RAF Gatow

Royal Air Force Station Gatow
The main gate of RAF Gatow in August 1983.
IATA: GWW ICAO: EDBG
Summary
Airport type	Military (airport no longer in operation)
Owner	formerly: Ministry of Defence, now: Bundeswehr
Operator	formerly: Royal Air Force, now: Bundeswehr
Location	Gatow, Berlin, Germany
Elevation AMSL	161 ft / 49 m
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 08R/26L (closed) 6,043 1,842 was Asphalt, now partly removed 08L/26R was Asphalt, now partly removed

Known for most of its operational life as Royal Air Force Station Gatow, or more commonly RAF Gatow, this former British Royal Air Force airfield (military airbase) is in the district of Gatow in south-western Berlin, west of the Havel river, in the borough of Spandau. It was the home for the only known operational use of flying boats in central Europe, and was later used for photographic reconnaissance missions by de Havilland Chipmunks over East Germany. Part of the former airfield is now called General Steinhoff-Kaserne, and is home to the Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr, the German Air Force Museum.

Also on the site of the former Royal Air Force station, but not part of General Steinhoff-Kaserne, is a school, the Hans-Carossa-Gymnasium, as well as houses for government employees of the Federal Republic of Germany. This part of the former airfield has since 2003 been part of the district of Berlin-Kladow.

The airfield was originally constructed in 1934 and 1935 by the Luftwaffe as a staff and technical college, Luftkriegsschule 2 Berlin-Gatow, in imitation of the Royal Air Force College at RAF Cranwell. The initial personnel came partially from the Naval Academy Mürwik. Opened on 1 April 1936, the air force college was renamed Luftkriegsschule 2 on 15 January 1940. Its satellite airfields were Güterfelde and Reinsdorf. Airborne flying training ended in October 1944, due to fuel shortages. From 5 March 1945, aircrew officer cadets were retrained as paratroops, for ground operations which had very high casualties.