Bastions near Bases - German Castles and French Châteaux near Canadian Forces Bases in Europe
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.
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Data current to 2 April 2024.
(Author’s artwork)
16th century German Knight - Der Ritter, copy of Albrecht Durer's knight from his "Ritter, Tod und Teufel" drawing, 1516.
(Illustration by Paul Lehugeur 1854-1916)
Joanof Arc leading a siege on a city in the 15th Century.
(Ulli1105 Photo)
Berwartstein Castle (Burg Berwartstein) is a castle in the Wasgau, the southern part of the Palatinate Forest in the Rhineland-Palatinate state in southwestern Germany. It was one of the rock castles that were part of the defences of the Palatinate during the Middle Ages. In the publication Works of Preservation of Monuments of Rheinland-Pfalz, which was assembled and edited for the Ministry of Education and Culture, Berwartstein is listed as one of the three prime examples of rock castles in the region, which include the Drachenfels, Altdahn and Berwartstein. These are castles where the stairs, passages and rooms are carved out of the living rock to form part of the accommodation essential to the defence of the castle. Although Berwartstein appears more complete when compared to the ruins of neighbouring castles, it is only a restoration of the original rock castle. It is the only castle in the Palatinate that was rebuilt and re-inhabited after its demolition.
(CB Photo)
Casemate II, as it appeared when we came out of the tunnel - quite the introduction to castle tunnel spelunking! This room has been carved out of the living rock, leaving a support section from the original stone which has been cut around. I remember my father explaining that the robber knights operating from this castle created a problem for the rulers in the area, so they commissioned one of their best knights to go and sort them out. He managed to get the best of them, but on reflection decided they had a pretty good scheme going, and so he joined them, taking over the business, so to speak. Even more remarkable, the fortress was so well defended, the Robber Knight died of old age, quite rare for the profession. This castle is typical of many I have explored during our time in Germany
(Author’s artwork)
Burg Eltz, Germany.
(Canadian Department of National Defence Photo, PC-2144)
Canadair CL-13 Sabre Mk. 6 (Serial No. 23757) was one of 390 that served with the RCAF. This Sabre is carrying the camouflage developed for all RCAF European-based operational aircraft. The photo was taken while the aircraft belonged to No. 1 Overseas Ferry Unit (OFU) based at St. Hubert, Quebec, formed in 1953 to ferry Sabres and T-33s across the North Atlantic. The Sabre was produced until 1958 and used primarily by the RCAF until it was replaced with the Canadair CF-104 Starfighter in 1962.
(Author’s Artwork)
Lichtenstein Castle, Germany.
(Author’s Artwork)
Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany.
(Author’s Artwork)
Hohenzollern Castle, Germany.
(Author’s Artwork)
Rhine Pfalz Castle, Germany.
(Author’s artwork)
Roder Gate & Markus Tower, Rothenburg, Germany.
