Roth Air Base
Encyclopedia
Roth Air Base is located 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) south of the city of Roth
in Bavaria
, Germany
.
Planning for a base for the nascent Luftwaffe
near Roth started in the mid-1930s. Building works not only for an air base but also for regular barracks
started in 1937 and were completed in 1938. The first unit to occupy the base was a pilot training school relocated from Landsberg Air Base
near Penzing
.
During World War II
, a number of Luftwaffe fighter wings were stationed at Roth. In 1945 the airfield was bombed by aircraft of the USAAF
and surrendered to American forces on 8 April 1945. Subsequently, the base was used as storage facility for ammunition and bombs.
In 1954 Roth's Amateur Pilot Club received permission to use the airstrip. This permission has never been revoked and is still valid.
In 1956 the air base was handed over to the German military, first to the Luftwaffe, which used it for the basic training
of its recruits, and in 1961 to the German Army
which utilised the facilities to house units of its Army Aviation Corps on the base, extending and improving the already existing structures. The first aircraft to be stationed at Roth Air Base were Alouette II and Do 27
and in 1963 Army Aviation Battalion 4 was founded at Roth. In the same year, the air base was given the name Otto Lilienthal Barracks
after the pioneer of human aviation
.
After the phasing out of the Do 27, the battalion received helicopters of the type Bell UH-1D in 1969. During the following decade a number of German Army Aviation Corps' units were stationed at Roth Air Base only to be relocated within a few years or to be renamed.
In 1980 Army Aviation Regiment 26 received helicopters of the type Bo 105 and in 2004 the regiment was renamed Army Aviation Attack Helicopter Regiment 26 and was given the honorary name Franken (i.e. Franconia
), this being a result of the German Army's continuing commitment to the base at the time.
In 2009 Army Aviation Attack Helicopter Regiment 26 received 32 helicopters of the type Eurocopter Tiger
is planned, replacing the Bo 105. In order to accommodate this new helicopter, extensive construction works to build two hangars for storage and maintenance had started in 2007.
Even though Army Aviation Attack Helicopter Regiment 26 is the air base's main occupant, small units of other parts of the armed forces are also stationed at this location, namely Army Aviation Squadron 269, two squadrons of the Luftwaffe's Air Defence Artillery Group 23 equipped with Patriot
surface-to-air missile
s, parts of the Luftwaffe's Training Regiment and its staff, and also parts of Central Medical Services
.
Approximately 2,800 military and civilian personnel are employed at Roth Air Base.
In October 2011 the German Federal Ministry of Defence
announced a reorganisation/reduction of the German Armed Forces. As a consequence, Army Aviation Attack Helicopter Regiment 26 and auxiliary units as well the two squadrons of the Luftwaffe's Air Defence Artillery Group 23 and the Luftwaffe's Training Regiment will be disbanded. The Luftwaffe's Officers Training School will relocate from Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base
to Roth. The Central Medical Services will be expanded into a regional medical centre. Additionally, a regiment of Feldjäger
(Military Police
) will also be moved to Roth. However, after the implementation of these cuts and relocation the number of military personnel based at Roth Air Base will be reduced by more than 80 per cent to 540.
Roth bei Nürnberg
Roth is a town in Bavaria, Germany, the capital of the district Roth. It is located about 25 km south of Nuremberg.-History:...
in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, 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...
.
Planning for a base for the nascent Luftwaffe
History of the Luftwaffe during World War II
The German Luftwaffe was one of the strongest, most doctrinally advanced, and most battle-experienced air forces in the world when World War II started in Europe in September 1939. Officially unveiled in 1935, in violation of the Treaty of Versailles, its purpose was to support Adolf Hitler's...
near Roth started in the mid-1930s. Building works not only for an air base but also for regular barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
started in 1937 and were completed in 1938. The first unit to occupy the base was a pilot training school relocated from Landsberg Air Base
Landsberg-Lech Air Base
Landsberg-Lech Air Base is a German Air Force base located near the town of Landsberg am Lech in Bavaria.Landsberg is used as a transport base...
near Penzing
Penzing, Germany
Penzing is a municipality in the district of Landsberg in Bavaria in Germany....
.
During World War II
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...
, a number of Luftwaffe fighter wings were stationed at Roth. In 1945 the airfield was bombed by aircraft of the USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
and surrendered to American forces on 8 April 1945. Subsequently, the base was used as storage facility for ammunition and bombs.
In 1954 Roth's Amateur Pilot Club received permission to use the airstrip. This permission has never been revoked and is still valid.
In 1956 the air base was handed over to the German military, first to the Luftwaffe, which used it for the basic training
Recruit training
Recruit training, more commonly known as Basic Training and colloquially called Boot Camp, is the initial indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel, enlisted and officer...
of its recruits, and in 1961 to the German Army
German Army
The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
which utilised the facilities to house units of its Army Aviation Corps on the base, extending and improving the already existing structures. The first aircraft to be stationed at Roth Air Base were Alouette II and Do 27
Dornier Do 27
-See also:-Bibliography:*Green, William. Macdonald Aircraft Handbook. London. Macdonald & Co. Ltd., 1964.*Jackson, Paul A. German Military Aviation 1956-1976. Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1976. ISBN 0-904597-03-2.-External links:**...
and in 1963 Army Aviation Battalion 4 was founded at Roth. In the same year, the air base was given the name Otto Lilienthal Barracks
Otto Lilienthal
Otto Lilienthal was a German pioneer of human aviation who became known as the Glider King. He was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful gliding flights. He followed an experimental approach established earlier by Sir George Cayley...
after the pioneer of human aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
.
After the phasing out of the Do 27, the battalion received helicopters of the type Bell UH-1D in 1969. During the following decade a number of German Army Aviation Corps' units were stationed at Roth Air Base only to be relocated within a few years or to be renamed.
In 1980 Army Aviation Regiment 26 received helicopters of the type Bo 105 and in 2004 the regiment was renamed Army Aviation Attack Helicopter Regiment 26 and was given the honorary name Franken (i.e. Franconia
Franconia
Franconia is a region of Germany comprising the northern parts of the modern state of Bavaria, a small part of southern Thuringia, and a region in northeastern Baden-Württemberg called Tauberfranken...
), this being a result of the German Army's continuing commitment to the base at the time.
In 2009 Army Aviation Attack Helicopter Regiment 26 received 32 helicopters of the type Eurocopter Tiger
Eurocopter Tiger
The Eurocopter Tiger is an attack helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter. In Germany it is known as the Tiger; in France and Spain it is called the Tigre.-Origins:...
is planned, replacing the Bo 105. In order to accommodate this new helicopter, extensive construction works to build two hangars for storage and maintenance had started in 2007.
Even though Army Aviation Attack Helicopter Regiment 26 is the air base's main occupant, small units of other parts of the armed forces are also stationed at this location, namely Army Aviation Squadron 269, two squadrons of the Luftwaffe's Air Defence Artillery Group 23 equipped with Patriot
MIM-104 Patriot
The MIM-104 Patriot is a surface-to-air missile system, the primary of its kind used by the United States Army and several allied nations. It is manufactured by the Raytheon Company of the United States. The Patriot System replaced the Nike Hercules system as the U.S. Army's primary High to Medium...
surface-to-air missile
Surface-to-air missile
A surface-to-air missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles...
s, parts of the Luftwaffe's Training Regiment and its staff, and also parts of Central Medical Services
Central Medical Services
The Bundeswehr's Joint Medical Service is a part of the German Armed Forces but explicitly no new branch of arms. Medical personnel of all three branches were assigned to a centralized authority which was installed to concentrate their capabilities. However these troops remain members of their...
.
Approximately 2,800 military and civilian personnel are employed at Roth Air Base.
In October 2011 the German Federal Ministry of Defence
Federal Ministry of Defence (Germany)
The Federal Ministry of Defence is a top-level federal agency, headed by the Federal Minister of Defence as a member of the Cabinet of Germany...
announced a reorganisation/reduction of the German Armed Forces. As a consequence, Army Aviation Attack Helicopter Regiment 26 and auxiliary units as well the two squadrons of the Luftwaffe's Air Defence Artillery Group 23 and the Luftwaffe's Training Regiment will be disbanded. The Luftwaffe's Officers Training School will relocate from Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base
Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base
Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base is a German Air Force airfield located near the town of Fürstenfeldbruck in Bavaria, near Munich, Germany....
to Roth. The Central Medical Services will be expanded into a regional medical centre. Additionally, a regiment of Feldjäger
Feldjäger
For the German Military Police in WWII see: Feldjaegerkorps and FeldgendarmerieIn presence Feldjäger is the name of military police of the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces. The term Feldjäger, literally meaning field huntsmen or field Jäger, has a long tradition and dates back to the mid-17th...
(Military Police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
) will also be moved to Roth. However, after the implementation of these cuts and relocation the number of military personnel based at Roth Air Base will be reduced by more than 80 per cent to 540.
See also
- German Army Aviation Corps
- History of the German Army Aviation Corps
- German ArmyGerman ArmyThe German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Following the disbanding of the Wehrmacht after World War II, it was re-established in 1955 as the Bundesheer, part of the newly formed West German Bundeswehr along with the Navy and the Air Force...
- Army AviationArmy aviationArmy Aviation refers to aviation-related units of a nation's army, often described as an air corps. These units are generally separate from a nation's dedicated air force, and usually comprise helicopters and light support fixed-wing aircraft....
- Eurocopter TigerEurocopter TigerThe Eurocopter Tiger is an attack helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter. In Germany it is known as the Tiger; in France and Spain it is called the Tigre.-Origins:...