Former British Barracks

Don't know if this list has been published on here before, I thought that it might be of interest.


https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_geschlossenen_britischen_Milit%C3%A4rstandorte_in_Deutschland

I notice that York Barracks known locally in the 1950's as Gremmendorf Kaserne was originally named Luftnachrichten-Kaserne (Luftwaffe), loosely translated to Air Message Barracks. I saw no evidence of runways or control towers when I was there in 52/54 so I am wondering if was not a working air base but more of a giant ASSU type of operation. It was ideally laid out to house an armoured regiment as was the case in my time, the 17/21 Lancers had the duty. It was also 20 Brigade HQ and also housed 4 Squadron, 6 Armd Div Signals (HQ Troop and 'W' Troop with 'V' Troop as an outstation. 4 Squadron was unofficially named 20 Bde Signal Squadron to the ire of RSM Derwent who went ballistic if he heard us call it that. A point of interest was that all of the barrack rooms had a cubby hole in the walls that housed in Luftwaffe days, a morse key and receiver, gone by my day but it housed my portable radio nicely. As you can see by the photo 20 Armoured Brigade Signal Squadron was used with impunity. The REME Cpl was Evan (Lofty) Meadows my best buddy in those days, we shared the NCO's billet in the Squadron Block.

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I think when 'JPW' pops in, he will confirm the place exact location of the airfield. I believe he has an aerial photo of the field strip!

Found this on a German 'contact' site' .... sort of bears out what I surmised. Not an active airfield but a huge 'propaganda' factory ... the original was in German, used Free Translation to get to the meat of it.

The Air News barracks in MS-Gremmendorf continues to be used by the British (York Barracks). The local buildings are mostly still from 30's years. In these barracks the Luftgau Message Regiment 6 and the Air Regiment 2 were stationed.
In Luftgaukommando was housed a news headquarters.

I believe the Dutch were there at Handorf early sixties?  Area was later turned over to agriculture use.

The airfield was towards the town just up from Gremmendorf and over the railway line known as "Loddenheide Airfield" and converted to barracks, have a map showing the airfield and another later in the early 50s after the conversion

Note sure why I confused Gremmendorf/Handorf?

On one of the FB sites I use it had a photo of a Zeppelin at Muenster. Which Fliegerhorst was that?

Shelldrake

Thanks for introducing this wide ranging discussion

Yes, the project team have their own links to this useful reference, in fact thanks to contributors to this site the team have more than the wikipedia link. There are similar pages for closed Canadian, Danish, Dutch and Norwegian as well as American Barracks.

Loddenheide was originally a grass airfield with hard standing round the hangers built as part of the defence of the ruhr against air attack. I think Luftnachricten Kaserne was the associated communication centre linked to the German Wurzburg Radar system and Wild Sau (Wild Boar) fighter control system. A more accurate translation of Luftnachrichten in this context would be Air Support Signals. There was a Wehrmacht Nachricten (Signals) Regiment based in what we knew as Nelson Barracks off the Grevenerstrasse on the other side of town.

I thought there was an American Army nuclear weapons storage site in the Hahndorf area though for obvious reasons few details were known by the British but I agree there was a Dutch presence in Munster (my now wife flirted briefly with a Dutch officer before I came on the scene).

Finally I think we did discuss the Zeppelin site in Munster in the past with the much missed "Deadwood" making a very useful local contribution, think we came to the conclusion it was in the area of the old race course (rennbahn) to the south of the city. The expansion of modern Munster means there is no trace of the site now (Loddenheide airfield was a Hitler era new build.

JPW wrote:

Shelldrake

I thought there was an American Army nuclear weapons storage site in the Hahndorf area though for obvious reasons few details were known by the British but I agree there was a Dutch presence in Munster (my now wife flirted briefly with a Dutch officer before I came on the scene).

JPW

There was indeed an American Army nuclear weapons storage site in Munster-Handorf which closed in 1992, this was located at Telgte-Schirlheide.


https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_der_geschlossenen_amerikanischen_Milit%C3%A4rstandorte_in_Deutschland



Scroll down to Nordrhein-Westfalen, Muenster-Handorf.

Shelldrake, thanks for confirming my now fading memories and outlining the Dutch connection

Another Barracks up for sale Clive Barracks tern Hill home of the Royal Irish Regt



Copthorne Barracks Shrewsbury also up for sale

How much?

MoD Announces £140 Million Land Sell-Off

http://forces.tv/11909189

Shelldrake wrote:

How much?

Are you thinking of putting in an offer? On an FM pension you can do it

John Boy, Shelldrake was only local/acting/unpaid FM - he reverted to substantive Nig Nog on posting.

Len (Ciphers)

Wonder what will happen to the current occupants?

HQ 7 Infantry Brigade (former 49 Brigade) to Grantham is fairly logical but the Regular Battalion of the Royal Irish?

JPW wrote:

Wonder what will happen to the current occupants?

HQ 7 Infantry Brigade (former 49 Brigade) to Grantham is fairly logical but the Regular Battalion of the Royal Irish?

according to local paper they are quote un quote "looking for new premises"

john boy wrote:

Shelldrake wrote:

How much?

Are you thinking of putting in an offer? On an FM pension you can do it

I was thinking about it but it seems that the Bank of England is clamping down on buy to let mortgages so, I don't think it will be  
a goer!

john boy wrote:

JPW wrote:

Wonder what will happen to the current occupants?

HQ 7 Infantry Brigade (former 49 Brigade) to Grantham is fairly logical but the Regular Battalion of the Royal Irish?

according to local paper they are quote un quote "looking for new premises"

I hear Damascus is quite nice this time of year.