Hahn Air Base
Hahn Air Base
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| Located near Kirchberg, Germany | |
General Dynamics F-16A Block 15 Fighting Falcons of the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing over Hahn Air Base. AF Ser. No. 80-0542 is visible in front
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 Hahn AB
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| Coordinates | 49°56′54″N 7°15′51″E / 49.94833°N 7.26417°ECoordinates: 49°56′54″N 7°15′51″E / 49.94833°N 7.26417°E |
| Type | Air Force Base |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States Air Force |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1952 |
| In use | 1952-1994 |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 50th Fighter Wing |
Hahn Air Base was a frontline NATO facility in Germany for over 40 years during the Cold War (former ICAO EDAH, now EDFH as Frankfurt-Hahn Airport). It is located 10 km (6.2 mi) from the town of Kirchberg and 20 km (12 mi) from the town of Simmern, and 2 km from the tiny village of Hahn in the Rhein-Hunsrück district of Rhineland-Palatinate in west-central Germany.
It was the home of the United States Air Force's 50th Fighter Wing (in various designations) for most of those years as part of the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE). It was one of several USAFE bases in Germany (Zweibrucken Air Base, Ramstein, Sembach, Bitburg, Spangdahlem, and Rhein-Main) all within 100 km (62 mi) of each other. Beyond their location in the heart of US Army and other NATO troop concentrations, these air bases were well situated to reach all locations within Europe and the Mediterranean region.
In 1951, occupying French forces founded an air base on the site which about 40 years later would become Hahn Air Base and the present day Frankfurt-Hahn Airport. In September 1952, the United States took over the installation, and began to erect the seventh largest USAF base in Europe and the second largest in Germany. The initial USAF unit at Hahn was the 7356th Air Base Group, whose mission was to get the base up and running and into an operational state.
Base facilities then consisted of pre-fabricated barrack buildings, heated by coke-burning pot belly stoves, outdoor latrines, and tents for motorpool personnel to work in. An L-5B was the first aircraft assigned to Hahn to fill administrative flight requirements.
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