Diepholz Air Base(ICAO:ETND) is aGerman Air Forcemilitary air base, located 3.3 km southwest ofDiepholzinLower Saxony,Germany.It is a joint-use civil-military facility, also being a civil airport.
| Diepholz Air Base Diepholz Airport Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) B-114  | |
|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 52°35′07″N008°20′27″E/ 52.58528°N 8.34083°E |
| Type | Civil/Military Airfield |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |  Bundeswehr (Air Force) |
| Site history | |
| In use | 1936–present |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants |  Luftwaffe (National Socialist), 1936–1945 Royal Air Force,1945German Air Force(FRG), 1957–present |
Airfield information | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| ElevationAMSL | 127 ft / 39 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°35′07″N008°20′27″E/ 52.58528°N 8.34083°E | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  ETN Location of Diepholz Air Base | |||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||
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Between 1968 and 1996, theDiepholz Airfield Circuit,a temporary motorsports venue, was regularly laid out on the airfield.
Overview
editDiepholz Air Base was home of 2nd Flying Group ofHelicopter Transport Wing 64from 1968 to 1971. It also housed various logistical units of the German Air Force.
History
editThe airfield was originally opened in 1936 forNazi Germany'sLuftwaffe.DuringWorld War II,it was seized by theBritish Armyin April 1945. After the battle, the base was over by theRoyal Air Forceand designated as Advanced Landing GroundB-114 Diepholz.After the war, the airfield was closed.
In 1957, the base was returned to the control of theGerman Air Forceand became aNATOAir Base.
In October 2011, the GermanFederal Ministry of Defenceannounced a reorganisation/reduction of theGerman Armed Forces.As a consequence, the number of personnel stationed at Diepholz Air Base was reduced from 1,020 to 110, with the airbase facilities being only used as a material storage site.[1]
Racing circuit
editGerman racing suffered from a lack of permanent circuits after the war, and airfield venues sprang up to bolster events at the Nürburgring and Hockenheim. Diepholz was among the most popular and long-lasting. In 1968, the local motorsport-club AMC Diepholz organized the first "ADAC-Flugplatzrennen Diepholz" on the airfield. The circuit utilised the airfield runways linked by fast chicanes, lined by water-filled oil barrels and tyre stacks.
These races soon gathered momentum and in 1972 Diepholz was added to the prestigious DRM touring car championship. Throughout the rest of the 1970s, tin-top stars such as Frank Gardner, Hans Heyer, Toine Hezemans, Helmut Kelleners, Klaus Ludwig and Bob Wollek battled it out in BMWs, Porsches and Fords.
The airfield circuit was discontinued after 1998 due to the completion of a new permanent circuit, theMotorsport Arena Oschersleben.
References
edit- ^Quoted fromBundesministerium der Verteidigung (26 October 2011),Neues Stationierungskonzept der Bundeswehr(in German),retrieved5 November2011,PDF-file "Die Stationierung der Bundeswehr in Deutschland", passim
Further reading
edit- Johnson, David C. (1988), U.S. Army Air Forces Continental Airfields (ETO), D-Day to V-E Day; Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center, Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
External links
edit- Military Airfield Directory Diepholz Airbase
- Diepholz 1968–96
- Airport information for ETNDat Great Circle Mapper.
