Book: Bastions near Bases

Bastions near Bases

Castles (Châteaux) near 1 Canadian Air Group HQ, Metz, and 1 Canadian Air Division RCAF Station 1 (F) Wing, Marville, RCAF Station 2 (F) Wing Grostenquin, d’Alsace, France; and Castles (Burgen, Schlösser, Festungen) near RCAF Station 3 (F) Wing Zweibrücken, RCAF Station 4 (F)Wing/CFB Baden-Soellingen, CFB Lahr, Germany 1953-1993, and the NATO Airborne Early Warning Force (NAEWF), Geilenkirchen, Germany.

The cover art depicting a RCAF Canadair CL-13 Sabre of No. 434 Squadron passing by the ‘German Gate’ near the RCAF 1 Canadian Air Group HQ in Metz France c1950s, was painted by Peter Robichaud.

(DND Photo via James Craik)

Canadair F-86 Sabre Mk. 6 (Serial No. 23752), No. 434 Squadron, coded BR, RCAF Station 3 (Fighter) Wing, Zweibrucken, Germany.

(N-nrg Photo)
Trifels Castle (Reichsburg Trifels) is a reconstructed medieval castle at an elevation of 500 m (1,600 ft) near the small town of Annweiler, in the Palatinate region of southwestern Germany. It is located high above the Queich valley within the Palatinate Forest on one peak of a red sandstone mountain split into three.  Trifels Castle is on the peak of the Sonnenberg, and on both of the other two rock elevations there are castle ruins: Anebos Castle and Scharfenberg Castle (demotically called Münz).  Trifels Castle has been gradually restored since the 19th century and today replicas of the Imperial Regalia (Reichskleinodien) of the Holy Roman Empire are on display here. It is, together with Hambach Castle, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

(DND Photo)

A pair of Avro CF-100 Canuck Mk. 4Bs of No. 423 All-Weather (Fighter) Squadron in 1962.  Aircraft (Serial No. 18364) with F/O Saunders and F/O Maltais breaks away from (Serial No. 18330) with F/O Stanners and F/L Mack.  Photo was taken while the aircraft were participating in training at the Air Weapons (training) Unit in Sardinia.  These CF-100s were based at No. (Fighter) Wing, RCAF Station Grostenquin, France.  Front-line CF-100s were used by the RCAF in Europe from 1956 to 1962.

(Marc Ryckaert Photo)

The Porte des Allemands (German’s Gate) is a medieval bridge castle and city gate in Metz, Lorraine, France.  It is “a relic of the medieval fortifications, with two 13th c. round towers and two gun bastions of the 15th c.”  It is listed as a monument historique of France.

(DND Photo via James Craik)

Canadair CF-104 Starfighters, RCAF (Serial Nos. 12747, 12737, 12847 and 12759 visible), equipped with Vinten Vicom camera recce pods, in formation.  These fighters were based at No. 1 (F) Wing, 1 Air Division, RCAF Station Marville, France, May 1965. 1 Canadian Air Division (1 CAD), 1 Canadian Air Group (1 CAG), Canadian Forces Europe (CFE), served 1952-1993.

(Lahr Historical Society Photo)

Burg Hohengeroldseck as it appeared before its destruction in the 1689.  The castle was built ca 1270 on the Seelbacher Schönberg mountain between Schutter and Kinzigtal in the Ortenau, not far from Offenburg and Lahr. At that time, it served as the family seat of the Lords of Geroldseck, initially under Walther I von Geroldseck. (Hohengeroldseck was a state of the Holy Roman Empire).