Soesterberg Air Base
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In de summer of 1966, when I was 17 years old, I started my hobby at Soesterberg Air Base in The Netherlands, close to the city of Utrecht. Soesterberg AB was very attractive for aviation enthusiasts. The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) was based at the north-side of the field and the United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE) at the south-side called "Camp New Amsterdam".
During all those years I photographed many based and visiting aircraft. In my photo gallery and slideshow you find the most attractive shots.
Volkert van den Berg.
32ndFDS/32ndFIS/32ndTFS - WOLFHOUNDS
Source: with thanks to J.D. Ragay/SOESTERBERG MOVEMENTS
Numbers per type served with the 32nd
Badge 32 TAC FTR SQDN (USAFE) WOLFHOUNDS
1954-1956 F-86 Sabre
1956-1960 F-100 Super Sabre
1960-1969 F-102 Delta Dagger
1969-1978 F-4 Phantom II
1978-1994 F-15 Eagle
ZULU-hangar preserved
Due to the support of Gerrit van de Veen the ZULU-hangar at Camp New Amsterdam will be preserved. He also found an ally in the Menno van Coehoorn Foundation, which is active in the field of military heritage.
Mayor and Aldermen of the municipality of Zeist have decided on the 7th of October 2015 that they will put the ZULU-hangar (building A38, Dolderseweg 34, Huis ter Heide) on the list of municipal monuments.
Source: Onze Luchtmacht nr 6-2015.
The official arrival date of this F-100C with the tail-serial 41877 (54-1877) for the 32nd was 9-Aug-1956. It departed the same year on 21-Dec-1956 to Sidi Slimane AB in Marocco (324FIS). Photo at Soesterberg AB by Gerald Fugere.
F-100C with the tail-serial 41890 (54-1890) was assigned to the 32nd in the period 08-Mar-1958 to 16-Aug-1960. Photo at Soesterberg AB by R. Feinberg.
F-102A 61032 (56-1032) in compagny with 60980 (56-0980) at the open house of RAF Weathersfield, UK in 1965? The red-white-blue band shows that it is the commander's aircraft. Photographer unkown.
In 1976 the 32TFS received 23 brand new F-4Es of the fiscal year 1974 batch. They were all equipped with the Hughes ASX-1 TISEO pod to identify targets (a sort of big zoomlens in the left wing).
74-0654/CR is one of them. It arrived on the 18th of March 1976 and departed for the 52TFW at Spangdahlem AB (West-Germany) on the 10th of October 1978.
The Eagles were permitted to carry the Royal Crown (inside the orange and green fin-tip) as they are committed to the air defence of Holland by Royal Chapter.
The number of F-15C/Ds increased and two flight colours appeared: orange and green, each outlined by the opposite.
F-15C 79-0032/CR green. This aircraft was first noted with the 32TFS in November 1980 and finally departed on the 13th of September 1990 to the Air Force of Saudi Arabia and became 4217.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force
Visitors
Due to runway repairs at Twenthe Air Base a number of NF-5A/Bs from 313 and 315sq were deployed to Soesterberg Air Base in the beginning of April 1985. The following four were photographed during their stay.
Later NF-5B visitors
In September/October 1984 the 32TFS with F-15Cs participated in the annual exercise William Tell Meet at Tyndall AFB in Florida. To prepare for this exercise F-4Es from Hahn and Ramstein AB came to Soesterberg AB to practice with the 32TFS during the summer of 1984.
Seen here is F-4E 68-0388/HR white fin-tip from the 313TFS/50TFW based at Hahn AB in West-Germany.