
and an Army
detachment that maintained land lines (AFS).
In the 1970s
, Wildenrath became the home to the RAF "Harrier Force
" which included 21(AS) Signal Regt. The Harriers moved to RAF Gütersloh
in 1976, and No 19 and 92 Squadrons with Phantom FGR.2 formed here and flew with this type until 1991.
Wildenrath closed as a flying base with effect from 1st April 1992. The last flying squadron still present at that time, No 60 Squadron, moved to the nearby RAF Brüggen
.
, now Javelin Barracks/Elmpt Station. The domestic site is now predominantly military. It is a community housing estate for both the Joint Heaquarters for NATO, and Javelin Barracks/Elmpt Station. A very small part of the runway still exists, however, much of it is overgrown. Unlike other former RAF airbases in Germany (such as Airport Weeze
, previously named Niederrhein
), it was not turned into a civilian commercial airport. Of the technical site, virtually all but one of the bigger buildings are now knocked down. The station itself still has a NAAFI but more reduced in size; and now moved to where the YWCA had previously been. The Astra cinema was knocked down in late 2005. The community has a youth club, hair dresses, Pub/Club/Bar venue, Library. Until 2006, a YWCA Shop and Cafe existed; but this has now been removed as the YWCA has left the forces community.
The original airfield
site and immediate environs are now used by Siemens AG
under their Transportation and Automotive business arm (Siemens Mobility), as their railway
testing centre; known as the Test- and Validationcenter Wegberg-Wildenrath
. By 2007, the railway test tracks have taken over considerable areas of the airfield. All but the western threshold and over-run of the runway has been obliterated, and the eastern runway threshold is now a Golf course, rather than the site of Bloodhound surface to air missiles. The north-east dispersal is completely taken over by sidings, workshops and shunting loops. Of the southern dispersals, the central and eastern are bisected by the main railway oval test track. As of January 2008, only the south western dispersal and Hardened Aircraft Shelters remain, but these have now since all been removed, with the surviving taxiway
s being used for recreational purposes by the local civilian residents.
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...
military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
airbase which opened on 15 January 1952. Wildenrath was the first of four 'Clutch' stations built for the RAF 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...
during the early 1950s. The other stations were at RAF Geilenkirchen
RAF Geilenkirchen
The former Royal Air Force Station Geilenkirchen, more commonly known as RAF Geilenkirchen, was a Royal Air Force military air field in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of Germany, built by the British who used the facility mainly as an airfield for RAF fighter squadrons from May 1953 until 21...
, opened on 24 May 1953, RAF Brüggen
RAF Bruggen
The former Royal Air Force Station Brüggen, more commonly known as RAF Brüggen, in Germany was a major station of the Royal Air Force until 15 June 2001. It was situated next to the village of Elmpt, approximately west of Düsseldorf near the German-Netherlands border. The base was named after...
, formed in 1 May 1953 and completed in July of that year, and RAF Laarbruch
RAF Laarbruch
The former Royal Air Force Station Laarbruch, more commonly known as RAF Laarbruch ICAO EDUL was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, located in Germany on its border with the Netherlands...
, opened on 15 October 1954. RAF Wildenrath, with RAF Bruggen and RAF Laarbruch were clustered fairly closely together and came under the auspices of NATO's 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force (2ATAF).
RAF service
No. 92 Squadron RAF
No. 92 Squadron, also known as No 92 Squadron, of the Royal Air Force was formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps at London Colney as a fighter squadron on 1 September 1917. It deployed to France in July 1918 and saw action for just four months, until the end of the war. During the conflict it...
which formed there in April 1977. Both units flew F-4 Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
's, providing air defence for RAF Germany
Royal Air Force Germany
The former Royal Air Force Germany was a command of the Royal Air Force and part of British Forces Germany, consisting of those units located in Germany initially as part of the occupation following World War II, and later as part of the RAF's commitment to the defence of Europe during the Cold...
(RAFG) and its allies
Allies
In everyday English usage, allies are people, groups, or nations that have joined together in an association for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out between them...
. A communications flight was provided by 60 Sqn
No. 60 Squadron RAF
No. 60 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at Gosport. It is currently part of the Defence Helicopter Flying School based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire....
, initially with Hunting Percival Pembroke
Percival Pembroke
-See also:-Bibliography:* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.* Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 . London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-10014-X....
s which were replaced by Hawker Siddeley Andovers in the mid to late 1980s. RAF Germany Communications Squadron also operated dH Devon
De Havilland Dove
The de Havilland DH.104 Dove was a British monoplane short-haul airliner from de Havilland, the successor to the biplane de Havilland Dragon Rapide and was one of Britain's most successful post-war civil designs...
and dH Heron
De Havilland Heron
The de Havilland DH.114 Heron was a small, propeller-driven British airliner that first flew on 10 May 1950. It was a development of the twin-engine de Havilland Dove, with a stretched fuselage and two more engines. It was designed as a rugged, conventional low-wing monoplane with tricycle...
aircraft.
In the 1960s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
to 1970, Wildenrath was home to Nos. 14
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:...
and 17 Squadrons; the former flew B(I)8 Canberra
English Electric Canberra
The English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
s, and was part of the 2nd ATAF tactical nuclear strike force. The locations of their quick-readiness dispersals can still be seen to the south of the old main gate. No. 17 Squadron flew the PR7 Canberra, and the two squadrons' "in house" T4 training aircraft were combined into the so-called "T4 Flight" as a separate sub-unit, forming a useful additional resource for 2ATAF senior officers to use to maintain their flying hours.
At this time, the CO
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
of 2ATAF (former Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain is the name given to the World War II air campaign waged by the German Air Force against the United Kingdom during the summer and autumn of 1940...
fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
, Sir Christopher Foxley-Norris
Christopher Foxley-Norris
Air Chief Marshal Sir Christopher Neil Foxley-Norris GCB, DSO, OBE, FRSA was a squadron commander during World War II and, later, the RAF's commander-in-chief in Germany.-Early life:...
) had a Vickers Valetta
Vickers Valetta
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Vickers Aircraft since 1908. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-815-1....
aircraft as his personal transport, its lower fuselage and wings kept highly polished by the ground-crew of the RAF Germany Communication Flight (who later took the colour of ex-Singapore Gloster Javelin
Gloster Javelin
The Gloster Javelin was an "all-weather" interceptor aircraft that served with Britain's Royal Air Force in the late 1950s and most of the 1960s...
No. 60 Squadron RAF
No. 60 Squadron RAF
No. 60 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at Gosport. It is currently part of the Defence Helicopter Flying School based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire....
). The aircraft was eventually declared un-airworthy due to many of its rivet-heads having being polished off. It can be seen today in the 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...
at Hendon
Hendon
Hendon is a London suburb situated northwest of Charing Cross.-History:Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday , but the name, 'Hendun' meaning 'at the highest hill', is earlier...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In addition to its other overt and covert functions, 60 Squadron also acted as visiting aircraft flight for Wildenrath, hosting almost every type of RAF and NATO aircraft and civilian "trooper" BAC-111
BAC One-Eleven
The British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven, also known as the BAC-111, BAC-1-11 or BAC 1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s...
s and Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
s.
The Pembrokes had a second, more covert, role of taking photographs of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n and East German armed forces while flying along the Berlin air corridor
West Berlin Air Corridor
During the Cold War era , the West Berlin Air Corridors comprised three regulated airways for civil and military air traffic of the Western Allies between West Berlin and West Germany passing over the former East Germany's territory. The corridors were under control of the all-Allied Berlin Air...
s.
In 1953, the station Commanding Officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
was Group Captain
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above wing commander and immediately below air commodore...
JE "Johnnie" Johnson - a top-scoring British "Ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
" fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
of the Second World War
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...
. There were two North American
North American Aviation
North American Aviation was a major US aerospace manufacturer, responsible for a number of historic aircraft, including the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F-86 Sabre jet fighter, the X-15 rocket plane, and the XB-70, as well as Apollo Command and Service...
F-86E Sabre
F-86 Sabre
The North American F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. Produced by North American Aviation, the Sabre is best known as America's first swept wing fighter which could counter the similarly-winged Soviet MiG-15 in high speed dogfights over the skies of the Korean War...
squadrons [67 and 71], and a Sabre conversion flight. Also on site were 724 Signals Unit (Fighter control radar) 402 Air Stores Park, a unit of the RAF Regiment
RAF Regiment
The Royal Air Force Regiment is a specialist airfield defence corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942. After a 32 week trainee gunner course, its members are trained and equipped to prevent a successful enemy attack in the first instance; minimise the damage caused by a successful attack; and...
and an 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...
detachment that maintained land lines (AFS).
In the 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, Wildenrath became the home to the RAF "Harrier Force
Harrier Jump Jet
The Harrier, informally referred to as the Jump Jet, is a family of British-designed military jet aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations...
" which included 21(AS) Signal Regt. The Harriers moved to RAF Gütersloh
RAF Gütersloh
The former Royal Air Force Station Gütersloh, more commonly known as RAF Gütersloh, was a Royal Air Force Germany military airbase, the nearest Royal Air Force airbase to the East/West German border, in the vicinity of the town of Gütersloh. It was constructed by the Germans prior to World War II...
in 1976, and No 19 and 92 Squadrons with Phantom FGR.2 formed here and flew with this type until 1991.
Wildenrath closed as a flying base with effect from 1st April 1992. The last flying squadron still present at that time, No 60 Squadron, moved to the nearby RAF Brüggen
RAF Bruggen
The former Royal Air Force Station Brüggen, more commonly known as RAF Brüggen, in Germany was a major station of the Royal Air Force until 15 June 2001. It was situated next to the village of Elmpt, approximately west of Düsseldorf near the German-Netherlands border. The base was named after...
.
Wildenrath squadrons
- No. 3 Squadron RAFNo. 3 Squadron RAFNo 3 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Typhoon F2, FGR4 and T3 from RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire.No 3 Squadron, which celebrated its 95th anniversary over the weekend of 11-13 May 2007, is unique in the RAF for having two official crests....
; Harrier GR.1/T.2-later converted to GR.3/T.4Harrier Jump JetThe Harrier, informally referred to as the Jump Jet, is a family of British-designed military jet aircraft capable of vertical/short takeoff and landing operations... - No. 4 Squadron RAF; Harrier GR.1/T.2-later converted to GR.3/T.4
- No. 14 Squadron RAFNo. 14 Squadron RAFNo. 14 Squadron of the Royal Air Force currently operates the Beechcraft Shadow R1 in the ISTAR role from RAF Waddington.-World War I:...
; English Electric CanberraEnglish Electric CanberraThe English Electric Canberra is a first-generation jet-powered light bomber manufactured in large numbers through the 1950s. The Canberra could fly at a higher altitude than any other bomber through the 1950s and set a world altitude record of 70,310 ft in 1957...
B(I)8 (62-70), T4 - No. 17 Squadron RAF; English Electric Canberra PR7, T4
- No. 19 Squadron RAF; F-4 Phantom IIF-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
FGR.2 - No. 20 Squadron RAFNo. 20 Squadron RAFNo. 20 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was until March 2010, the OCU for the BAE Harrier GR9, and T12, operating from RAF Wittering...
; Harrier GR.1/T.2-later converted to GR.3/T.4 - No. 60 Squadron RAFNo. 60 Squadron RAFNo. 60 Squadron of the Royal Air Force was formed in 1916 at Gosport. It is currently part of the Defence Helicopter Flying School based at RAF Shawbury in Shropshire....
; Percival Pembroke C.1/C(PR).1Percival Pembroke-See also:-Bibliography:* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.* Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919 . London: Putnam, 1974. ISBN 0-370-10014-X....
, Hawker Siddeley Andover CC.1/CC.2 - No. 88 Squadron RAFNo. 88 Squadron RAFNo 88 Squadron RAF was an aircraft squadron of the Royal Air Force formed at Gosport, Hampshire in July 1917.-Involvement in World War I:The squadron was moved to France in April 1918 where it undertook fighter-reconnaissance duties...
; English Electric Canberra B(I)8 - No. 92 Squadron RAFNo. 92 Squadron RAFNo. 92 Squadron, also known as No 92 Squadron, of the Royal Air Force was formed as part of the Royal Flying Corps at London Colney as a fighter squadron on 1 September 1917. It deployed to France in July 1918 and saw action for just four months, until the end of the war. During the conflict it...
; F-4 Phantom II FGR.2 - No. 16 Squadron RAF RegimentRAF RegimentThe Royal Air Force Regiment is a specialist airfield defence corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942. After a 32 week trainee gunner course, its members are trained and equipped to prevent a successful enemy attack in the first instance; minimise the damage caused by a successful attack; and...
- No. 25 Squadron RAF; Bristol Bloodhound surface to air missiles
Wildenrath today
The former RAF Wildenrath is now much reduced in size. It is now an amalgamation with the nearby former RAF BruggenRAF Bruggen
The former Royal Air Force Station Brüggen, more commonly known as RAF Brüggen, in Germany was a major station of the Royal Air Force until 15 June 2001. It was situated next to the village of Elmpt, approximately west of Düsseldorf near the German-Netherlands border. The base was named after...
, now Javelin Barracks/Elmpt Station. The domestic site is now predominantly military. It is a community housing estate for both the Joint Heaquarters for NATO, and Javelin Barracks/Elmpt Station. A very small part of the runway still exists, however, much of it is overgrown. Unlike other former RAF airbases in Germany (such as Airport Weeze
Airport Weeze
Weeze Airport or Niederrhein Airport is an airport situated southwest of the small municipality of Weeze in the Niederrhein of western Germany. It is northwest of Kevelaer, about southeast of Nijmegen, Netherlands, and northwest of Duisburg...
, previously named Niederrhein
Niederrhein
Niederrhein could refer to:* The northernmost German section of the river Rhine, see: Lower Rhine * The Lower Rhine region* Airport Weeze, also known as Airport Niederrhein*Niederrhein , a song by Austrian musician Herwig Mitteregger...
), it was not turned into a civilian commercial airport. Of the technical site, virtually all but one of the bigger buildings are now knocked down. The station itself still has a NAAFI but more reduced in size; and now moved to where the YWCA had previously been. The Astra cinema was knocked down in late 2005. The community has a youth club, hair dresses, Pub/Club/Bar venue, Library. Until 2006, a YWCA Shop and Cafe existed; but this has now been removed as the YWCA has left the forces community.
The original airfield
Aerodrome
An aerodrome, airdrome or airfield is a term for any location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve cargo, passengers or neither...
site and immediate environs are now used by Siemens AG
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
under their Transportation and Automotive business arm (Siemens Mobility), as their railway
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
testing centre; known as the Test- and Validationcenter Wegberg-Wildenrath
Test- and Validationcenter Wegberg-Wildenrath
The Test and validation centre, Wegberg-Wildenrath is a railway test centre owned by Siemens Mobility near Wildenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-History:...
. By 2007, the railway test tracks have taken over considerable areas of the airfield. All but the western threshold and over-run of the runway has been obliterated, and the eastern runway threshold is now a Golf course, rather than the site of Bloodhound surface to air missiles. The north-east dispersal is completely taken over by sidings, workshops and shunting loops. Of the southern dispersals, the central and eastern are bisected by the main railway oval test track. As of January 2008, only the south western dispersal and Hardened Aircraft Shelters remain, but these have now since all been removed, with the surviving taxiway
Taxiway
A taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....
s being used for recreational purposes by the local civilian residents.
See also
- Royal Air Force station
- List of Royal Air Force aircraft squadrons
- List of aircraft of the RAF
- Test- and Validationcenter Wegberg-WildenrathTest- and Validationcenter Wegberg-WildenrathThe Test and validation centre, Wegberg-Wildenrath is a railway test centre owned by Siemens Mobility near Wildenrath in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-History:...