Memories of the fifties

The memories shown below were previously published in “Friendship Alliance News” of February 1980. Various updates from 2008 were added by Piet Mulder, an aviation enthusiast whose interest in aircraft around Soesterberg had begun in 1949, and who was then living near the airbase. It is a unique report of the 1950’s seen through the eyes of aircraft spotters.

Memories…

In the previous Friendship Alliance News, the 25th anniversary of the 32nd TFS at Soesterberg was extensively discussed and we revived this period by reminiscing about all kinds of memories, which is sometimes useful because it is precisely in our area of interest, aviation. So much is changing and at such a rapid pace that we hardly have time for the past. That is why I wanted to take you in this story to Soesterberg Air Base and everything that happened there in the years from about 1949 to around 1958. Let me say this in advance, most of what I entrust to the paper is based on personal memories of this period and the events that I experienced myself, living a few hundred meters away from the base. I hope my memory hasn’t distorted the facts too much over the years. In retrospect, it’s a pity that I was able to photograph so few events from that time, because there was so much to see that many today’s “spotters” could only dream of. The number of aircraft movements was much higher and the number of types more varied. However, at that time our financial resources were so limited that little photography was done and you were already privileged if you had a camera, and we usually did not get further than registering numbers and types. Moreover, photography was strictly prohibited, and I think that is also the reason that there are so few photos from that period in circulation.

The view of the spotters’ spot on the Batenburgweg was virtually unlimited because the plants and sand hills that have now (unfortunately) been installed were missing. Shortly after WWII there were three runways, all of which were in use after they had been repaired. The most used was the track that runs parallel to the row of hangars now hidden behind the tall bushes. These hangars were built shortly after the war and came from Royal Air Force bases. They were surplus to requirements after the war, were demolished there and brought to the Netherlands by ship. The second runway was the one that is now used most often, but the length was considerably smaller because the Montgomeryweg (the connecting road between Soesterberg and Soestduinen) still formed the eastern boundary of the airport at the time. The least used track ran almost parallel to the Dolderseweg, the western border of the base. In ’49 the airport was still completely open, the barriers were still missing, and it was possible to cycle along the track, for example from Soesterberg to Den Dolder. There were hardly any planes, there were some yellow painted Oxfords and Ansons and a few Austers, all surplus material from the RAF.

When the post-war Royal Netherlands Air Force began to take shape again, Soesterberg was also given a place in the defense of Dutch airspace. The first aircraft to be stationed there were the F9 and F14 Spitfires of the 322nd squadron and some Spitfire trainers. That was of course very cool for us as boys to see those Spitfires landing and taking off every day and sometimes also making less successful landings. Not long afterwards, the first fighter jets made their entrance to the base: the Gloster Meteor F4. The distinctive sound of the Griffon engines of the Spitfire was drowned out by the Derwents of the F4, not always pleasant for local residents and this was just the beginning.

In ’51 the first Gloster Meteor F4 squadrons were formed and shortly afterwards they were also placed at Soesterberg together with a small number of T7 trainers. Gradually it became quite busy and dozens of flights were made every day. Of course, there were plenty of accidents, but nothing shocking happened on the base itself. A fortunately successful incident that I once experienced was the simultaneous take-off of three Meteors, the middle one of which could not get airborne. The pilot made every effort to come to a stop, but that was certainly not possible and the F8 dived into the broom bushes with a lot of creaking after first crossing the Montgomeryweg. All this took place about 100 meters in front of us because the start was from the “mitered” track in our direction.

During this period the base was frequently visited by Vampire squadrons from the RAF. These came over from England for a short time, together with ground crews, and very realistic exercises were held together with the Royal Netherlands Air Force. Sometimes it all seemed so real that it was as if the war had not yet ended. Loudspeakers were also placed in the tent camps along the edge of the base near the Postweg and sometimes you could hear music such as the Moonlight Serenade and other tunes from the Second World War. Because I lived so close to it, we could even enjoy it at home. That was a very special atmosphere that I have never forgotten. At the craziest times of the day (and night), for example, mock attacks were made on the airfield at a very low height and many locals were kept awake at that time by the vicious whistling of the Vampires, that actually made a lot of uncivilized noise with their short fuselages. Yet they were striking appearances with their double tails and the flaming nozzles were especially impressive during nightly take-offs. We had quite a lot of contact with the English soldiers and in the beginning, we were even able to reach the aircraft themselves. A large, tiled dispersal had been constructed along the Montgomeryweg, which was not yet closed at the time. As long as the ground crews allowed it, we could quietly view the Vampires up close.

The base’s increasingly important role within NATO made it necessary to further expand the airbase. A start was made with the construction of thousands of meters of taxi tracks with associated dispersals even as far as the Stompert, not to mention the extension of one of the runways. The consequence of the latter was that this track now crossed the Montgomeryweg. Initially, traffic lights were used, but this situation was decidedly unsafe. It was therefore decided to build a new road (the current Van Weerden Poelmanweg) in an easterly direction. The airbase had now grown into a full-fledged NATO base and intensive flying took place. It often happened that during large-scale exercises, several squadrons from other Dutch bases were also at Soesterberg with Meteors. We could always recognize them by the numbering and the color of the tail tips. Thunderjets were also present. The planes were then positioned in all corners of the base and when the alarm sounded, the fighters literally came from all sides to the runway to take off immediately from the different corners.

Without claiming that interest in flying is now less, the number of people who stood at the airport, especially in the summer, was much bigger than now. Many people, cycling in the surrounding woods, were attracted by the noise, and they were usually very surprised that they could see everything so close. I still remember Wijman’s drinks stand where, in addition to the many refreshments, many airplane photos were also on sale. Thousands of people were able to enjoy what the Royal Netherlands Air Force had to offer up close, and that was a lot. Before the war, almost in the same place, there was a large restaurant, called Soesterdal. That restaurant attracted thousands of visitors in those years. It was also often the destination of school trips or other groups of people, but also of airbase staff personnel. A Fokker aircraft had been placed next to the terrace that you could view and there was also an exhibition space. Moreover, from there you could also take a sightseeing flight with a Fokker airliner.

Just as it happens today, visitors from bases of other NATO countries came to Soesterberg. It might be interesting to mention several aircraft types that regularly visited the airbase in those years. Fortunately, I can rely on notes that I made at that time. Fairly frequent visitors were the following aircraft: F-84 Thunderjet, Fokker S-11, Hawker Seafury (among others from the MLD), Sikorsky S-51, Dassault Ouragan, Canberra, Havilland Venom, Gloster Meteor NF11, Fairchild C-119, B-25 Mitchell, B-26 Invader, Convair Catalina, Fairey Firefly, Lockheed Harpoon, Gloster Javelin and Dassault Flamant. At one time there was also a Gloster Meteor FR 9, a relatively unknown version that was equipped with cameras in the nose and that was used for reconnaissance flights.

During the preparations for one of, in my opinion, largest and most impressive air shows ever held in the Netherlands -for the 40th anniversary of the Royal Netherlands Air Force- the base was buzzing with activities. The air show was to be held on 18 July 1953, but many participants had already arrived at the base well before that day. The various stunt teams such as the Diamond Four team -that was stationed at Soesterberg- practiced hard and it was actually one long flying festival for days. The arrival of the Hawker P1067 (the later Hunter) was awaited with great anticipation. On the afternoon of, I think, 16 July, there were a lot of people at the airbase. Unexpectedly, a “sonic boom” sounded high above us and a little later, completely unexpectedly, the completely white-painted aircraft manned by the well-known Neville Duke came tearing across the field at enormous speed at a relatively low height. I need not say what impression this made upon us. The air show on the 18th was one series of highlights. In addition to the many stunt teams that flew F-84 Thunderjets and Gloster Meteors, among others, the USAF strategic bombers were particularly well represented. These aircraft then formed the backbone of the Strategic Air Command. We saw the Boeing KB-29, the B-50 and the B-47 Stratojet. No fewer than 15 of the latter type flew over at the same time in a mighty formation, leaving behind an immense cloud of smoke, produced by the 90 GE J47 turbojets that propelled this group of bombers. It is amazing to think that the total thrust of the 6 engines with which a B-47 was equipped was even less than the thrust (without reheat) of the two F100 engines with which the Eagle was equipped. The 10-engine (six turning, four burning) Convair B-36 also made a very impressive “pass”. Further highlights were the individual shows of the Mystère and especially the P-1067. The P2V Neptune, Supermarine Attacker and Skyraider were also on display. A final parade of no fewer than 300 NATO aircraft concluded the event, together with a massive parachute jump. The following week there was a large exhibition at the airbase with various demonstrations every day.

When it became known in the course of 1954 that a USAF squadron would be stationed at Soesterberg, there was a certain amount of excitement among us. In addition to everything the airbase already had to offer us, the modern F-86F Saber would now also arrive and the idea that we would be able to see this very modern fighter jet every day made us very enthusiastic. When 16 November finally arrived, many people had gathered to see the squadron’s arrival. The long wait was rewarded and the airspace around Soesterberg was filled with the specific sound of the Sabers that, each after a beautiful “break”, landed on the base. With the landing of the last Saber, a new era had begun for Soesterberg. The arrival of the 512th FDS meant that a number of other aircraft types arrived regularly, such as the C-123 Providers and the C-119 Packets, of which sometimes more than eight were present at the same time. Later the C-124 Globemaster also came to supply the squadron quite often. A very rare appearance was the B-45 Tornado, which I believe only visited Soesterberg once. I have never been able to find a photo of that visit. I did see the departure of the B-45 myself.

Finally, I wanted to mention a number of aircraft types, some of which were stationed at Soesterberg, such as the Fokker S-14, the Hawker Hunter, the F-86K, the T-33 and of course the F-100 Super Saber and the F -102 Delta Dagger, and the following aircraft that visited Soesterberg more or less frequently, such as the Grumman F7F Tigercat, Avro Canada CF100 Canuck, Supermarine Swift, Gloster Javelin, Grumman Albatross, Vickers Viking, English Electric Lightning, F-84F Thunderstreak ( and -Flash), F-101 Voodoo, Avro Shackleton, Avro Lincoln, Blackburn Beverley, SAAB J-29 and as one of the highlights of the NATO flying festival in ’58, the mighty Boeing B-52 that, although not landed, certainly should be mentioned in this list, and the Avro Vulcan and the Vickers Valiant. The USAFE stunt team, the Skyblazers, with the F-100 also made a big impression.

With the disappearance of the last operational Hunters and F-86K squadrons, things have calmed down a bit. A relief for the locals, less fun for aviation enthusiasts from the region, but thanks to the presence of the 32nd TFS, Soesterberg has always remained the base for me. It was because of the presence of the 32nd squadron that many visitors, which you would not easily find at other airbases, came to Soestereberg. If we compare Marinus van Meel’s “Brik” from 1913 with the F-15 Eagle, you can easily state that some things have changed.

Personally, I am very pleased to have experienced almost 10 years of the history of Soesterberg Air Base up close and I hope that this airbase with its rich history can have many good years to come.

P.J. Mulder

Maarssen, Feb. 1980

P.S. Unfortunately, the existence of the air base came to an end in 2008 and we will have to make do with the immense amount of photos taken by enthusiastic spotters over all those years!!