US says farewell to famous German air base

[NVMojo]

how sad, went shopping there as a teen when dad was stationed at Baumholder ...

October 10, 2005

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The United States returned the Rhein-Main air base to Germany on Monday, ending a 60-year chapter of Cold War history with a brass band ceremony on the runway that lies opposite continental Europe's busiest airport.

The air base that has served as a central hub for U.S. forces in Europe since the end of World War Two will be officially turned over to Frankfurt airport at the end of the year, nearly three months after Monday's ceremonial handover.

The airstrip south of Frankfurt airport was used to keep West Berlin from the Soviets during the 1948 blockade and served as a major staging point for later conflicts, including Vietnam, the 1990
Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of
Iraq.

more...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051010/pl_nm/germany_usa_airbase_dc

[Psephos]

1. Good, glad to see it.

The US is in a multi-year process of withdrawing about 30K troops out of Europe.

Peace.

[reorg]

6. well, this isn't part of it

They merely transferred operations from Frankfurt - where the space is desperately needed for a third terminal, and the runway was insufficient for large military cargo planes like the Galaxy, anyway - to Ramstein airbase, which was renovated and upgraded recently:

"Renovations and upgrades to the primary Air Port of Embarkation in Central Region (Ramstein Air Base) are complete and the facilities fully meet the needs of deploying Army forces."

http://www.info-westpfalz.de/Info-Westpfalz-Ordner/Staedte/Ramstein-AirBase.html


>> ...

2. Strategic Deployment Facilities.

a. Objective 2005: Enhance the Deployment Processing Center (DPC). (...)
b. Action Plan 2005: Improve the DPC to be able to process deploying equipment at the rate of 40 C-17 equivalents per day during a major deployment. This will allow maximum deployment of Army forces at the APOE. Forty C-17 equivalents is the projected capability in 2005, following significant Air Force construction at Ramstein Airbase. The DPC’s current capability is only ½ of Ramstein’s 2005 capability. ... <<

http://www.hqusareur.army.mil/nurevision%20files/htmlinks/Annex%20K%20-%20Installation%20XXI%20-%2031%20AUG%2000.doc

[NVMojo]

8. damn! that would make more sense since we fly our wounded to

Landstuhl Army hospital ...

[reorg]

9. yes, but this is not what the Galaxy is needed for

Runway in Frankfurt too short for fully loaded Galaxy (which means two tanks a piece, I believe):

http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,229500,00.jpg


http://www.hr-online.de/website/rubriken/nachrichten/index.jsp?rubrik=5930&key=standard_document_5823606

[Psephos]

10. Good info - thanx nt

[jody]

2. 60 years? That means we'll leave Baghdad in 2063. n/t

[rodeodance]

3. oh-I have a few good memories of this base--te he.

[reorg]

7. they are not leaving

even after 60 years. OTOH, it may be different with Baghdad, if the oil has run out by then.

[AllegroRondo]

4. They had a great golf course

that was the only part of the base I ever saw.

[Lexingtonian]

5. That was the only intriguing bit about that airport to me-

it always seemed to have some interesting-looking USAF planes parked around that airbase portion of it.

[NoAmericanTaliban]

11. Grew up there for a few years...

When my dad was stationed in Korea - 68-69 - my mother went to live with her sister near the Rhein-Main air force base in a town called Buschlag. Went to school there, shoped & saw many movies. Sad to see this, but we do not need to be there anymore.

[hogwyld]

12. It's about time

What we as a nation need to do is close down every single base in a foreign nation, and bring all of our troops home to take care of our own country!