| Wunstorf Air Base | |
| Ensign: | Bundeswehr Logo Luftwaffe with lettering.svg |
| Ensign Size: | 200px |
| Coordinates: | 52.4547°N 9.4289°W |
| Pushpin Map: | Germany Lower Saxony |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Shown within Lower Saxony, Germany |
| Pushpin Label: | Wunstorf Air Base |
| Ownership: | Federal Defence Forces of Germany |
| Operator: | Luftwaffe (National Socialist), 1936-1945 Royal Air Force, 1945-1957 German Air Force (FRG), 1957-Present |
| Used: | 1936-Present |
| Garrison: | |
| Icao: | ETNW |
| R1-Number: | 03/21 |
| R1-Length: | 1699m (5,574feet) |
| R1-Surface: | Asphalt |
| R2-Number: | 08/26 |
| R2-Length: | 2499m (8,199feet) |
| R2-Surface: | Concrete |
Wunstorf Air Base is a German Air Force military airfield (air base), located south-southwest of Neustadt am Rübenberge and north-northwest of Wunstorf in Lower Saxony, Germany. Wunstorf Air Base is the home to Air Transport Wing 62 (German: Lufttransportgeschwader 62), a unit operating all German Airbus A400M Atlas.
The airfield was opened in 1936 for the German Luftwaffe reconstituted by the National Socialist government in 1935. During the Second World War, it was seized by the British Army on 7 April 1945, in a fierce battle by elements of the 5th Parachute Brigade, 6th Airborne Division. During the battle, in which the 13th Battalion was also engaged, the 7th (Light Infantry) Parachute Battalion lost six killed, and 21 wounded, most from the initial ambush of the four leading trucks of B Company. The airfield was captured with 19 Bf 109s, four Fw 190s, two Ju 88s, two Ju 52s and much other valuable equipment.
After the battle, the base was taken over by the Royal Air Force (RAF), including Canadian (RCAF) Wing 126 of the British 2nd Tactical Air Force, and designated as Advanced Landing Ground B-116 Wunstorf.
The airfield features heavily in the book 13 - Lucky For Some, which is about the history of the 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion. There are many then and now photographs as well as maps and diagrams of battles that took place in the region.
It was later designated RAF Wunstorf and used by Royal Air Force Germany. RAF units assigned were:
Much of the 1951 novel Air Bridge by Hammond Innes is set in RAF Wunstorf at the time of the Berlin Airlift. The novel contains descriptions of how the airfield, rapidly expanded for the Airlift, looked at that time.
The then-RAF Wunstorf also featured in the 1957 film "High Flight". Also in 1957, the airfield returned to the control of the German Air Force and became a NATO air base.
The airfield participated in Air Defender 23, the largest exercise of air forces in the history of NATO, held 12–23 June 2023 under the leadership of the German Air Force.[1]
German Air Force first stationed Nord Noratlas which by 1971 were replaced by Transall C-160D; those were disbanded from the local Air Transport Wing 62 (LTG 62) in July 2015, now focussing on accepting and integrating Airbus A400M Atlas. Flight training for decades was executed using Dornier Do 28.
As preparation for 40 Airbus A400M Atlas to be stationed at Wunstorf Air Base, the airbase underwent major expansion. Runway 08/26 (wide) was lengthened from to mainly to the east. Parking positions were expanded, one maintenance hangar was erected, another one is under construction. A building to house the flight simulator has been added.
| Wunstorf Air Base Circuit | |
| Location: | Wunstorf, Lower Saxony |
| Time: | CET (UTC+1) CEST (DST) |
| Events: | STW (1994, 1996–1998) German F3 (1974–1979, 1981–1986, 1988–1994, 1997–1998) DTM (1984–1988, 1990–1993) Interserie (1977–1979, 1985–1990) DRM (1981–1982, 1985) |
| Layout1: | Full Circuit (1982–1998) |
| Length Km: | 5.047 |
| Length Mi: | 3.136 |
| Turns: | 13 |
| Record Time: | 1:30.750 |
| Record Driver: |  Kris Nissen |
| Record Car: | Porsche 962C |
| Record Year: | [Interserie|1988]] |
| Record Class: | Group C |
| Layout2: | Full Circuit (1981) |
| Length Km2: | 5.047 |
| Length Mi2: | 3.136 |
| Turns2: | 12 |
| Record Time2: | 1:43.580 |
| Record Driver2: | Manfred Winkelhock |
| Record Car2: | Ford Capri III Turbo |
| Record Year2: | 1981 |
| Record Class2: | Group 5 |
| Layout3: | Full Circuit (1978–1980) |
| Length Km3: | 3.348 |
| Length Mi3: | 2.081 |
| Turns3: | 13 |
| Record Time3: | 1:17.500 |
| Record Driver3: | Jochen Dauer |
| Record Car3: | Chevron B43 |
| Record Year3: | 1978 |
| Record Class3: | F3 |
| Layout4: | Full Circuit (1976–1977) |
| Length Km4: | 3.849 |
| Length Mi4: | 2.392 |
| Turns4: | 16 |
| Record Time4: | 1:25.300 |
| Record Driver4: | Helmut Bross |
| Record Car4: | Lola T294 |
| Record Year4: | 1977 |
| Record Class4: | Group 5 |
| Layout5: | Full Circuit (1975) |
| Length Km5: | 3.500 |
| Length Mi5: | 2.175 |
| Turns5: | 13 |
| Layout6: | Full Circuit (1965–1974) |
| Length Km6: | 5.099 |
| Length Mi6: | 3.169 |
| Turns6: | 17 |
| Record Time6: | 1:49.000 |
| Record Driver6: | Kurt Ahrens Jr. |
| Record Car6: | Porsche 908 |
| Record Year6: | 1969 |
| Record Class6: | Group 6 |
| Layout7: | Full Circuit (1964) |
| Length Km7: | 3.799 |
| Length Mi7: | 2.361 |
Between 1964 and 1998, a temporary motor racing circuit was laid out on the Wunstorf airbase. Races at the circuit were included in the German Touring Car Championship between 1984 and 1993,[2] one of several temporary airfield tracks on the DTM calendar at the time. The series eventually began to move towards permanent racing facilities and the final DTM race at Wunstorf took place in 1993. The Super Tourenwagen Cup raced at the venue in 1994 and from 1996 to 1998.
In 1977, the Wunstorf circuit was first used for a round of the Interserie sports car racing championship. Wunstorf hosted the Interserie between 1977 and 1979, and again between 1985 and 1990.
Besides the big-name national championships, Wunstorf hosted a series of annual club racing meetings until 1999, when motor racing on the airbase premises was finally halted due to the cost of preparation and administration for the events.
The fastest official race lap records at the Wunstorf Air Base Circuit are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full Circuit: 5.047 km (1982–1998)[3] | ||||
| 1:30.750[4] | 1988 Wunstorf Interserie round | |||
| 1:38.494[5] | 1998 Wunstorf German F3 round | |||
| 1:44.620[6] | 1993 Wunstorf DTM round | |||
| 1:45.653[7] | 1997 Wunstorf STW Cup round | |||
| 1:46.150[8] | 1992 Wunstorf DTM round | |||
| Full Circuit: 5.047 km (1981) | ||||
| 1:43.580[9] | 1981 Wunstorf DRM round | |||
| 1:49.210[10] | 1981 Wunstorf German F3 round | |||
| Full Circuit: 3.348 km (1978–1980) | ||||
| 1:17.500[11] | 1978 Wunstorf German F3 round | |||
| Full Circuit: 3.849 km (1976–1977) | ||||
| 1:25.300[12] | 1977 Wunstorf Interserie round | |||
| Full Circuit: 3.500 km (1975) | ||||
| Full Circuit: 5.099 km (1965–1974) | ||||
| 1:49.000[13] | 1969 Internationales Flugplatzrennen Wunstorf | |||
| 1:52.500[14] | 1971 ADAC Flugplatzrennen Wunstorf Formula 3 race | |||
| 2:02.700[15] | 1971 ADAC Flugplatzrennen Wunstorf GT race | |||
| Full Circuit: 3.799 km (1964) | ||||