List of Canadian military locations in Germany

LAHR

RCAF Base Söllingen

RCAF Base Zweibrücken

RCAF HQ Metz

RCAF Base Grostenquin

RCAF Div Marville

Canadian Armed Forces locations and airfields in Germany

Lahr became an air hub between Canada and Europe, Cyprus and the Middle East.

The list of Canadian military locations in Germany lists all former military facilities of Canadian associations in Germany. At the Geilenkirchen site, there are still 133 Canadian NATO soldiers in the AWACS headquarters, who fly with planes flying the Luxembourg flag. In order to preserve the originality, the place names - as far as it seemed reasonable - follow the designations used by the Canadian armed forces at the time (ie later community reforms are not taken into account).

The units were subordinate to the High Command CFE / FCE = Canadian Forces Europe / Forces Canadiennes Europe (Canadian Armed Forces Europe), Lahr .

In view of the worsening situation caused by the Korean crisis, the Canadian government decided to send troops to Europe in 1950. The land forces in brigade strength (Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group) were to be stationed under the command of NORTHAG in northern Germany, the air forces under the command of 4 ATAF in France and the French zone in Germany. In contrast to all other western states with armed forces stationed in Germany, which initially strengthened the occupying forces of the victorious powers, the Canadian government based its military presence on the NATO alliance commitment from the start.

The ultimatum of French President Charles de Gaulle in 1966 to withdraw from the integration of NATO, combined with the request to withdraw all troops of the allies from the territory of France by March 31, 1967, also fundamentally changed the situation for Canada. The Canadian air forces deployed in the Metz area in northeast France were relocated to Söllingen and the Zweibrücken airfield, which is already used by RCAF. In order to concentrate the forces, to end the various subordination of land and air forces and to save costs, the CMBG moved in 1970 from the Soest area to the south-west to Lahr and was managed as a CENTAG reserve.

The equipment of the Canadian armed forces with nuclear weapons required the presence of US custodial teams in order to ensure the nuclear custody according to the two-key principle. After the change of government in 1984, the Canadian government ended the bilateral nuclear agreement with the United States.

Baden-Württemberg

Location	property	Previous user	Troops	Year of dissolution	Reuse	Remarks
Lahr	RCAF Base Lahr	FFA until 1967	CFE / FCE	1993	Lahr airport	1969–1971 nuclear armed raid with CF-104. Air hub between Canada and Europe, Cyprus, Middle East.
Lahr	Airport barracks	Quartier Ménard (FFA)	HQ CMBG (CFE / FCE)	1993	Lahr airport	1967 Transfer of the Serre barracks from France to Canada.
Ringsheim	Canadian Facility Station (CFS) Ringsheim			1993
Söllingen	RCAF Base Söllingen		1 Canadian Air Group (CFE / FCE) since 1967	1993	Karlsruhe / Baden-Baden airport	Built in 1952 by the French building authorities. Nuclear custody by US custodial team until 1984.

Lower Saxony

Location	property	Previous user	Troops	Year of dissolution	Reuse	Remarks
Hamelin	Bindon Barracks	BAOR	CMBG (CFE / FCE) 1951	1953/1955	BAOR	German name: Scharnhorst barracks
Hamelin	Gordon Barracks	BAOR	CMBG (CFE / FCE) 1951	1953/1955	BAOR	German name: Linsingen barracks
Hanover	Chatham Barracks	BAOR	HQ CMBG (CFE / FCE) 1951	1953/1955	BAOR	German name: Emmich-Cambrai-Kaserne or war school. 1953/1955 relocation of the brigade to the Soest area.
	London barracks	BAOR	CMBG (CFE / FCE) 1951	1953/1955	BAOR	German name: Prinz-Albrecht-Kaserne
	Stonehenge Barracks	BAOR	CMBG (CFE / FCE) 1951	1953/1955	BAOR	German name: Langenhagen Air Base or Boelcke Barracks

North Rhine-Westphalia

Location	property	Previous user	Troops	Year of dissolution	Reuse	Remarks
Geilenkirchen	Geilenkirchen Air Base	RAFG	AWACS HQ (NATO)	still existing		Since 1994 the 133 Canadian soldiers have been the only members of the CFE / FCE remaining in Germany.
Hemer	Fort MacLeod		CMBG (CFE / FCE) since 1953	1970	Barrosa Barracks (BAOR)	Nuclear custody by US custodial team
Hemer	Fort Prince of Wales	Blücher barracks (Wehrmacht)	CMBG (CFE / FCE) since 1953	1970	Peninsula Barracks (BAOR)
Iserlohn	Fort Beauséjour	Corunna and Epsom Barracks (BAOR)	CMBG (CFE / FCE) since 1957	1970	Corunna and Epsom Barracks (BAOR)	German name Seydlitz-Kaserne
	Fort Qu'Appelle	Mons Barracks (BAOR)	CMBG (CFE / FCE) since 1957	1970	Mons Barracks (BAOR)	German name Blücher-Kaserne, Winckelmann- or Artillerie-Kaserne
	British Military Hospital	BAOR	CMBG (CFE / FCE) since 1957	1970	BAOR	1957–1970 Hospital of the Canadian NATO Brigade
Lohne ( Soest )	Fort Chambly	Salamanca Barracks (BAOR)	CMBG (CFE / FCE) since 1957	1970	Salamanca Barracks (BAOR)
Stockum ( Soest )	Fort Henry	St. Sebastian Barracks (BAOR)	HQ CMBG (CFE / FCE) since 1957	1970	St. Sebastian Barracks (BAOR)	Nuclear custody by US custodial team.
Stockum ( Soest )	Fort York		CFE / FCE	1965	CMBG (CFE / FCE)	British place name: Körbecke or Möhnesee.
Werl	Fort Anne		CMBG (CFE / FCE)	1970	Albuhera Barracks (BAOR)	Built in 1953 in the Werler city forest
	Fort St-Louis		CMBG (CFE / FCE)	1970	Albuhera Barracks (BAOR)	Built in 1953 in the Werler city forest
	Fort Victoria		CMBG (CFE / FCE)	1970	Vittoria Barracks (BAOR)	Built in 1953 in the Werler city forest. Nuclear custody by US custodial team.

Rhineland-Palatinate

Location	property	Previous user	Troops	Year of dissolution	Reuse	Remarks
Horse field	RCAF Base Horse Field	Air force ; French Air Force	RCAF	1955	USAFE, 1960 Air Force	Expanded in 1952 by the French building authorities.
Zweibrücken	RCAF Base Zweibrücken		Fighter pilot (RCAF) since 1953	1969	USAFE	Built in 1952 by the French building authorities.

Abbreviations

abbreviation	text
AFNORTH	Allied Forces Northern Europe
ATAF	Allied Tactical Air Force
AWACS	Airborne Warning and Control System
BAOR	British Army of the Rhine
CFE	Canadian Forces Europe
CMBG	Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group
FCE	Forces Canadiennes en Europe
FFA	Forces Françaises en Allemagne
HQ	Headquarters
NATO	North Atlantic Treaty Organization
OTAN	Organization du Traité de l'Atlantique Nord
RAFG	Royal Air Force Germany
RCAF	Royal Canadian Air Force
USAFE	United States Air Force in Europe
USAREUR	United States Army in Europe

literature

Detlev Grieswelle, Wilfried Schlau (Hrsg.): Allied troops in the Federal Republic of Germany. Lectures and contributions from the Political Academy of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation . 13, Bonn 1990
- therein: Harald Paul: Canadian Armed Forces in Lahr , pp. 136–141
Sean M. Maloney: Au coeur d'une guerre sans combat. La Brigade canadienne de l'OTAN en Allemagne 1951-1993. Défense nationale, Ottawa 1994
- Rev .: War Without Battles: Canada's NATO Brigade in Germany, 1951 - 1993. McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Toronto 1997
Roy Rempel: Canada's Troop Deployment in Germany. Twilight of a Forty-Year Presence? In: Homeward Bound? Boulder 1992
Edwige Munn: Les troupes d'occupation canadiennes en Allemagne (juillet 1945 - juin 1946) , dans Serge Bernier, Robert Comeau, Béatrice Richard, Claude Beauregard, Marcel Bellavance eds. La participation des Canadiens français à la Deuxième Guerre mondiale. Mythes et réalités. Actes du colloque du 6 au 9 octobre 1994, Bulletin d'histoire politique, vol. 3, nos 3-4 (printemps / été 1995), AQHP / Septentrion, p. 47-55

Web links

www.zone-interdite.net Flash animated world map with military zones (German / English)

Individual evidence

↑ Headquarters 1951–1953 in Hanover, 1953–1970 in Soest, subordinated to NORTHAG. HQ 1970–1994 in Lahr, subordinated to CENTAG.
^ After the end of the war, Great Britain quickly realized that its troops were insufficient to militarily secure its very large zone of occupation in northwest Germany. Therefore it turned to its allies for support. Canada and Belgium as well as Polish associations in exile took part in the conquest of the German Reich and until 1946 also took over occupation tasks in clearly defined rooms. The 1st (CDN) Army / 1st Armée Canadienne had been under the command of General HDG Crerar since 1944. At the end of the war, the 2nd Corps / 2nd Corps d'Armée expanded its operations from Holland to northwest Germany: the 4th Armored Division / 4th Division blindée crossed the Ems near Meppen and advanced via Sögel to Friesoythe; the 2nd Infantry Division / 2nd Infantry Division advanced from the Groningen area into the Oldenburg area; the 3rd Infantry Division / 3rd Division d'Infanterie replaced Polish units at the mouth of the Ems. In April 1945 there were still fighting to the west of Oldenburg and north of the coastal canal. On May 4, 1945, an armistice was ordered and the Canadian forces advanced on Wilhelmshaven, Aurich and Emden. On May 5, 1945, General of the Wehrmacht Johannes Blaskowitz surrendered in Wageningen (NL) to the Canadian General Charles Foulkes (KG 1st Corps / 1er Corps d'Armée) and General of the Wehrmacht Erich Straube in Bad Zwischenahn to the Canadian General Simonds (KG 2nd Corps / 2nd Corps d'Armée). The Allies had 8 divisions, 5 of them Canadian, between the Lower Rhine and Bremen. The most advanced Canadians Association, 1st Para Bn, met the Soviets on May 2, 1945 in Wismar. After the end of the war, Canadian forces remained in divisions (initially 2nd ID, from July 1945 3rd ID) until April 1946 as occupation forces (CAOF Canadian Army Occupation Force) in Germany (RegBez Aurich, Land Oldenburg); they were replaced by the 52nd Division (52d ID) of the British.
↑ Source BA-MA BW 1/121 132, 133
↑ named after Fort MacLeod in the province of Alberta, built in 1874 and named after Colonel James MacLeod, North West Mounted Police.
↑ named after Fort Prince of Wales on Hudson Bay near Churchill in the province of Manitoba, built in 1717.
↑ named after Fort Beauséjour, which protects the isthmus of Chignecto near Aulac in the province of New Brunswick, built by New France from 1748, renamed Fort Cumberland in 1755.
↑ named after Fort Qu'Appelle in the province of Saskatchewan, built in 1864 and named after the French command “Wer ruft” (Qui appelle), which comes from the name of the river in the language of the Cree Indians (Kah-tep-was = the river that calls).
↑ named after Fort Chambly, one of five forts along the Richelieu River in the province of Quebec, located at the mouth of the river in the St. Lawrence River, conquered by England in 1760.
↑ named after Fort Henry, located on the Cataraqui River near Kingston in the province of Ontario, built from 1812.
↑ named after Fort York near Toronto in the province of Ontario, built in 1793. York was the old name of the capital of Upper Canada, later Toronto.
↑ named after Fort Anne, which protects the access to the port of Annapolis Royal in the province of Nova Scotia, built from 1629 and named after Queen Anne of England (1665-1714).
↑ named after Fort St-Louis near Port La Tour in the province of Nova Scotia, built by France in its colony Acadie in 1623 and maintained during the Scottish occupation of Port Royal 1629–1632.
↑ named after Fort Victoria, built by the Hudson's Bay Company on Vancouver Island in 1843, became the capital of the province of British Columbia under the name Victoria.
↑ He puts the total number of members of the Canadian armed forces according to British or NATO statutes (i.e. not in the context of the previous occupation forces!) In D between 1951 and 1993 at more than 100,000 people, p. 14

[1] Headquarters 1951–1953 in Hanover, 1953–1970 in Soest, subordinated to NORTHAG. HQ 1970–1994 in Lahr, subordinated to CENTAG.

[2] After the end of the war, Great Britain quickly realized that its troops were insufficient to militarily secure its very large zone of occupation in northwest Germany. Therefore it turned to its allies for support. Canada and Belgium as well as Polish associations in exile took part in the conquest of the German Reich and until 1946 also took over occupation tasks in clearly defined rooms. The 1st (CDN) Army / 1st Armée Canadienne had been under the command of General HDG Crerar since 1944. At the end of the war, the 2nd Corps / 2nd Corps d'Armée expanded its operations from Holland to northwest Germany: the 4th Armored Division / 4th Division blindée crossed the Ems near Meppen and advanced via Sögel to Friesoythe; the 2nd Infantry Division / 2nd Infantry Division advanced from the Groningen area into the Oldenburg area; the 3rd Infantry Division / 3rd Division d'Infanterie replaced Polish units at the mouth of the Ems. In April 1945 there were still fighting to the west of Oldenburg and north of the coastal canal. On May 4, 1945, an armistice was ordered and the Canadian forces advanced on Wilhelmshaven, Aurich and Emden. On May 5, 1945, General of the Wehrmacht Johannes Blaskowitz surrendered in Wageningen (NL) to the Canadian General Charles Foulkes (KG 1st Corps / 1er Corps d'Armée) and General of the Wehrmacht Erich Straube in Bad Zwischenahn to the Canadian General Simonds (KG 2nd Corps / 2nd Corps d'Armée). The Allies had 8 divisions, 5 of them Canadian, between the Lower Rhine and Bremen. The most advanced Canadians Association, 1st Para Bn, met the Soviets on May 2, 1945 in Wismar. After the end of the war, Canadian forces remained in divisions (initially 2nd ID, from July 1945 3rd ID) until April 1946 as occupation forces (CAOF Canadian Army Occupation Force) in Germany (RegBez Aurich, Land Oldenburg); they were replaced by the 52nd Division (52d ID) of the British.

[3] Source BA-MA BW 1/121 132, 133

[4] ter Fort MacLeod in the province of Alberta, built in 1874 and named after Colonel James MacLeod, North West Mounted Police.

[5] ter Fort Prince of Wales on Hudson Bay near Churchill in the province of Manitoba, built in 1717.

[6] ter Fort Beauséjour, which protects the isthmus of Chignecto near Aulac in the province of New Brunswick, built by New France from 1748, renamed Fort Cumberland in 1755.

[7] ter Fort Qu'Appelle in the province of Saskatchewan, built in 1864 and named after the French command “Wer ruft” (Qui appelle), which comes from the name of the river in the language of the Cree Indians (Kah-tep-was = the river that calls).

[8] ter Fort Chambly, one of five forts along the Richelieu River in the province of Quebec, located at the mouth of the river in the St. Lawrence River, conquered by England in 1760.

[9] ter Fort Henry, located on the Cataraqui River near Kingston in the province of Ontario, built from 1812.

[10] ter Fort York near Toronto in the province of Ontario, built in 1793. York was the old name of the capital of Upper Canada, later Toronto.

[11] ter Fort Anne, which protects the access to the port of Annapolis Royal in the province of Nova Scotia, built from 1629 and named after Queen Anne of England (1665-1714).

[12] ter Fort St-Louis near Port La Tour in the province of Nova Scotia, built by France in its colony Acadie in 1623 and maintained during the Scottish occupation of Port Royal 1629–1632.

[13] ter Fort Victoria, built by the Hudson's Bay Company on Vancouver Island in 1843, became the capital of the province of British Columbia under the name Victoria.

[14] He puts the total number of members of the Canadian armed forces according to British or NATO statutes (i.e. not in the context of the previous occupation forces!) In D between 1951 and 1993 at more than 100,000 people, p. 14