Rheine-Bentlage Air Base

Rheine-Bentlage Air Base Heeresflugplatz Rheine-Bentlage (Advanced Landing Ground B-108)
IATA: none ICAO: ETHE
Summary
Airport type	Military
Owner	Federal Ministry of Defence
Operator	German Army
Location	Rheine
Built	1940
In use	1940 - 1945 1960 - present
Commander	Colonel Werner Salewski
Occupants	German Army Aviation Corps
Elevation AMSL	128 ft / 39 m
Coordinates	52°17′32″N 007°23′06″E / 52.29222°N 7.38500°E / 52.29222; 7.38500Coordinates: 52°17′32″N 007°23′06″E / 52.29222°N 7.38500°E / 52.29222; 7.38500
Map
ETHE Location of Rheine-Bentlage Air Base
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 09/27 510 1,637 Asphalt

Rheine-Bentlage Air Base (German: Heeresflugplatz Rheine-Bentlage) (ICAO: ETHE) is located near the village of Bentlage, 2 km northwest of the city of Rheine, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

In 1939 works to build an air base for the Luftwaffe began. These works were completed in 1940. During World War II extensive use was made of the air base, particularly by night and day fighter squadrons. After the war the air base was abandoned.

In 1960, following the founding of the German Armed Forces in 1955 and the establishing of a new branch within the German Army, the Aviation Corps, completely new military installations, hangars and a small runway made of asphalt, were constructed on the grounds of the former German Air Force base.

Since 1960 various units of the German Army Aviation Corps have been stationed at Rheine Air Base. Initially, these units flew Sikorsky H-34 helicopters, which were used extensively during relief operations following the disastrous North Sea flood of 1962. Another type of helicopter stationed at Rheine-Bentlage was the Alouette II.

In 1974, the Sikorsky CH-53 replaced the by now obsolete H-34 and has been in service at Rheine-Bentlage ever since, along with a small number of Bo 105VBH. In 1975, the air base was officially named Theodor Blank Barracks after the first Federal Minister of Defence of Germany.

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Wikipedia