Active 1945 – 2001 Role Training | Country Germany Branch Royal Air Force | |
 | ||
Allegiance UK: British Armed Forces Type Aviation bombing and gunnery range Part of RAF Second Tactical Air Force,
then Royal Air Force Germany March Royal Air Force March Past | ||
Royal Air Force Station Nordhorn, more commonly known as RAF Nordhorn, is a military aviation bombing and gunnery range to the east of nearby Nordhorn, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The range is used by the British Royal Air Force (RAF), the German Luftwaffe, and other NATO air forces and aviation arms of their other branches (such as the Army Air Corps, and the Fleet Air Arm).
The first use for gunnery purposes was by the Wehrmacht in 1933, when the heaths to the east of the town of Nordhorn were used for artillery target practice. The RAF took over the range in 1945. During the Cold War, the daily flights over the town of Nordhorn were a constant reminder to the local townspeople of the ongoing struggle with the Soviets, despite the great distance to the border with Communist East Germany.
Despite the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the base remained as one of the few military facilities used by British Armed Forces in Germany. In 1996, as British forces were withdrawn from the rest of Germany, the Nordhorn aerodrome was expanded. Also in 1996, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) decided to hand control of the base to the German government within a timeframe of ten years. It was transferred back to the German Bundeswehr (Federal Defence Forces of Germany) in March 2001. Despite being under German ownership, the RAF still maintains a presence at the base.